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Synchronicity: myth or marvel?
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A Caligari movie poster c. 1921
Recently, I’ve been studying the phenomenon of synchronicity between music and movies; the idea that a muted movie played at the same time as a music cd will produce a series strange and wonderful happenings that seem to miraculously coincide with each other. The most well-known pairing of the two is witnessed in what has come to be known as Dark Side of Oz; the 1939 film "The Wizard of Oz" played simultaneously with Pink Floyd’s masterpiece album Dark Side of the Moon. Several others have been brought to my attention, including a synchronizing of 2002's "The Ring" alongside Nine Inch Nails’ stellar double LP The Fragile, as well as a sequence in the 1968 movie "2001: A Space Odyssey" coupled with the lengthy Pink Floyd song “Echoes.”
I’ve been a fan of silent movies for quite some time now. One of my favorites is the 1920 German Expressionist horror/suspense film, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. A movie way ahead of it’s time, Caligari exhibited many, many advanced film techniques and ideas that one could easily see influenced a great many motion pictures that proceeded it. Because of its age, all copyrights have since expired and the movie is available to download for FREE at this location (I recommend everyone reading this download it immediately, if only for its historical properties).
After a little bit of patience and trial and error (in addition to other sources of inspiration), I came up with a soundtrack/playlist that seems to fit hauntingly perfect when paired with this movie; giving ample amounts of eerie similarities and plenty of “WHAT THE ****?!?” moments. After watching it a few times with this playlist, it has not only given a favorite movie of mine whole new life, but it has also given the music I know and love a very different twist. For all those interested, here is the playlist I used. I have the tracks flowing fluidly with a two-second crossfade:
Aria - Ariella
Tosca - **** dub
Saltillo - A Necessary End
Massive Attack - The Academy
Massive Attack - Danny the Dog
Neurosis - Shelter
Coldcut - Sound Mirrors
Behemoth - Goat with a Thousand Young
Massive Attack - Everything About You is New
Mastodon - Joseph Merrick
Massive Attack - Two Rocks and a Cup of Water
Isis - Wavering Radiant
Neurosis - Suspended in Light
Isis - Maritime
Try this soundtrack out for yourself, or experiment with songs of your own choosing. I find that this practice can be a particularly rewarding one. With nearly limitless possibilities, the convergence of these two media can almost always produce chilling and thrilling moments. Some may be more prominent than others, but when you add whole new elements to already established forms of entertainment, you open up entirely new ways of thinking and being. Push the boundaries of what you know at face value!
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