Re: [Kraftwerk] Interview with Ralf Hutter in Sydney transcribed

25 Feb 2003

      Hi
Sorry for posting in html I forgot.... All credit must go to Peter Page he
is the one that did the transcribing not me.

Cheers
Chris....

----- Original Message -----
From: "Oh Jay" <oh_jay@freenet.de>
To: <chrisstorey@iprimus.com.au>
Sent: Tuesday, February 25, 2003 12:39 AM
Subject: Re: [Kraftwerk] Interview with Ralf Hutter in Sydney transcribed
...
thanx for the interview transcription , chris ... but why the heck do u
still
post your messages in html format to this list , as it totally screws up
the
daily digests ( see below for another example of it !!! :-o ) !?
*jus'_curious*
it's actually a real pain to read through such garbled digests !!! *sigh*
:-o
however ... many greetinx ,
oh jay ;-)
*~\^/~*
...
Message: 1
From: "Chris Storey" <chrisstorey@iprimus.com.au>
To: <kraftwerk@mailman.xmission.com>
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 22:59:49 +1100
Subject: [Kraftwerk] Interview with Ralf Hutter in Sydney transcribed
Reply-To: kraftwerk@mailman.xmission.com
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
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Interview with Ralf Hutter in Sydney, Australia on Friday 24 January =
2003,
conducted by Richard Kingsmill of Australian youth radio network Triple
=
J.
KINGSMILL: Has the technological advances that have occurred in the last
=
20,
30 years, has it made it easier for Kraftwerk to play live?
HUTTER: Yes definitely, because now we have our laptop computers, and we
=
can
travel, where before you can imagine, in the 70s, 80s even, we had all =
this
huge analogue music machines, UK and Europe were (inaudible) autobahn,
=
but
then flying to America, or coming to Australia was nearly impossible.=20
KINGSMILL: Did it restrict what you could do, and how much...
HUTTER: Yes, in a way, because Lufthansa wouldn't fly us in here for =
free,
so your cargo charges and
KINGSMILL: ...was too expensive
HUTTER: Yeah. But now we can travel and we're really very moveable, and
that's why we are here.
KINGSMILL: Have you enjoyed playing live, because there's speculation
amongst your fans about whether you actually do like the live =
performance.
HUTTER: Yes, we don't do that many concerts but it's always a challenge
=
and
so far the computers have worked very well, and ... little failures here
=
and
there, but overall they have been very friendly with us and we have been
friendly with the computers, so things are working very well.
KINGSMILL: I noticed last night (Enmore Theatre, Sydney) just a couple =
of
glitches along the way... and that was actually surprising to see the
reaction from the audience, because there is speculation about how much
=
of
it is actually being played live on stage.
HUTTER: It's all live, the computers are running live.
KINGSMILL: Do you worry much about those mistakes when they happen?
HUTTER: Uh, no, but there's always a risk of total failure then we would
have to stop, out, and have to make a short speech, re-load, and start
again.
KINGSMILL: Is this part of a, resurrection if you like of Kraftwerk? =
You've
been very quiet for, you know, the last fifteen years.
HUTTER: Yes, we have been working in our studio, doing all our very very
old, from the late 60s, early 70s, the analogue tapes, we have =
transferred
it onto digital format, so we put a lot of work on our old Kraftwerk
original sounds. Also now we have been doing re-masterings, which will
probably come out later this year, and we have been doing all these =
sound
files, to perform with the original Kraftwerk sounds, live, and working
=
on
those.=20
KINGSMILL: Mmm. A lot of artists like to move on. They don't tend to =
like a
lot of their early work, do you enjoy listening back to what you created
=
all
those years ago?
HUTTER: Yeah, well we don't listen so much but we have been working in
transferring the sounds, and now putting them forward into our live
performance.
KINGSMILL: What about the new music of Kraftwerk, is there much?
HUTTER: Yes, we are working on different tracks, and when we play some =
more
concerts on the Big Day Out festivals, then we fly back into Germany in
=
to
our Kling Klang studio, and we will continue work on the next album.
KINGSMILL: Which is how much completed?
HUTTER: Ohff, 99%.
KINGSMILL: That close? How's it sounding?
HUTTER: Kraftwerk-like.
