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Kraftwerk

3K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  Mark Harwood 
#1 ·
Classically-trained, very brainy music.

Kraftwerk



Like any who explore modern or postmodern ideas, the music implies a narrative "from below" by not being overtly serious, yet introduces with sleight of hand the interconnections within its topics to create context, which it then probes with music that evolves in layers like classical over the pulsing beat of techno and rock, fusing the ancient and the modern into one narrative that emerges instead of being explicitly stated in these simple -- yet on second look, complex -- works.

Kraftwerk reviews and mp3 samples
Also influenced a ton of metal bands including Celtic Frost (gods!).
 
#3 ·
My ratio of Classical to non-Classical discs is increasing over the years, but I still found Kraftwerk- THE MIX on my shelves.

I have a vague memory of reading one of their interviews from a (long) while ago. The two most memorable things I recall were 1) they said that when one of their units made an unprogrammed sound, they did NOT want to discourage it, and 2) they were horrified by the instrument-smashing antics of bands such as The Who.
 
#4 ·
My son Scott is a Kraftwerk nut, & we have all the remixes & so on that you can get. I particularly enjoy The Man Machine and Tour de France Soundtracks. The later is an amazing sound-picture of the event. The double "live" set, Minimum Maximum, is a good place to start investigating this band, as it has old & new material.
 
#6 ·
Radio-Activity is interesting, and the title track is mesmerising, but I wouldn't recommend it as an introduction to Kraftwerk. Trans-Europe Express is popular, and so is Computer World.
 
#8 ·
A couple of Kraftwerk's members had some musical training, but their early efforts were partly improvisatory and the compositions were unremarkable & not too well played. They then set out to create a specifically German popular music, bought and developed some cutting-edge electronic devices, and started to do something interesting. "Autobahn" was the beginning of their new style. Subsequent albums had themes concerning life in the age of technology, and there is sometimes an undercurrent of humour. There are only two post-Autobahn CDs that I would not recommend: "Electric Cafe" and "The Mix". I've read that their concerts are tremendous too.
 
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