Düsseldorf Hbf.

Kraftwerk 45 RPM

2012-08-22T11:21:00.002+02:00

The Vinyl Factory will exhibit 45 iconic 7" Kraftwerk single covers from The Mott Collection, at their gallery in Chelsea, London, from September 12th to October 5th.

They will also publish a book with pictures of the 45 sleeves. With the book comes a 7" single with a 2009 interview with Kraftwerk.

Printed in the book, it seems, will only be a photo of the front of the sleeves. No labels, no backside, no detailed information - making it just a little bit pointless in the Discogs era, and it's horribly expensive at £80.

Still, I'd probably buy one if I could afford it.

Event page on facebook here.

Vinyl Factory page here

D.A.F. by Jean-Louis Le Tacon

2012-05-03T15:21:00.000+02:00

In 1982, Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft performed a set at L'ENTPE, an engineering school in the outskirts of Lyon, France, with a drum kit and an awe-inspiring wall of cassette decks.

The performance was filmed and edited (babies) by Jean-Louis Le Tacon for French national TV channel Antenne 2, now known as France 2.

And here it is:

The year before, in 1981, Le Tacon did a short film called California Cauchemard (roughly "California Nightmare") that, if I understand it correctly, was shown before a Tuxedomoon concert in Poitiers. Haven't found that one online though.

Le Tacon CV in French here.

Giorgio Li Calzi feat. Wolfgang Flür

2012-02-16T11:17:00.007+01:00

Follow-up to a post from a few months ago, about Wolfgang Flür and Nitzer Ebb's Bon Harris joining forces:

I learned from a comment to the Harris/Flür post, that the lyrics to their song was actually lifted from Flür's "Greed", a song intended for his so far unreleased second Yamo album, "Eloquence" - an album that has been mentioned in interviews since at least 2004.

The same story applies to this song, "Freaking Out", by italian trumpeter Giorgio Li Calzi. The song is taken from his album "Tech Set", that was released in 2004. The lyrics were lifted from a song from "Eloquence" and are credited to Flür. Not the best song ever, but that's not the point now is it?

Freaking out feat Wolfgang Flur

Click above to listen.

Kraftwerk retrospective at MoMA

2012-02-15T21:22:00.004+01:00

Time to book a trip to New York? MoMA presents eight consecutive nights of Kraftwerk performances in April. One full album will be performed live every night, with 3D visuals, in this order:

Tuesday, April 10, 8:30 p.m.
1 – Autobahn (1974)

Wednesday, April 11, 8:30 p.m.
2 – Radio-Activity (1975)

Thursday, April 12, 8:30 p.m.
3 – Trans Europe Express (1977)

Friday, April 13, 10:00 p.m.
4 – The Man-Machine (1978)

Saturday April 14, 8:30 p.m.
5 – Computer World (1981)

Sunday, April 15, 8:30 p.m.
6 – Techno Pop (1986)

Monday, April 16, 8:30 p.m.
7 – The Mix (1991)

Tuesday, April 17, 10:00 p.m.
8 – Tour de France (2003)

More information here.

Tickets, at $25 per night, are released February 22nd. Maximum two shows per person, so choose wisely. And act quickly too, because the venue isn't that big. 700 people to be exact, at least if you are throwing a cocktail party.

Kraftwerk on Aktuellt, 1991

2012-01-31T17:34:00.001+01:00

I remember this! Kraftwerk on the news, in Sweden, in 1991.

DAF on tour

2012-01-31T14:21:00.004+01:00

Interesting, part 1:

"Gabi Delgado and Robert Görl will decide in February 2012, about a new DAF album."