HUTTER: In Dusseldorf we work in our Kling Klang studio since 1970, and
=
the
doors are closed, and we are doing what we have to do. Our work we call
ourselves musik arbeiter,=20
KINGSMILL: ... which translates as..=20
HUTTER: Musical workers
KINGSMILL: uh-huh
HUTTER: ... and that's what we do.=20
KINGSMILL: You are very isolated? I have read, no faxes, no phones, no
contact..
HUTTER: Yes, all this would be disturbing..
KINGSMILL: So you isolate yourself as much as possible?
HUTTER: Yes, for the work, and then we go out again, and we go to clubs,
=
to
dance, and we travel, we are working on all aspects of creating =
Kraftwerk,
that's the one thing we do, we have never been able to do other
things.=20
KINGSMILL: When you and Florian are working in such an intense =
environment
in creating pieces of music which would take.... would they take maybe =
years
to create?
HUTTER: Yes, sometimes, and then we put them away, and listen back =
again,
and do other things,=20
KINGSMILL: ... and then change them slightly..
HUTTER: yes,=20
KINGSMILL: It must be very refreshing then to finally get out of the =
studio
and take it to people..
HUTTER: Definitely, yeah.. Well we... in the first place we are live
musicians..
KINGSMILL: Mmm, because you and Florian  met at conservatory..
HUTTER: Yes
KINGSMILL: Was it in Dusseldorf or Cologne?
HUTTER: Outside of Dusseldorf, there was having some improvisational
courses, so we just hooked up together and did stuff. '68. And then we
organised a loose collection of musicians, and around 1970 we built our
Kling Klang studio and Kraftwerk, and from there on we have been working
=
all
the time, until now.
KINGSMILL: Do you listen to a lot of other artists for inspiration?
HUTTER: Well we hear music all around, we hear the sounds of the
environment, we hear the aeroplanes, we hear the cars, we hear the =
cities,
we go to clubs, we hear when we are in the festival, so we are picking =
up
vibes from over all. Our ears are microphones.=20
KINGSMILL: Yes. Well reproducing reality is I think ... (inaudible) =
years
ago you said , is that still the role for Kraftwerk?
HUTTER: Yes. Well we take from our experiences, like travelling through
Europe, that's where Trans Europe Express comes from, Autobahn comes =
from
hundreds of thousands of miles on the autobahn...
KINGSMILL: .... and of course Tour De France..
HUTTER: .. Tour de France comes from our cycling experience, and we've =
been,
er, the music has been the official music of the Tour de France when it
=
came
out.
KINGSMILL: A couple of questions from people, because there's lots of =
fans
of Kraftwerk here [at JJJ]. Robbie wanted me to ask you about when you =
first
heard Afrika Bambaataa's Planet Rock, which had heavily sampled your =
piece
from the 70s...
HUTTER: It's not sampled, it's replayed.
KINGSMILL: ... replayed with the rappers over the top of it. How did you
feel when that, that was obviously crossing over into another =
generation..
HUTTER: Well, we have been hearing Bambaataa many years before. Our =
first
experience was when he was playing Trans Europe Express and Metal On =
Metal
on 2 discs in a club, and they were experimenting with two record =
players,
and they had two pressings, and so he was doing that, and from there I =
knew
there were things going on, and then he did that rap record, and Trans
Europe Express.
KINGSMILL: Did you find it exciting?
HUTTER: Yes, it's a very, very good record.=20
KINGSMILL: Yes, well its just a completely different generation and also
culture that was picking up on your music. Was that strange for you?
HUTTER: Er, in a way, not, because we had always been accused of our =
music
being cold, and repetitive, and boring and very machinistic, and we =
always
found there was soul in the machines, and then one day when these =
records
came out it was proven that there is soul to the sequencers of =
Kraftwerk.=20
KINGSMILL: And another question, just to sort of wind up.. the future is
something which Craig who works here wanted me to ask you about. When =
you
were little, when you were young, did you think much about the future?
HUTTER: Maybe we thought more about the present, because living in =
Germany
we were the first post-war generation, and so there was a cultural
emptiness, which we discovered at puberty, and in the first place there
=
was
a little culture shock, living in this total emptiness, but from there =
on it
was an enormous chance, so we could make it up, we made up our own =
living
culture, everyday culture, we call eitaks kutuur, and that was a very =
big
chance. There was no big entertainment scene, or musical scene, of =
course
there was the classical music from way back the 19th century, and there
=
was
a electronic music scene around the radio stations, maybe those =
combinations
of situation inspired us to make up our own music. Everyday electronics.
