August 2003 - Kraftwerk - mailman.xmission.com

NEW ALBUM RELEASE (from alt.music.kraftwerk)
by Luca Dassi 26 Aug '03

26 Aug '03

Kraftwerk tentively announce the release of their next album, "Pacemaker" to be released 18 june 2020: 01 - titanium (hip replacement) 02 - tour de france (wheelchair version) 03 - adult diaper 04 - constipation 05 - high colonic 06 - arthritis 07 - blood pressure (high version) 08 - blood pressure (low version) 09 - viagra 10 - ear hair 11 - pension 12 - doctor's appointment 13 - hospitalized 14 - surgery (minor version) 15 - surgery (major version) 16 - pacemaker Ciao, Luca

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TDFS Vinyl
by DJM 26 Aug '03

26 Aug '03

Kraftwerk Vinyl is out in Germany

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Interview with Fritz Hilpert
by Luca Dassi 26 Aug '03

26 Aug '03

An interesting interview, giving some insights on the music-making process of KW, is available on t.c. electronic website. Looks like Fritz is very involved in the shaping of KW sound. He says "We used VoiceModeler....", "We have also used the Waldorf D-Coder...", "We like MegaReverbs natural sounding room impressions...." "PowerCore has played an important role in our (!) production process..." Ciao, Luca

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Just 10 minutes ago on TVE 2
by Jose 25 Aug '03

25 Aug '03

IÂ´ve just seen a Kraftwerk mini-review on "La 2 - Noticias" in Spain. About 2 minutes long. They broadcasted the usual fragments from: The robots (1978 & 1991). TEE. Robotronik Live. TDF 2003. They said Kraftwerk had a strong influence from Bauhaus. In the same program they also talked about a new composition-project by Stockhausen. I did not record it. Sorry.

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Re: A fanatics reaction to finally getting the new cd
by owlwatcher_974 24 Aug '03

24 Aug '03

I just got the new cd this afternoon and it has been playing in my computer's cd rom drive for the last two hours .. I love this cd!!!!!!!! I have been waiting for new Kraftwerk for so many years now .. even when I hadn't heard anything from them or about them for over 10 years .. even after my musical taste switched from synthesizer music to death metal .. Kraftwerk was always in the back of my mind. Kraftwerk was the only synthesizer band I used to listen to when I was in the middle of my death metal craze. I kept hoping they would return. I used to drive myself crazy listening to their albums and wishing for something new from them .. and now it's finally here!!!! and I LOVE IT!!!!!!! Elektro Kardiogramm is my favorite song so far. I want to listen to it over and over.... but then I force myself away from the song so I won't overlisten. I also love Aero Dynamik and La Forme. The new version of Tour de France is okay but I think the older version had more 'guts'. One thing I do like about the new Tour de France is the bass .. that part always gets me. I could go on and on about this cd but I'll force myself to quit before I bore the rest of this list to death.. Just one more thing... THANK-YOU KRAFTWERK!!!! ... THIS CD IS AWESOME!!!!!! ____________________________________________________________ Get advanced SPAM filtering on Webmail or POP Mail ... Get Lycos Mail! http://login.mail.lycos.com/r/referral?aid=27005

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Kraftwerk and POST punk
by Oystein Moe 23 Aug '03

23 Aug '03

Arnaud says >hmmm. I think the real synthpop bands which came first were not from the >punk >scene. >I talk here about OMD and the Human League. Although you are right about these two not being ex-punks, both bands have in fact stated Kraftwerk as their MAIN influence. OMD frontman Andy McCluskey specified that their debut single "Electricity" was a Kwk tribute (in a Record Collector interview, IIRC), and they also used to call themselves VCL11, an anorak's detail from the back cover of Radioaktivität. According to Philip Oakey, in a 1995 interview also released as a promo CD, he said that he remembered that the Human League started when either Marsh or Ware came up to him (I forget which one of them) with TEE in one hand and Donna Summer's I Feel Love in the other, and said: "We can do this! Programming and pop... it goes together!" And, if I may pursue my own argument, members from both these bands dismissed punk as something that was gradually turning into yet another uniform, and wanting to do something different... which arguably was an inspiration of the time. If nothing else. So there! ;-) oystein _________________________________________________________________ MSN Messenger http://www.msn.no/messenger - Den korteste veien mellom deg og dine venner