Interesting , part 2:

Intro + Sonic Seducer present
DAF - "Verschwende deine Jugend" Dates 2012

03.02.2012 D-Osnabrück, Rosenhof (+ Tyske Ludder)
05.02.2012 A-Wien, Szene (+ Tyske Ludder)
17.02.2012 S-Malmö, Kulturbolaget (+ Spark)
18.02.2012 S-Stockholm, The Strand (+ The Exploding Boy)
02.03.2012 D-Berlin, Bi Nuu (Ex-Kato - Eröffnungskonzert)
09.03.2012 D-Frankfurt, Batschkapp (early show 19:30)
10.03.2012 D-Augsburg, Kantine (+ No More)
24.03.2012 D-Dessau, Beatclub (@ 36. Electric Tremor-Festival)
07.04.2012 B-Gent, Vooruit (Rewind-Easter-Festival 2012)
21.07.2012 D-Köln, Staatenhaus (@ Amphi-Festival 2012)

weitere Termine in Vorbereitung / more dates under construction

Vodkang Flür

2011-08-07T22:58:00.001+02:00

The Shadow Buero - Bon Harris & Wolfgang Flür

2011-07-11T09:49:00.004+02:00

The Shadow Buero. I completely missed it when it was made public two months ago. It's the new project from Bon Harris (Nitzer Ebb), and features vocals of former Kraftwerker Wolfgang Flür.

Backing vocals come courtesy of Isabelle Erkendahl of child duo Peaches, later Pet Shop Boys cover band West End Girls, the daughter of Hans Erkendahl of The Mobile Homes.

Axis Of Envy - The Shadow Bureau - 2011 found on Electronic

The song is taken from an upcoming various artists album, with original songs inspired by Indomina Media’s theatrical film releases and this video is taken from the film True Legend. Can't say I'm overly impressed with it, but never mind.

Wolfgang Flür, by the way, is said to have translated the above Peaches song from Swedish to German in 2002. But I can't find the German version, don't know if it was ever released.

Kraftwerk – Elektronische Klangbilder in 3D

2011-06-03T13:58:00.005+02:00

Starting October 15th, the Kunstbau at the Lenbachhaus gallery in Munich will display an exhibition of Kraftwerk music videos and promotion clips, all now in glorious 3D. The exhibition will - according to this - later travel to Tate Modern in London and to MoMa in New York.

Art book publishers Shirmer/Mosel will publish the catalogue for the exhibition, also in glorious 3D. This is what they have to say:

Over the last 4 decades electro pioneers Kraftwerk have written music history followed by their worldwide success. They are considered innovators and inventors of many different musical styles such as techno, electro, hip-hop and synthie pop. Since their concert at the 2005 Venice Biennale the contemporary artworld has perceived Kraftwerk’s multimedia shows as a unique form of performance art. From their beginnings in the early seventies Kraftwerk have always been connected with the developments of modern technologies.

For the exhibition “Kraftwerk –3 D Sound Pictures”, to be shown at the Kunstbau der Städtischen Galerie im Lenbachhaus München in October/November 2011, the catalogue will also be published in 3 D by Schirmer/Mosel, with an essay by project curator Matthias Mühling.

Schirmer/Mosel. With 3-D glasses. With a text by Matthias Mühling. 96 pages, 60 colour plates. Size: 28 x 28 cm, hardcover. English/German edition.

The title of the book and exhibition differs, depending on where on the Internet you read it. It could be "Kraftwerk – Elektronische Klangbilder", "Kraftwerk 3D" or "Kraftwerk - 3 D Sound Pictures". Or something completely different.

Ralf & Florian - together again?

2011-05-10T21:26:00.005+02:00

Swedish tabloid Expressen reported just a little while ago that Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider had been spotted earlier in the day, walking together in Düsseldorf.

But it turns out they are mistaken. The well groomed man is in fact not Ralf Hütter but Uwe Schmidt (aka Atom™, Atom Heart, Lassigue Bendthaus, Senor Coconut). And this is possibly even more exciting. What are these two up to?

Craftwife

2011-05-10T21:12:00.004+02:00

Do yourself a favor and check out Craftwife, a project fronted by Takeko Akamatsu, the wife of Masayuki Akamatsu who developed Karl Bartos' iPhone app that we've previously mentioned here.

Craftwife - apparently a group of housewifes - perform using iPhone apps of their own making (developed by housewifes, for housewifes), all dressed up in the most typical of Kraftwerk attire - red shirt, black tie.

More info: craftwife.com, an interview at side-line.com and another one at gaite-lyrique.net.

Mini-Composer - another Kraftwerk related app

2011-03-28T19:56:00.007+02:00

Hot on the heels of Kling Klang Maschine No1 comes MINI-COMPOSER, another Kraftwerk related app for the iPhone and iPad. This one was developed by former Kraftwerk member Karl Bartos and software developer Masayuki Akamatsu.