=
KINGSMILL: Yeah, well there was scene coming up, but it was a rebuilding
wasn't it? Of culture, and of ideas?
It must have been very exciting.
HUTTER: Yes, it was an enormous chance in those days.
KINGSMILL: Do you think much about the future now. There's been so much
that's happened in  20 years, what do you think is going to happen in =
the
next 20 years?
HUTTER: Oh we have to see, be awake, and keep your eyes and ears open, =
and
we'll see.
Transcribed by Peter Page
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<DIV><BR>Interview with Ralf Hutter in Sydney, Australia on Friday 24 =
January=20
2003,<BR>conducted by Richard Kingsmill of Australian youth radio =
network Triple=20
J.<BR><BR>KINGSMILL: Has the technological advances that have occurred =
in the=20
last 20,<BR>30 years, has it made it easier for Kraftwerk to play=20
live?<BR><BR>HUTTER: Yes definitely, because now we have our laptop =
computers,=20
and we can<BR>travel, where before you can imagine, in the 70s, 80s =
even, we had=20
all this<BR>huge analogue music machines, UK and Europe were (inaudible)
=
autobahn,  but<BR>then flying to America, or coming to Australia =
was nearly=20
impossible. <BR><BR>KINGSMILL: Did it restrict what you could do, and =
how=20
much...<BR><BR>HUTTER: Yes, in a way, because Lufthansa wouldn't fly us
=
in here=20
for free,<BR>so your cargo charges and<BR><BR>KINGSMILL: ...was too=20
expensive<BR><BR>HUTTER: Yeah. But now we can travel and we're really =
very=20
moveable, and<BR>that's why we are here.<BR><BR>KINGSMILL: Have you =
enjoyed=20
playing live, because there's speculation<BR>amongst your fans about =
whether you=20
actually do like the live performance.<BR><BR>HUTTER: Yes, we don't do =
that many=20
concerts but it's always a challenge and<BR>so far the computers have =
worked=20
very well, and ... little failures here and<BR>there, but overall they =
have been=20
very friendly with us and we have been<BR>friendly with the computers, =
so things=20
are working very well.<BR><BR>KINGSMILL: I noticed last night (Enmore =
Theatre,=20
Sydney) just a couple of<BR>glitches along the way... and that was =
actually=20
surprising to see the<BR>reaction from the audience, because there is=20
speculation about how much of<BR>it is actually being played live on=20
stage.<BR><BR>HUTTER: It's all live, the computers are running=20
live.<BR><BR>KINGSMILL: Do you worry much about those mistakes when they
=
happen?<BR><BR>HUTTER: Uh, no, but there's always a risk of total =
failure then=20
we would<BR>have to stop, out, and have to make a short speech, re-load,
=
and=20
start<BR>again.<BR><BR>KINGSMILL: Is this part of a, resurrection if you
=
like of=20
Kraftwerk? You've<BR>been very quiet for, you know, the last fifteen=20
years.<BR><BR>HUTTER: Yes, we have been working in our studio, doing all
=
our=20
very very<BR>old, from the late 60s, early 70s, the analogue tapes, we =
have=20
transferred<BR>it onto digital format, so we put a lot of work on our =
old=20
Kraftwerk<BR>original sounds. Also now we have been doing re-masterings,
=
which=20
will<BR>probably come out later this year, and we have been doing all =
these=20
sound<BR>files, to perform with the original Kraftwerk sounds, live, and
=
working=20
on<BR>those. <BR><BR>KINGSMILL: Mmm. A lot of artists like to move on. =
They=20
don't tend to like a<BR>lot of their early work, do you enjoy listening
=
back to=20
what you created all<BR>those years ago?<BR><BR>HUTTER: Yeah, well we =
don't=20
listen so much but we have been working in<BR>transferring the sounds, =
and now=20
putting them forward into our live<BR>performance.<BR><BR>KINGSMILL: =
What about=20
the new music of Kraftwerk, is there much?<BR><BR>HUTTER: Yes, we are =
working on=20
different tracks, and when we play some more<BR>concerts on the Big Day
=
Out=20
festivals, then we fly back into Germany in to<BR>our Kling Klang =
studio, and we=20
will continue work on the next album.<BR><BR>KINGSMILL: Which is how =
much=20
completed?<BR><BR>HUTTER: Ohff, 99%.<BR><BR>KINGSMILL: That close? How's
=
it=20
sounding?<BR><BR>HUTTER: Kraftwerk-like.<BR><BR>HUTTER: In Dusseldorf we
=
work in=20
our Kling Klang studio since 1970, and the<BR>doors are closed, and we =
are doing=20
