On-Off The Record

Documentary film.

Documentary film.

Documentary film.

For 40 years, Gerhard Steidl has combined the roles of printer and publisher, resolved to personally check each sheet leaving his printing shop in Göttingen. This perfectionism, combined with an unconditional love for books, for the traditional printing craft, and a commitment to the quality standards of manufacturing (in the original sense of the word, made by hand), has gained worldwide attention. The most internationally renowned photographic artists vie for the opportunity to collaborate with Gerhard Steidl, to conceive and produce the perfect publication with him.

Jörg Adolph’s playful On-the-road documentary follows the face-off of two bands that are both quite fond of experimentation. The Notwist and the Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra ignore genre boundaries as they hop from style to style, channeling their way through polymorphic soundscapes, wild and beautiful. From the recording of Notwist’s “The Devil, You + Me” album, via collective rehearsals in Berlin, to concerts in Hamburg, Amsterdam and Munich: these kindred spirits always try to improve, try to refine the patterns and arrangements. It seems as if the musicians main concern is to keep the songs in constant motion – Music Not Music.