The app, desctibed as a "simple music app for fun [that] implements the basic waves of a synthesizer with a 16 step sequencer", is available for free - with an urge to donate money to the earthquake and tsunami victims in Japan - from the app store.

Kling Klang Machine No1

2011-03-21T11:34:00.003+01:00

I'm sure everyone has read about the new Kraftwerk app for iPhone and iPad - Kling Klang Machine No1. If not, check out this video to see what it's about. Maybe this should be regarded as the new Kraftwerk album?

Get the app from iTunes here.

The Wire Salon - Performing Kraftwerk: Synthesizing The Man-Machine

2011-03-21T11:25:00.002+01:00

Held at London's Cafe Oto March 15th, the latest installment of The Wire Salon was entitled "Performing Kraftwerk: Synthesizing The Man-Machine".

A recording of the event is now available online. Listen to the discussion with Sean Albiez and David Pattie, co-editors of Kraftwerk: Music Non-Stop, by clicking here.

Fernando Abrantes live video

2011-02-17T14:23:00.003+01:00

Former Kraftwerk member Fernando Abrantes goes native-american-Art-of-Noise-new-age-midi-guitar berzerk, with a female half-metal dancer and an applause added in post production.

Look at it. It's confusing.

Robot Emotions

2011-01-24T16:17:00.003+01:00

Looks like Fernando Abrantes' album, Robot Emotions, has been released. Haven't seen it anywhere but on Amazon as of yet. It's a cd-r, manufactured on demand, and the record label is Parisiana Entertainment.

After hearing the samples on YouTube earlier, 'm convinsed that I don't like it. But what the hell... I'm ordering a copy anyway.

There's also a new URL, robot-fernando.com, that does nothing but redirect you to the Fernando Abrantes group on Facebook.

More from Fernando Abrantes

2010-09-24T00:19:00.003+02:00

OK. Three tracks from ex-Kraftwerker Fernando Abrantes' debut solo album, Robot Emotions, have been uploaded to YouTube. And what the hell is going on here, really? Is that Kraftwerk theft in "Solo" really ok? And when was it all made -15 years ago? God, I feel so confused.

6'11''

2010-09-13T00:03:00.001+02:00

Sold out, unfortunately.

Fernando Abrantes - Robot Emotions

2010-08-28T13:26:00.002+02:00

This is, by appearance at least, a short teaser for "Robot Emotions", a solo project of former Kraftwerk member and portugese citizen Fernando Abrantes. Due out in 2011 on CD and DVD. Could be absolutely anything, but it might be worth checking out.

A Very Kraftwerk Summer

2010-05-27T18:56:00.008+02:00

Published late last year, Christopher Hutsul's "A Very Kraftwerk Summer" (Koyama Press) is a tiny little fictional story of a summer spent with Kraftwerk. We follow Geoffrey, a kid hanging out with Kraftwerk - getting haircuts, setting off firecrackers, and going to the movies throwing popcorn at Devo, sitting in front of them.

It's a beautiful little comic book, smaller in size than a typical cd case, with a front cover handprinted on japanese wood veneer paper. And it's "in full color", which in Kraftwerk terms - of course - means red and black only.

Kraftwerk comics

Waaalking!

DAF in Arvika, Sweden 2009

2010-02-02T11:23:00.009+01:00

Last year, Deutsch-Amerikanische Freundschaft released a compilation album and decided to play a few shows to support it. I attended one of these shows, in Arvika, Sweden. DAF performed live, with everything on cd-r except the drums (played by Robert Görl) and the vocals (Gabi Delgado-Lopez), and it was surprisingly excellent.

A few days ago, approximately 30 minutes from this brilliantly minimalistic DAF show was broadcast by Swedish radio SR/p3. As they tend to take down the material from the web after a month or so, and as someone has been kind enough to upload a recording of the broadcast to the web, here it is:

Setlist:

1. Verschwende deine Jugend
2. Der Mussolini
3. Sato-Sato
4. Alle gegen Alle
5. Nacht Arbeit
6. Die Lüge
7. Als wär's das letzte Mal
8. Der Räuber und der Prinz

Images borrowed from Rockfoto.

