Audio of Kraftwerk performing 2 tracks from their album Autobahn, “Kometenmelodie Eins” and “Kometenmelodie Zwei”, as recorded in Paris, 1976.
“Kometenmelodie” (“Comet Melody”) was inspired by the Comet Kohoutek (which proved to be a rather “spectacular dud” as far as comets go), and the track became Kraftwerk’s first single, released in December 1973.
Comet Kohoutek also inspired Sun Ra to perform a special concert for the comet in December 1973, while singer Burl Ives hoped to increase his bank account with the release of his single “The Tail of the Comet Kohoutek” in 1974. But it was Children of God founder David Berg, who received the most column inches when he pronounced Comet Kohoutek as a sign that a Doomsday event would destroy America in January 1974.
A whimsical mélange of Kraftwerk’s “Robots” and 70s Soviet sci-fi film Teenagers in Space. According to Coilhouse, the movie is a children’s film “about evil robots.”
That’s pretty much all I need to know to make this a “must see” for me.
If you want to watch Teenagers in Space in its entirety, go here.
Ah, the joys of the box-set, the artfully designed collectible that allegedly adds value to your music collection. Of course, sometimes it’s a damn fine thing, especially when it includes lots of unreleased goodies. Or when the set is cheaper than buying the individual discs. Other times, it’s little more than a cunning scam to sell you something you already own.
Last year, Elvis Costello warned his fans off purchasing his box of delights, claiming he was “unable to recommend this lovely item to you, as the price appears to be either a misprint or a satire…” The price was $258.70 (£212.99) - ouch. Some bands are undeterred in extracting the cash - how many box sets have U2 released? (Too many?) While others see it as a way of celebrating their oeuvre - last week Blur announced the release of their mega box 21, out on July 31, this year. Yet, often the cost of these box-sets suggests they are really meant for the thirty-plus professional, who can afford to shell out the big bucks on such shiny trinkets.
Which brings me to Kraftwerk, who have announced the release of a limited edition black box set of their 2009 box-set The Catalogue. The main selling point here is it’s a “black box set” and it’s “a limited edition”, limited to “2000 individually numbered copies”. The box includes:
...all 8 remastered and repackaged albums in a 12"x12” box. To celebrate the 35th anniversary of their landmark electronic début, Autobahn, pioneers Kraftwerk re-release the digitally remastered of all of their albums. These include redesigned sleeves and all original titles restored. An absolute must for collectors and anyone with an interest in the electronic music culture. This edition also includes large format booklets and expanded artwork:
Autobahn (1974) Radio-Activity (1975) Trans-Europe Express (1977) The Man Machine (1978) Computer World (1981) Techno Pop (1986) The Mix (1991) Tour de France (2003)
So, if you’re tempted, then follow the trail here to find out more. Or, maybe you can hang on until the 40th anniversary of Autobahn comes around?
Holy cow! What a goldmine! Someone wonderful uploaded all the 70s issues of Synapse Magazine for your reading pleasure. Seriously, if you’re an electronic music buff, be prepared to spend days soaking it all up!
January/February 1979: Read this issue in its entirety here.
Summer 1979: Read this issue in its entirety here.
Here’s a nice Kraftwerk cover mix by DJ Food which is “The first in a mix series featuring cover versions, sample-heavy tracks or songs that obviously owe a debt to the Dusseldorf quartet. Each mix is laced with spoken word, interviews or info about Kraftwerk, too.”
Tracklist:
01: Michael Bailey - Solid Steel intro
02: Fearless 4 - Rockin’ It
03: Pelding - It’s More Fun to Compute
04: Trouble Funk - Trouble Funk Express
05: Makoto Inoue - Europe Endless / Neon lights
06: The Divine Comedy - Radioactivity
07: Senor Coconut - Trans Europe Express
08: Senor Coconut - The Man Machine
09: Souxsie & the Banshees - Hall Of Mirrors
10: Senor Coconut - The Robots
11: Balanescu Quartet -The Robots
12: Tafkafb - Waltz Mit Der Robot
13: Apoptygma Berzerk - Ohm Sweet Ohm
14: Frenchbloke & Son - Neon Love (Cha Cha Cha)
15: Jason Moran - Planet Rock
16: Tremelo Beer Gut - Das Model
17: Big Black - The Model
18: Rammstein - Das Model
19: Ride - The Model
20: Frenchbloke & Son - Sexy Model
21: Buffalo Daughter - Autobahn
22: Dark Side of the Autobahn
23: Rot Front Trikont - The Robots
24: Senor Coconut - Showroom Dummies
25: Girls On Top - I Want To Dance With Numbers
26: Afrika Bambaataa & The Soul Sonic Force - Planet Rock (Elecktric Music Classic Mix)
27: Coptic Rain -The Robots
28: Erasure - Blue Savannah (Der Deutsche mix)
29: DMX Krew - Showroom Dummies
30: Melt Banana - Showroom Dummies
31: Aqua Vista - The Model
32: Senor Coconut - Home Computer
33: Senor Coconut - Tour De France
34: Elakelaiset Poro - Reindeer/Robots
Kraftwerk fans in the New York area have much to be happy about with the announcement about MOMA’s lavish celebration of the band’s unique art form. They also might want to jump on these tickets the minute they go on sale next Wednesday!
