{"product_id":"slow-motion-2","title":"Slow Motion","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe 1960s weren’t just about \u003cstrong\u003eThe Beatles\u003c\/strong\u003e, the \u003cstrong\u003eRolling Stones\u003c\/strong\u003e, and hippies, they also ushered in new forms of art: happenings, Fluxus, Neo-Dada, video art, to name just a few. As borders blurred, pop influenced art and art influenced pop.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMany protagonists of the time chose to ignore borders altogether. This chaotic, euphoric atmosphere of extreme innovation lasted well into the 1970s and continues to resonate today. All manner of trailblazers shaped the soundscape of the era.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConrad Schnitzler\u003c\/strong\u003e (born 1937) and \u003cstrong\u003eKarl Horst Hödicke\u003c\/strong\u003e (born 1938) – longstanding members of the official artistic canon – were multifunctional artists who painted, performed, sculptured, made films, and music. They were always to be found on the edge of the “permissible” and invariably went beyond “modern” perceptions of art.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSchnitzler\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eHödicke\u003c\/strong\u003e, and many of their contemporaries arrived at a completely new definition of the avant-garde. The circumstances of \u003cstrong\u003eSchnitzler\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eHödicke\u003c\/strong\u003e’s first meeting are unknown, but it should come as no surprise that it was \u003cstrong\u003eSchnitzler\u003c\/strong\u003e who composed the soundtrack for \u003cstrong\u003eHödicke\u003c\/strong\u003e’s film entitled “\u003cem\u003eSlow Motion\u003c\/em\u003e” in 1976.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe two artists were cut from the same cloth, routinely crossing any boundaries they happened to encounter. \u003cstrong\u003eSchnitzler\u003c\/strong\u003e wrote music for each of the film’s 14 sequences, linking them together in a logical progression of minimalist imagery. Each piece of music quite brilliantly accentuated the preceding one.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSchnitzler\u003c\/strong\u003e’s musical sensibility was wholly compatible with \u003cstrong\u003eHödicke\u003c\/strong\u003e’s approach to film. Not that \u003cstrong\u003eSchnitzler\u003c\/strong\u003e was ever a film composer. “\u003cem\u003eSlow Motion\u003c\/em\u003e” worked because \u003cstrong\u003eSchnitzler\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eHödicke\u003c\/strong\u003e were on the same wavelength, daring to experiment with sound and vision in such a way that auditory and visual components were interdependent.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eNevertheless, it still makes sense to release the soundtrack without the images. The tracks on “\u003cem\u003eSlow Motion\u003c\/em\u003e” vary in length (the shortest is only 58 seconds long) and mood, but the listener never has to leave \u003cstrong\u003eSchnitzler\u003c\/strong\u003e’s sonic universe, even without the pictures for which the music was composed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e“\u003cem\u003eSlow Motion\u003c\/em\u003e” is an important document in \u003cstrong\u003eSchnitzler\u003c\/strong\u003e’s oeuvre, seamlessly taking its place alongside his many other releases, whilst also highlighting his constructive input as an equal partner in an experimental film production. What makes “\u003cem\u003eSlow Motion\u003c\/em\u003e” particularly worth listening to is the fact that \u003cstrong\u003eSchnitzler\u003c\/strong\u003e surrenders none of his aesthetic independence at any point in the project. It is an enduring document of its time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAsmus Tietchens\u003c\/strong\u003e, 2024\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Bureau B","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50415569731915,"sku":"2189574","price":32.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50415567667531,"sku":"2189570","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/zW4HBrko_02293049_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726691287","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/products\/slow-motion-2","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}