what we have to do. Our work we call<BR>ourselves musik arbeiter,=20
<BR><BR>KINGSMILL: ... which translates as.. <BR><BR>HUTTER: Musical=20
workers<BR><BR>KINGSMILL: uh-huh<BR><BR>HUTTER: ... and that's what we =
do.=20
<BR><BR>KINGSMILL: You are very isolated? I have read, no faxes, no =
phones,=20
no<BR>contact..<BR><BR>HUTTER: Yes, all this would be=20
disturbing..<BR><BR>KINGSMILL: So you isolate yourself as much as=20
possible?<BR><BR>HUTTER: Yes, for the work, and then we go out again, =
and we go=20
to clubs, to<BR>dance, and we travel, we are working on all aspects of =
creating=20
Kraftwerk,<BR>that's the one thing we do, we have never been able to do
=
other=20
things. <BR><BR>KINGSMILL: When you and Florian are working in such an =
intense=20
environment<BR>in creating pieces of music which would take.... would =
they take=20
maybe years<BR>to create?<BR><BR>HUTTER: Yes, sometimes, and then we put
=
them=20
away, and listen back again,<BR>and do other things, <BR><BR>KINGSMILL:
=
... and=20
then change them slightly..<BR><BR>HUTTER: yes, <BR><BR>KINGSMILL: It =
must be=20
very refreshing then to finally get out of the studio<BR>and take it
to=20
people..<BR><BR>HUTTER: Definitely, yeah.. Well we... in the first place
=
we are=20
live<BR>musicians..<BR><BR>KINGSMILL: Mmm, because you and Florian 
=
met at=20
conservatory..<BR><BR>HUTTER: Yes<BR><BR>KINGSMILL: Was it in Dusseldorf
=
or=20
Cologne?<BR><BR>HUTTER: Outside of Dusseldorf, there was having some=20
improvisational<BR>courses, so we just hooked up together and did stuff.
=
'68.=20
And then we<BR>organised a loose collection of musicians, and around =
1970 we=20
built our<BR>Kling Klang studio and Kraftwerk, and from there on we have
=
been=20
working all<BR>the time, until now.<BR><BR>KINGSMILL: Do you listen to a
=
lot of=20
other artists for inspiration?<BR><BR>HUTTER: Well we hear music all =
around, we=20
hear the sounds of the<BR>environment, we hear the aeroplanes, we hear =
the cars,=20
we hear the cities,<BR>we go to clubs, we hear when we are in the =
festival, so=20
we are picking up<BR>vibes from over all. Our ears are microphones.=20
<BR><BR>KINGSMILL: Yes. Well reproducing reality is I think ... =
(inaudible)=20
years<BR>ago you said , is that still the role for =
Kraftwerk?<BR><BR>HUTTER:=20
Yes. Well we take from our experiences, like travelling =
through<BR>Europe,=20
that's where Trans Europe Express comes from, Autobahn comes =
from<BR>hundreds of=20
thousands of miles on the autobahn...<BR><BR>KINGSMILL: .... and of =
course Tour=20
De France..<BR><BR>HUTTER: .. Tour de France comes from our cycling =
experience,=20
and we've been,<BR>er, the music has been the official music of the Tour
=
de=20
France when it came<BR>out.<BR><BR>KINGSMILL: A couple of questions from
=
people,=20
because there's lots of fans<BR>of Kraftwerk here [at JJJ]. Robbie =
wanted me to=20
ask you about when you first<BR>heard Afrika Bambaataa's Planet Rock, =
which had=20
heavily sampled your piece<BR>from the 70s...<BR><BR>HUTTER: It's not =
sampled,=20
it's replayed.<BR><BR>KINGSMILL: ... replayed with the rappers over the
=
top of=20
it. How did you<BR>feel when that, that was obviously crossing over into
=
another=20
generation..<BR><BR>HUTTER: Well, we have been hearing Bambaataa many =
years=20
before. Our first<BR>experience was when he was playing Trans Europe =
Express and=20
Metal On Metal<BR>on 2 discs in a club, and they were experimenting with
=
two=20
record players,<BR>and they had two pressings, and so he was doing that,
=
and=20
from there I knew<BR>there were things going on, and then he did that =
rap=20
record, and Trans<BR>Europe Express.<BR><BR>KINGSMILL: Did you find
it=20
exciting?<BR><BR>HUTTER: Yes, it's a very, very good record. =
<BR><BR>KINGSMILL:=20
Yes, well its just a completely different generation and also<BR>culture
=
that=20
was picking up on your music. Was that strange for you?<BR><BR>HUTTER: =
Er, in a=20
way, not, because we had always been accused of our music<BR>being cold,
=
and=20
repetitive, and boring and very machinistic, and we always<BR>found =
there was=20
soul in the machines, and then one day when these records<BR>came out it
=
was=20
proven that there is soul to the sequencers of Kraftwerk. =
<BR><BR>KINGSMILL: And=20
