Electronic > Classic Electronic Electronic > Electronica > K

Pass me My Lycra shorts I have a race to win

Advantages: Great atmospheric work
Disadvantages: what they were once capible off

...3 different new versions of Tour de France, a superb mixture of Trance and European techno, which sets the mood for the rest of the album with each song paying reference to another aspect of cycling. Throughout the album you are drawn in to the whole sound and as ever Kraftwerk appear to have yet again mastered the art of making electronic music that causes an emotional response, true genius if you ask me. The use of a vocoder for all the vocals ...
...of the original version of Tour De France which was released on the 80th anniversary of the tour when they had two electronic percussionists and you are brought back to what this band once were. You once again hear the complex rhythms that they used to create, and this counter pointed against the minimal arrangements of the synths. This is what they excelled at making perfect pop tunes which despite being on the surface souless had increadable depth, ...

Champ666 11.03.2004 · Read full review
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Review of Tour De France Soundtracks - Kraftwerk

Maximum-Maximum

Advantages: Breath-taking, glorious electro
Disadvantages: Um, not many

I recently read an interview with Chris Martin of Coldplay in which he stated that Kraftwerk were one of his favourite bands. Why? Because, and I quote "…one day it clicked and it was the best music I'd ever heard." Now, I have given his opinion, because I'm sure many of you will be doubtful of mine when I tell you that Kraftwerk are one of the best bands in the world. Already owning such classics as Autobahn, The Man-Machine and Radioactivity, I ...
...live album and accompanying DVD. One of the major criticisms levelled at Kraftwerk over the years is that they cannot perform exciting live shows because their music seems so static. (Which, might I add, it isn't.) However, the people making these rash judgements have clearly never experienced the magnitude of this album. The music is simply stunning, combining elements of their traditional, ground-breaking electro with techno and other genres their ...

duncannichols 12.11.2005 · Read full review
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Review of Minimum Maximum (Live) - Kraftwerk

Ohm Sweet Ohm

Advantages: 1st Album To Feature The Electronic Quartet
Disadvantages: Hollow Sound, Experemental Nature Of The Peices

Radio-Activity was the first Kraftwerk Album to feature what most folk regard as the definitive line up. The electronic quartet comprised of Ralph Hutter and Florian Schneider augmented by percussionists Karl Bartos and Wolfgang Flur. The album title is a truly dreadful play on words, as the album was about Radio and Radioactivity, it does suggest some dark Teutonic humor exists in start contrast to their public personas. As well as being the first ...
...also the first where all the instruments used were synthetic. This sent them in the direction of minimalist technological soundscapes that they would traverse for the rest of their careers. The title track shows this direction with a synthetic bass pulse controlling the mood and rhythm whilst eerie synths flesh out the rest of the song. The completely deadpan vocal adds a sense of foreboding to the song. On their recent European tour this song was ...

Champ666 22.02.2006 · Read full review
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Review of Radio-activity - Kraftwerk

Kraut Rock with Knobs On

Advantages: Hugely influential, years ahead of their time, wonderful melodys
Disadvantages: none

...fact. Computer World is an exultation of the new computer technology in all its forms from the opening track to the closing. Although a measly 34 minutes long, Kraftwerk have never been ones to push quantity at the public and again followed the trend here. The opening track brings back so many memories, can anyone else remember it being used as the opening theme to a BBC computer TV show? But the music, ah the music. I have had this album for almost ...
...try the keyboards chords in Computer Love and tell me they are not as shimmeringly beautiful as anything you have heard elsewhere. The closing tracks again use the hypnotic rhythms and treated vocals to move the tracks on leaving you wondering where the 34 minute had gone and wanting more. ...

ultras67 29.09.2001 · Read full review
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Review of Computer World - Kraftwerk

The "Miles_Gurtu" experiment

Advantages: A blend of intricate beats, varied jazzy melodies and experimental soundscapes.
Disadvantages: Over-tweaking disrupts the ambience occasionally. No mainstream appeal. Some tracks don't work.

Take a Swiss-Italian ambient trance producer (Robert Miles) and blend together with an Indian percussionist (Trilok Gurtu). Add other talented musicians to the mix and allow to simmer gently, making sure you season generously with electronic sculpting and processing. The resulting album is an interesting fusion of acoustic instruments, electronic processed sounds, intricate beats, jazz and experimental soundscapes. Released in 2004, “MilesGurtu” ...
...the dream trance that he became famous for. It builds on his previous album “Organik” (released in 2001), which was his first attempt at creating an experimental sound. This album is characterised by being completely instrumental although 3 tracks feature vocal samples. Double bass, strings, guitar and rhodes performances feature frequently, creating delicate melodies whilst complex beats are generated from drums and tabla. Many tracks shift and ...

music-mad 22.12.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Miles_Gurtu - Robert Miles & Trilok Gurtu