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SV: [Kraftwerk] kRAFTWERK: then and now (and inbetween)(and over the gap)
by johan.andersson＠allers.aller.se 23 Aug '03

23 Aug '03

Filtre4Pole Wrote: ... in Tim Barr's and Pascal Bussy's books). I will ever disagree: Kraftwerk *elite* attitude had not to be compared with the punk attitude. Not the same world, and the punk emergence changed nothing in the perception around Kraftwerk music (nor in R&F's mind)... *btw* punks have never been really musicians nor artists *imho*, just ... IMHO wonderful things happened when some of the English punks f.ex. Gary Numan & John Foxx, heard KW:s music, suddenly The punks came from out of space, and Foxx even mentioned he thought Punk became all same and that it was a natural step to go electronic (punk concept: everyone can play) so I personally think there was a connection between the two music styles Filtre4Pole Wrote: ... What happened ? Nobody has ever been able to explain that spectacular mutation. It will be always a *fascinating* mystery for me ! I can't understand (after all perhaps I don't need to... After what I've heard Ralf met four Aliens called wwrekaft or someting... ;-) Regards / Johan

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Kraftwerk and punk
by Oystein Moe 23 Aug '03

23 Aug '03

Ian said some interesting things recently, about Kraftwerk and punk... They certainly must have felt more connected with the new bands from '77 onwards, than their prog contemporaries of the early 70s. Holding aside the guitars, aggression and ripped jeans for a second, there are several interesting similarities... the DIY attitude, the anti-musicianship (ie no solos), the repeated patterns, the political lyrics... Plus, we know that Kraftwerk liked "punk godfathers" Stooges and the "punk on synth" of Suicide... Also, it is very different to be a synth pop group when you are the ONLY synth pop group! Kraftwerk were practically the only ones until Telex and YMO in'78-'79. Therefore, no-one knew that they were another genre! There was no 'synth pop' then. This strong segregation of pop music into categories (eg. drum'n'bass as opposed to UK garage or 2step) is something that came much later. And I just thought of something else... the Kraftwerk-inspired pop of the UK in the early eighties, with the new romantics etc, was also started by punks! Foxx and Numan were mentioned, Visage were old punks from Magazine or Moors Murderers, Pete Shelley did some great records with Martin Rushent... I think Kraftwerk stood out from the crowd, and therefore, at least some punks liked them... Well, that would be my throppence worth. time for my pill. best oystein _________________________________________________________________ MSN Messenger http://www.msn.no/messenger - Den korteste veien mellom deg og dine venner

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Radio London interview
by Shaun Vaughan 23 Aug '03

23 Aug '03

There is now audio stream of the interview with Ralf Hutter on the Radio London site for those who might have missed it. http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/entertainment/music/kraftwerk_interview.shtml

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another one ...
by Jan 23 Aug '03

23 Aug '03

Mojo Magazine, September 2003, p. 101 by David Buckley Coffee-slurping cyclists make dignified comeback record. Who said a German joke was no laughing matter? Only Kraftwerk would have try wry wit to 'rush release' a CD 17 years after their last album of new material, Electric Café, and in any case too late for this year's Tour De France. First the bad news: Tour De France Soundtracks is not the same class as Trans Europe Express, The Man Machine or Computer World, a trio of albums that shaped the contours of mmodern music. After an uncertain start, however, where the Duesseldorfers appear to short-change us with some mildly rehashed melodies, there are four trademark Kraftwerkian moments: the droll Vitamin and Elecktro Kardiogramm, the blistering Aero Dynamik, and the beautiful La Forme. A brilliantly revamped Tour De France closes the 'fun'. No huge amounts of new ground broken then (the Kraftwerk sound has been subtly updated with ambient shadings), but even a mediocre Kraftwerk album is still a work of near-genius. (four stars out of five) Jan

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