another question, just to sort of wind up.. the future is<BR>something =
which=20
Craig who works here wanted me to ask you about. When you<BR>were =
little, when=20
you were young, did you think much about the future?<BR><BR>HUTTER: =
Maybe we=20
thought more about the present, because living in Germany<BR>we were the
=
first=20
post-war generation, and so there was a cultural<BR>emptiness, which
we=20
discovered at puberty, and in the first place there was<BR>a little =
culture=20
shock, living in this total emptiness, but from there on it<BR>was an =
enormous=20
chance, so we could make it up, we made up our own living<BR>culture, =
everyday=20
culture, we call eitaks kutuur, and that was a very big<BR>chance. There
=
was no=20
big entertainment scene, or musical scene, of course<BR>there was the =
classical=20
music from way back the 19th century, and there was<BR>a electronic =
music scene=20
around the radio stations, maybe those combinations<BR>of situation =
inspired us=20
to make up our own music. Everyday electronics. <BR><BR>KINGSMILL: Yeah,
=
well=20
there was scene coming up, but it was a rebuilding<BR>wasn't it? Of =
culture, and=20
of ideas?<BR>It must have been very exciting.<BR><BR>HUTTER: Yes, it was
=
an=20
enormous chance in those days.<BR><BR>KINGSMILL: Do you think much about
=
the=20
future now. There's been so much<BR>that's happened in  20 years, =
what do=20
you think is going to happen in the<BR>next 20 years?<BR><BR>HUTTER: Oh
=
we have=20
to see, be awake, and keep your eyes and ears open, and<BR>we'll=20
see.<BR><BR>Transcribed by Peter Page</DIV></BODY></HTML>
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Message: 2
From: "Chris Storey" <chrisstorey@iprimus.com.au>
To: <kraftwerk@mailman.xmission.com>
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 23:48:31 +1100
Subject: [Kraftwerk] DV to SVCD
Reply-To: kraftwerk@mailman.xmission.com
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I have this Big Day Out TV show with Kraftwerk and I can't get the =
software to record the audio, so would someone on the list like to have
=
a go at transferring from Digital Video Tape to SVCD for me and others =
who want a copy.
Cheers
Chris....
------=_NextPart_000_00A3_01C2DC5F.3CBBCE20
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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>I have this Big Day Out TV show with =
Kraftwerk and=20
I can't get the software to record the audio, so would someone on the =
list like=20
to have a go at transferring from Digital Video Tape to SVCD for me and
=
others=20
who want a copy.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Cheers</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Chris....</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV></BODY></HTML>
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Message: 3
From: "Toby Frith" <toby.frith@telegraph.co.uk>
To: <kraftwerk@mailman.xmission.com>
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2003 12:49:15 -0000
Organization: Telegraph Group Limited
Subject: [Kraftwerk] Opinions on next LP theme - speculation
Reply-To: kraftwerk@mailman.xmission.com
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IF and when Kraftwerk bring out a new LP, what do listmembers think the
=
"theme" will be about?=20
"expo 2000" was quite ephemeral in its "global village" concept - will =
it be along the same lines?
www.bleep43.com
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<DIV><FONT face=3DCourier size=3D2>IF and when Kraftwerk bring out a new
=
LP, what do=20
listmembers think the "theme" will be about? </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DCourier size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DCourier size=3D2>"expo 2000" was quite ephemeral in =
its "global=20
village" concept - will it be along the same lines?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DCourier size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DCourier size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DCourier size=3D2><A=20
href=3D"http://www.bleep43.com">www.bleep43.com</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DCourier size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></BODY></HTML>
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