The idea of a member of Kraftwerk scoring The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is like a "Sprockets" sketch from SNL come to life. Thankfully, the results are a good deal better than that.
Out now from Karl Bartos, former member of Kraftwerk, is The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, his score to the 1920 film of the same name. At times both austere in presentation and emotive in others, the music here works on its own, but especially so for those with awareness and memories of the film itself.
Bartos, operating out of his Hamburg home studio, uses numbers like "Scary Memories" to anchor Robert Weine's classic tale of sleepwalking and dreams. Hypnotic in a visual sense, the film needs a foundation in sound too. Bartos inuitively grasps the need, alternating between a semi-orchestral, sample-based approach, and lush keyboards. The tracks swing between simple, precise ruminations and warm, swelling electronic figures. There are hints here of real instruments, but the pieces work best when they sort of ooze out and create an immersive place for a listener and presumably a viewer of the movie.
Much like Bill Nelson's score for Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast, this Bartos work stands on its own outside the superb visual masterpiece it's meant to accompany. That said, when paired up, it's likely to become the definitive soundtrack to an essential piece of viewing history.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is out today via Bureau B.
[Photos of Karl Bartos: Philipp Rathmer top, and Thomas Ecke middle]