New York, NY, February 15, 2012—The Museum of Modern Art presents its first time-based artist retrospective with Kraftwerk–Retrospective 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8, performed live on eight consecutive evenings from April 10 through 17, by Kraftwerk, the avant-garde electronic music pioneers. Each evening will consist of a live performance, in the Museum’s Donald B. and Catherine C. Marron Atrium, of works from one of the group’s eight albums, created over four decades, followed by a selection of original compositions from their catalogue adapted specifically for this exhibition’s format, to showcase both Kraftwerk’s historical contributions and contemporary influences on sound and image culture. Kraftwerk–Retrospective 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 is organized by Klaus Biesenbach, Chief Curator at Large at MoMA and Director of MoMA PS1, with the assistance of Eliza Ryan, Curatorial Assistant, MoMA PS1.
The elaborate staging of the performances will combine sound and 3D images to present more than 40 years of musical and technological innovation, with new improvisations and 3D projections. The albums will be performed in chronological order: Autobahn (1974), Radio-Activity (1975), Trans Europe Express (1977), The Man-Machine (1978), Computer World (1981), Techno Pop (1986), The Mix (1991), and Tour de France (2003).
Tickets are $25.00 and will go on sale to the public on Wednesday, February 22, at 12:00 p.m., only at MoMAKraftwerkTickets.showclix.com. Space is limited. There is a two-ticket limit per person for the series, with each individual order limited to one transaction. Tickets will be distributed exclusively via will call, with photo ID required.
“Kraftwerk is an influential force not only in music, but also in visual culture,” says Mr. Biesenbach. “Through their experimentation with how images and sound are shaped by the latest recording and visualization tools, they have continuously anticipated the impact of technology on everyday life, and have captured the human condition in an era of rapidly changing mobility and telecommunication. Today, they remain vital to contemporary practice through their intersection of popular culture, mass media, and artistic production. In Kraftwerk’s practice, all of the components—melodic music and ambient sound, elaborate stage sets, live performance and performance by robots, their trademark videos and logo-like still imagery, all conceived and realized by the artists themselves—coalesce as one work of art.”
Performance Schedule as follows:
Tuesday, April 10, 8:30 p.m. Autobahn (1974)
Wednesday, April 11, 8:30 p.m. Radio-Activity (1975)
Thursday, April 12, 8:30 p.m. Trans Europe Express (1977)
Friday, April 13, 10:00 p.m. The Man-Machine (1978)
Saturday April 14, 8:30 p.m. Computer World (1981)
Sunday, April 15, 8:30 p.m. Techno Pop (1986)
Monday, April 16, 8:30 p.m. The Mix (1991)
Tuesday, April 17, 10:00 p.m. Tour de France (2003)
As part of Kraftwerk–Retrospective 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8, a presentation of Kraftwerk’s historical audio and visual material will be on view in the new MoMA PS1 Performance Dome at MoMA PS1, from April 10-May 14, 2012.
Below, a performance of “Autobahn” on German television in 1974. Note that they were using Mini-moogs and drum pads then, not the “remixing” with laptops bullshit they do now…
Remember that amazing Kraftwerk sweater by Mishka I posted about a few weeks back? Well, the same company also produced these Wire 154 and Eraserhead lambswool sweaters. Neither which is available anymore. I think it’s high time for Mishka to start making these fine garments again. I’d certainly buy the Wire one.
The good news is that it’s actually easy to make one. And the starting point? A circuit with nine red LEDs and just the right spacing: our open-source Larson Scanner kit. With minor modifications—a software change and dumping the heavy 2xAA battery pack—it makes a pretty awesome tie. In what follows, we’ll show you how to build your own, complete with video.
Seldom-seen footage of the short-lived Krautrock “power trio” iteration of Kraftwerk consisting of Florian Schneider, Michael Rother and Klaus Dinger that existed ONLY briefly when Ralf Hütter left the group to study architecture in 1971.
As Rother and Dinger went on to form Neu! at the end of 1971, this could be looked at more like this is Neu! with “special guest” Florian Schneider (who totally rocks out here!) but this is a Kraftwerk performance. And the quality is stellar!
Below, “Köln II”
“Kakteen, Wüste, Sonne” (which translates as “Cactus, desert, sun”)
Kraftwerk’s Minimum Maximum recorded during the group’s 2004 world tour.
Part 1
01. Meine Damen Und Herren
02. The Man-Machine
03. Planet of Visions
04. Tour De France 03
05. Vitamin
06. Tour De France
07. Autobahn
08. The Model
09. Neon Lights
10. Radioactivity
11. Trans Europe Express
Part 2
01. Numbers
02. Computer World
03. Home Computer
04. Pocket Calculator / Dentaku
05. The Robots
06. Elektro Kardiogramm
07. Aero Dynamik
08. Music Non Stop
09. Aero Dynamik / MTV
I suppose that shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, should it? It’s actually kinda perfect coming from Kraftwerk.
At first glance I thought that this was maybe just some random/semi-random “remix” algorithm tied to a GPS (which it seems to be) but it sounds like once they work out the kinks, that they’ll be adding new functionality.
“It’s a novel system that creates music and sound based on realtime data depending on your location that are continuously feeded into the app, meaning the KLING KLANG MACHINE No1 can’t be compared with other generative music apps which mostly utilize pre-programmed algorithms. There are some nice ways to manipulate sound and store personal preferences. For now the functionality is still kind of basic but the original concept will be more and more implemented in future updates and releases.”
