KARL BARTOS: ATOMIUM – THE FILM from KARL BARTOS on Vimeo.
This week, Karl Bartos released ‘Atomium’, the first single taken from his solo album Off The Record, due out on March 18 via Bureau B.
Inspired by the huge structure in the shape of an iron crystal put up for the 1958 World’s Fair in Brussels, the ex-Kraftwerk man helped it find "its musical voice" for the track. Interesting enough, you might think – now read the text that accompanies the video:
"Imagine this!
"Square de l’Atomium, Brussels, Belgium. Some time ago in late summer Lotte Reiniger, Walter Ruttmann, François Truffaut, Jean Giraud and Quentin Tarantino held a conference in the upper sphere of the Atomium. The main topic of their meeting was film editing. Eventually Walter raised a question about rhythm: ‘When is a cut rhythmically interesting and right?’, he was asking. Subsequently the conversation went on and on.
"After a while it was getting dark and it started raining outside. Lotte looked out of the window and through the pouring rain she noticed a black Citroen Berline in the distance. The limousine was driving full speed towards the Atomium and finally circled around it in a seamless glide. Lotte, curious by now, got her opera glasses and although the Citroen looked overcrowded she could recognize five passengers: Igor Stravinsky, Witold Lutoslawski, Bernard Herrmann, John Barry and Pierre Henry. ‘Unbelievable!’, she yelled ecxited. And in no time Lotte, Walter, François, Jean and Quentin rushed down the escalator – passing by director Henri Simons – to team up with the guys. We don’t know if they ever met but it would have been wonderful, wouldn’t it?
"Alright – but who’s that man observing the sequence in a pale trenchcoat outside the building? Yes, that’s Karl Bartos completely transfixed by the situation. And, believe it or not, exactly at this very moment Karl comes to the conclusion to write a song and shoot a film about the Atomium, this gigantic model of an iron crystal. And this is what he came up with…"
Good, eh? Watch this space, as we will be posting an interview with Bartos in the near future.
