Essential Kraftwerk

Although "Autobahn" from '74 ain't too shabby - well, it's better than "The Man Machine".

 

Just the 890 samples listed: https://www.whosampled.com/Kraftwerk/

There’s even more of course, as many songs that sample Kraftwerk are then sampled. Cybotron’s ‘Clear’, very obviously based on ‘Home Computer’, has featured on dozens more tunes since, such as this understated banger, ‘Lose Control’, by the singular talent that is Missy Elliott.

Aside from Computer World having curiously prescient themes, beaming itself into the future and even having a track almost about internet dating, it really is still heard everywhere.

I’ve a soft spot for The Man-Machine, as it’s the one I remember from being very young, so of course I instantly loved the robot and space stuff. Also (and it’s given me goosebumps remembering this, and I’ve still no idea what it’s made on), it properly fizzed out of my brother’s Mission 700s!

 

If you need more, there's also Komputer



I'm sure there was another UK band kicking around in the 80s and 90s who were influenced by (OK, sounded like) Kraftwerk, but I can't remember their name.

 

Dopplereffekt are often very Kraftwerkian electro, from the ever-enigmatic Gerald Donald (also of Drexciya, UR, and more, ofc). I posted their Infophysix EP recently, and its title track has a lovely soaring melody Karl could’ve come up with...



I’ve not kept up with more recent releases, but there’s some particularly great early tunes with the strangely alluring Kim Karli on vocals... On the above EP, ‘Pornoactress’ (not quite as dodgy as it sounds) is a good way in, and more easily (and much less expensively) found on the roundup of early tracks, Gesamtkunstwerk.

 

Some other lad in Florian’s apartment, 1979…



A bonus mark awarded for ID-ing the record on the floor by the Micro Seiki.

 

I agree with Tony’s album ranking and opinion, Kraftwerk are legendary. I do think The Mix is worth it just for the ultra clean production and don’t forget the original Tour De France single. I just finished Karl Bartos’ autobiography - he describes in detail how after Computer World they started trying to compete with other electronic club music and ended up in a mess, sounds like Electric Cafe was mixed so many times that it drained the life out of it. Then digital technology turns up and the fun goes out of the whole thing (he leaves after Electric Cafe out of boredom).

There’s a fantastic video on youtube of them playing live during the Man Machine tour, quite a contrast to how they are now.

 

“All” is a good call but I do find Tour De France as excruciatingly dull as it is live and Electric Cafe is the sound of a group standing stll.

 

I remember hearing Radioactivity as a child of the 80s and thinking how very sparse and yet weirdly organic it was. Still my favourite album, followed by Tour de France Soundtracks. I'm reading Uwe Schütte's book Future Music from Germany about Kraftwerk, which is semi interesting so far. I also enjoyed Karl Bartos' album Communication.

 

I took home the import copy with a load of stickers...

...like an idiot these went straight on school exercise books and my bedroom door.

The album from Ainley's Leicester was going back...

...then my dad who worked in the energy sector said:-

Hey that's a Geiger Counter!

 

Personally for me, my favs are TEE, Autobahn (just for 22 minutes of fab motorway travelling ) but I also like Comet melody 2 on side 2, Radioactivity, love all that airwaves stuff & finally Man machine.

Just bought to add to my original collection + later reissues TEE German version & remixes on vinyl (seemed cheap for 3LP). So yea look at the German versions too makes for interesting
listen.

You should also get the radio edit 7" single of Autobahn which actually includes Comet melody 2 on side B

 

The UK release had "Kometenmelodie 1" on the B-side.

"2" was the follow-up single.

 

I should know this as I have the single but not seen light of day for a long time

 

Trans Europe Express is my favourite, but probably because it's the first I bought.

 

Did you get the pic from this blog? If not, well worth a read.

 

"Radioactivity" is a great album as a mix of 'experimental' tracks in the style of early Kraftwerk ("Geiger Counter", "Intermission", "News", "The Voice of Energy", "Radio Stars", "Uranium", "Transistor") and more conventional songs / tunes ("Radioactivity", "Radioland", "Airwaves", "Antenna", "Ohm Sweet Ohm") and it always felt to me Kraftwerk's pivotal album, where they could have carried on in that vein / gone more experimental or develop the song / poppy side. I guess that after "Autobahn", it was inevitable. They chose the poppy path, and, began a process of reducing it down to the bare essentials as heard in "Man Machine".

 

Of course, and yes, it’s quite interesting. Try sitting like Ralf… exceptionally uncomfortable, unless you’re a robot, maybe.

 

Saw them live at the Suvilahti power plant, Helsinki, some time back. The music was great but boy was I cold at the end of the performance even if it was summer.
My personal favorite albums:
Autobahn
Radioactivity
Man Machine

 

This was good: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/jul/05/steve-reich-kraftwerk-pop-review
At 14 I came to them via the UK success of The Model and Computer World album. Didn't realize how epic Numbers was at the time.