I have recently been listening to the band that NME once described as the most influential pop band since the Beatles and was curious to know what others thought of them.
Kraftwerk is quite different from the rest of the music I normally listen to. I'm not a big fan of techno/house, etc. Like most people here I remember Autobahn which has to be fully appreciated in its 22 minute album version. But after that Kraftwerk seemed to set the sound for the 1980's with fully synthetic music on Radio-Activity, Trans-Europe-Express, The-Man-Machine and Computer World. Listening to these albums one gets a sense of how far ahead of their time Kraftwerk were. Any of the tracks off these albums could be played at a club today and probably be succesful.
However the band's pre-Autobahn work is elusive and spotty at best. Kraftwerk, Kraftwerk 2 and Ralf und Florian have probably five decent tracks between them. Most of the material on these albums sounds like early-artsty Pink Floyd where the band is playing whatever they can get their hands on and banging out a rhythm. Obviously Autobahn was a turning point and had Kraftwerk starting to find a sound of their own.
So what are thoughts on Kraftwerk?

Yep, Kraftwerk were far ahead of their time and that's the reason why their Sounds are still ok. The NY Times called them 'the Beatles of electronic dance music'. Kraftwerk exists now since 44 years, but has with Ralf Hütter the only remaining original member. Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider were the 'Glimmer Twins' of Kraftwerk. Florian Schneider isn't in the band anymore since nearly 6 years. The second last Studio album of Kraftwerk (Electric Café) was released in 1986, the last Studio album (Tour de France Soundtracks) in 2003 - questionable if there will be a new one. Ralf Hütter is now 68 years old and is still on Tour with Kraftwerk, i.e. they will play in Paris in November 2014 as well as in Amsterdam's Paradiso in January 2015. Kraftwerk are one of the pioneers of electronic music, they're Pop Art now, but someday they will be only a nice piece of history like all other great bands and musicians ....

Kraftwerk in Wikipedia

Kraftwerk's own Website




Kraftwerk documentary from Sept. 2013, arte TV, in german.




The same documentary in french.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-09-18 13:55 by Irix.

The upcoming concerts in Paris and Amsterdam ....

Seen them a few months ago: it was a great concert (3D concert, not their "Katalog" like in Paris soon). Can't wait to see them again in Paris.
The venue is weirdly secret until saturday, we are waiting for a good surprise

In another hand, the Paradiso in Amsterdam is a so lovely place.

Love them. A truly innovative band. Was lucky enough to see them tour Autobahn at the Roundhouse in 1975 and hve been a fan ever since. My favourite album is Die Mensch Machine with the track, The Robots.

And Trans Europe Express - worth it for that killer line about Iggy Pop und David Bowie.

Quote
Sister Marie

The venue is weirdly secret until saturday, we are waiting for a good surprise

Kraftwerk has played 2012 in NY's MoMA, 2013 in London's Tate Modern .... 2014 Paris should have an appropriate venue too

The super-trendy Palais de Tokyo?
Or the gloomy Le Gibus? (with the ghost of Johnny Thunders hanging above the P.A. columns?)

Yes but in Lyon they played in a brownfield (as part of a music festival which goes well with this kind of site... not at all to my taste so I have a little doubt but I don't really worry about Paris.
Let's see tomorrow!

It's a band always worth listen to...much better then the reputation concerning 'Synth-music'...I can listen to a Kraftwerk-album on monday and still go round and whistle them tunes on Saturday...great tunes...

2 1 2 0

One of the very few true innovative bands.
I love all of their albums, though some are better than others. The standouts are Autobahn, Trans-Europe Express, The Man Machine and Computer World.
They are very good composers of melodies too.

Check this out! 1970!

Love them, not only because they're from my hometown Düsseldorf.

Quote
Sister Marie

The venue is weirdly secret until saturday, we are waiting for a good surprise

The venue has been unveiled now: it's Fondation Louis Vuitton.


The new building is designed by architect Frank Gehry and will be opened on October 27, 2014.

Yes I know, this morning I booked my tickets and it was indeed a good surprise: no brownfield but a new and luxurious kind of museum that opens a few days before the concerts! No photo of the venue (inside) on the website, we just know that there is an auditorium 400-seat flexible, so probably a tiny place.
Exciting!

A few pics from the Positivus Festival in Latvia. Put your 3D glasses on.

I wanted to comment on Kraftwerk's timeless appeal.
I played the song Endless Europe from Trans Europe Express for a girl who likes club/techno music and she absoloutly loved it. Its got everything that makes a good dance song (lets face half of these "club songs" have a disco time signature anyway).
The song:

I saw them open for Radiohead in Mexico City a few years ago. Yawn. No spectacular show - 3D or whatever - it was just dull.

terrible elevator muzak

I really like the 1971 Radio Bremen show that's available as a bootleg. The show is also on youtube. It's really just Florian with Michael Rother on guitar and Klaus Dinger on drums.

But it's not like the Kraftwerk from Autobahn on.





EDIT: Wrong year, changed from 1970 to 1971.





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-09-26 22:59 by MILKYWAY.

My first album was the Autobahn early seventies and I attended the Amsterdam concert in 2004 and I have my Autobahn Experience while driving from Amsterdam to Berlin and then to Besancon in France 2 months ago so I will get on the Trains Europe Express train in the Paradiso 2015>



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-10-13 20:40 by runaway.

Kraftwerk are prominently featured in Christopher Petit's 1979 UK road movie Radio On.





<<German electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk play diegetic, nondiegetic, and symbolic roles in Radio On. The final communiqué from Robert’s brother is a small parcel containing three cassette tapes by the band and a short note that limply reads “happy birthday/brother.” The film’s two recurring Kraftwerk songs (“Ohm Sweet Ohm” and “Radioactivity”) are harbingers of future sounds, as well as somewhat ominously robotic endpoints of a rock & roll epoch. The point is underscored when Robert pulls up to a remote gas station and goes in search of its attendant. He eventually locates the aptly named Just Like Eddie (played by Sting), strumming a guitar and singing Eddie Cochran’s “Three Steps to Heaven.” Robert sings along and then gets his gas. Eddie sits in Robert’s car and randomly switches on the tape deck. The fuzzy drone of “Ohm” comes on mid-song. Eddie, in an allergic reaction, immediately shuts it off. So much for a musical bonding session.>>

Full write-up at: [www.filmcomment.com]

Scene from Radio On, 1979, Bristol, England.





Scene "Westway Interchange" from Radio On.





Scene featuring David Beames and Sting from Radio On.





Interview with Chris Petit as featured on Scene From The Other Side, where Radio On is discussed. Kraftwerk as part of the soundtrack shown in a scene at 2:16. Petit discusses using Kraftwerk music in Radio On soundtrack at 2:54.

Personally I never liked Kraftwerke, but have known about them since their inception, and even had inherited vinyl albums in my collection in the 1970s, but did not listem to them all that much.

As far as electronic music goes, about 8 years ago, while laying on the beach in Puerto, I was forced to listen to blaring electronic music all day long, coming from a night club, that was being prepped for the night. After a few hours I started to like it. Later when leaving I asked the guys cleaning the place what it was, and they said Goa Trance. I had them jot down a few bands.

I added their suggestions to my collection and do listen on rare occasions:
1. Astral Projection: "Trust In Trance"
2. Etnica: "Alien Protein"
3. Hallucinogen: "Twisted"
So, my collection of 500+ albums has 3 electronic music selections.

I much prefer those to Kraftwerke, as I attempted to listen to Kraftwerke at the time that I was downloading the 3 selections above. I don't know, maybe I just chose the wrong Kraftwerke albums to listen to, being that there are so many.