Unboxing Der Katalog

2009-12-16T00:35:00.001+01:00

Sehr Gut Kommt Sehr Gut

2009-09-02T08:46:00.018+02:00

Here a release that I guess has confused a music lover or two over the years.

By appearance, this is a compilation featuring tracks by some of the greatest german electronic/ndw bands from 1980 and around. There's a Mittagspause track, and songs by Der Plan, Deutsch-Amerikanische Freundschaft, Kraftwerk and others. But no, it's all one man's work, a man with - as it appears - tons of studio time. That man is Xao Seffcheque (whom we have previously mentioned here). And his "Sehr gut kommt sehr gut" is basically a critical parody of the german hits compilations of the time.

Seffcheque has mixed his own, very well performed, impersonations of more or less know bands with some made up artists and his own, real project Xao & Die Pest, who'se "Fortschrittsträume" here basically is some kind of funky new wave/ska interpretation of DAF's "Kebab-träume" (or it's predecessors, Mittagspause's and Fehlfarben's "Militürk", perhaps), with "Wir sind die Türken von morgen" (we are the turks of tomorrow) replaced by "Wir sind die hippies von morgen" (we are the hippies of tomorrow). And there are more musical references. Die Lemminge's "Why we Hate The Residents" is more or less a weird version of The Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby". And the same goes for fake band Not Mean Themselves' "Wrong Colours". "Eleanor Rigby" again.

When I got the album a few years ago, it took me a while to locate the fake Kraftwerk songs, "Stalagmit" 1-12. They are listed as being the last songs on each side, but there's just nothing there. But when listening through the album, I noticed notice some short beeps or sweeps between each song - lasting about a second or two each. Well, it turns out these short signals are the "Kraftwerk" contributions. Excellent.

Tracklist, A-side:

1 Die Geldschweine - Sehr gut kommt sehr gut

2 Xao + Die Pest - Fortschrittsträume

3 Vielleichtors - Bring deinen körper auf die party

4 Mittagspause - Es hat keine disco hier

5 Sternhagel - King Kong

6 Not Mean Themselves - Wrong Colours

7 Kraftwerk - Stalagmit 1-5

B-side:

1 The Wirtschaftswunder - Hinweise zum neuen klang

2 Der Plan - Fehlplan (Wir sind so müde)

3 Siluetes 61 - Mannesmann

4 Die Lemminge - Why we hate the Residents

5 Die Nachdenklichen Wehrpflichtigen - Ist Free-Jazz Heilbar?

6 Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft - Sample & Hold

7 Residenz - Alles

8 Der KFC - Endlösung

9 O.R.a.V. - Punk Supermarkt

10 Kraftwerk - Stalagmit 6-12

Xao Seffcheque - "Der Plan - Fehlplan (wir sind so müde)":

Xao Seffcheque - "Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft - Sample & Hold":

Techno Pop, House Phone

2009-08-27T14:14:00.004+02:00

As we all know by now, Kraftwerk's Electric Cafe will have it's name changed to Techno Pop when re-released in october this year, as part of The Catalogue. If you don't know why, read the Wikipedia article on the subject. What we didn't know already, is that the tracklisting will also change slightly.

The tracklist for the original Electric Cafe edition looks like this:

Boing Boom Tschak (2:58)
Techno Pop (7:41)
Musique Non Stop (5:44)
The Telephone Call (8:03)
Sex Object (6:51)
Electric Cafe (4:17)

But in the tracklisting for the upcoming Techno Pop release, the tracklist contains an additional song:

Boing Boom Tschak
Techno Pop
Musique Non Stop
The Telephone Call
House Phone
Sex Object
Electric Café

The addition, "House Phone", is most likely the remix of "The Telephone Call", engineered by François Kevorkian, that was originally included on the 12" version of "The Telephone Call" single in 1986. My personal guess is that "The Telephone Call" will blend seamlessly into "House Phone", as that is the way Kraftwerk tend to do it. My guess is also, even though I strongly object to the changing of movies and records after they have been released (hello Star Wars), that this might be quite nice.

House Phone can be heard here, courtesy of YouTube.