Conrad Schnitzler & Matt Howarth Moon Mummy Play Sample:   56K Dialup   Broadband   Download Sample:   500K   1.5Mb (Excerpt from track(s) 'Archived Artifact 6')

Now here is an oddity, in fact a true 'space oddity'! Moon Mummy is the latest release from German synth legend Conrad Schnitzler and it is interesting to note here that this album is released through a proper label, as opposed to his famed private pressings. This is a 16 track album and as the notes state, Moon Mummy is a 'cautionary comedy about the dangers of mixing science and commercialization' but it has to be stressed that this is not one of those 'narrative-over-music' albums. However for those interested in the story there is also a comic strip pdf file to be found on the disc, which contains the conceptual text and artwork - provided by Matt Howarth.

For those who are unfamiliar with the music of Conrad Schnitzler – (you do exist?), he is perhaps one of the leading exponents of experimental electronic music and his releases are about as anti-commercial as you would ever expect to find. However he did break the mould in 1978 with the album 'Con' which was considered by many to be his most commercial work. So how does this album compare with the rest of this musician's prolific output? Well, unsurprisingly it follows suit in the experimental stakes and it can sometimes be a challenging piece of work with all of the tracks on offer last no longer than 6 minutes a piece. With that said it is one of the musician's more accessible works and should definitely be appreciated by anyone who has enjoyed his sonic experimentalism in the past. For example the opus to the album, 'The Burial Asteroid' starts with effective synth stabs but is shortly followed by what sounds like a pure acoustic violin section, which takes the track into a somewhat hybrid, neo-classical sound field. Delayed percussion and an array of spacial effects keep the piece well within the realms of its designated path of obscurity. A more simplistic track 2, combines just the sounds of a cosmic soundscape, occasional deep percussion and a bell-type main theme.The third piece starts with a sequencer loop at mid tempo over a cosmic backdrop. Eventually a synth string theme is introduced but does little to settle the mind of the listener.

'Archived Artefacts 1' blasts through the speakers with a resonant loop, panning effectively in and out of the mix. A rendezvous with a decent bass sequencer pattern and effective chord structures carries the track to its conclusion. 'Cathedral Muttering in the Tunnels' is without contender for the best track on the album, although the occasional voice textures played at varying speeds throughout the piece ruins the flow slightly and adds unnecessary obscurity. The underlying theme though should not be overlooked and it is in fact a rather haunting and menacingly beautiful piece of music, which will throw the fans off the scent! Track 6 in complete contrast returns the listener back to a more familiar Schnitzler territory with its panned effects and obscure sequencer section. Low synth chords and abstract sequencer patterns follow. Perhaps one the most simplistic tracks on the album would be 'Archived Artefact 2' which comprises of a basic delayed and arpegiatted theme. 'Archived Artefact 3' comprises of a strange solo lead line, another basic piece while track 9 hits back with a completely off beat bass percussion loop over effects and a synth lead.