From: owner-kraftwerk-digest@lists.xmission.com (kraftwerk-digest) To: kraftwerk-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: kraftwerk-digest V2 #121 Reply-To: kraftwerk-digest Sender: owner-kraftwerk-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-kraftwerk-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk X-No-Archive: yes kraftwerk-digest Monday, June 8 1998 Volume 02 : Number 121 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 08 Jun 1998 01:17:16 +0200 From: lbo Subject: Re: (kw) Similar groups ? >Can someone recommend similar groups like "Kraftwerk" . well, there is no one like K! really! at last no one I can think of. that said, I suggest you to check Lassigue Bendthaus (Bendhaus?). # Need help using (or leaving) this mailing list? # Send the command "info kraftwerk" to majordomo@lists.xmission.com. # To post, email kraftwerk@lists.xmission.com; replies go to original sender. # Other questions? Read the FAQ: http://web.bham.ac.uk/busbykg/kraftwerk/FAQ/ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 07 Jun 1998 16:44:16 -0700 From: odsplut@ix.netcom.com Subject: (kw) ...the World is my Factory. ...so then, Kraftwelt has managed a new release; "retroish" (Hypnotic Records CLPO285-2), to coincide with the Kraftwerk Tour '98...more of the same, really...maybe a bit more melodic... This post simply serves to forewarn as Kraftwelt CDs are known to find their way into the "Kraftwerk" section and I would'nt want any of you suffering with the same bout of misguided enthusiasm as myself... ...what has it been now..?..17 years..? A rather "retroish" tour indeed! # Need help using (or leaving) this mailing list? # Send the command "info kraftwerk" to majordomo@lists.xmission.com. # To post, email kraftwerk@lists.xmission.com; replies go to original sender. # Other questions? Read the FAQ: http://web.bham.ac.uk/busbykg/kraftwerk/FAQ/ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 7 Jun 1998 22:29:07 EDT From: Subject: Re: (kw) Tokyo Report Thanks, Adam! Excellent report!!!! I could see it. Also, I'm surprised that Ralf & Florian are as personable as you say! Best, Harry Allen In a message dated 6/7/1998 6:28:16 PM, you wrote: << Tokyo Concert Reports. I got back yesterday from the 3 Kraftwerk shows in Tokyo. Tokyo is an amazing city and was an interesting setting for a Kraftwerk concert series. I met with list member Hiroshi Murata and his friend Kouru on the day before the 1st show for a 1st look around Tokyo on 1/6 and within a few hours we had already bumped into Florian Schneider outside a subway station. He and four of the crew members were trying to find the Blue Note Jazz club. He was in a very good mood and posed with my friends for some very funny photos. He also immediately recognised me from when we met in Linz last year. Mind you, an Australian wearing a Robots t-shirt tends to stand out on the Tokyo streets.... Later that evening, my japanese hosts took me on a tour of 'bootleg paradise', an area around Shinjuku with probably the highest concentration of bootleg CD shops on earth. Some of the shops were amazing, thousands of illegal videos and cd's. Within a few hours I had lost a large chunk of my yen for 6 Kraftwerk CD's including a new one released for the tour called 'Dentaku World' of the 7/9/81 show. Another shop had several Kraftwerk videos and one amazingly small record shop had just about every Kraftwerk vinyl rarity I could think of, including a Tour De France from Peru! I picked up some very nice original japanese 7" and two different old Kometenmelodie 2 singles. We met up with JBV and friend and over the next few days had a series of wonderful japanese dinners. This mailing list is really a great thing where 5 people from different corners of the planet can get together and swap stories. Akasaka Blitz is a very modern looking building and the venue inside is very good although quite small, only 1900 people. The acoustics inside were excellent and the view was great. The www.kraftwerk.com shop was open and selling 4 types of t-shirt. Throughout the 1st evening there was long queue of fans buying arms full of shirts and the shop was sold out by the 2nd night. Inside the venue a stall was selling the new re-released japanese CD's, exactly the same as the originals I am afraid. At exactly 7pm the familiar Opening music started and the lights dimmed a few minutes later the Kraftwerk voice announced 'mein dammen...'. The curtains opened for Numbers and revealed the Kling Klang stage. They have returned to the V shaped stage set from 1991. The stage set also has a much improved light show from last years shows, with coloured lights illuminating the whole backdrop. The stage looks really very good. Briefly, the set is not too different from last year. One of the new songs has gone and 'The Model' makes a reappearance. 'Radioactivity' sounds particularly good and 'Trans Europe Express' really has to be heard live. A very big sound. 'Airwaves' has been changed quite a bit with Ralf singing solo at the start and the last new song has been remixed and sounds quite different. The audience cheered when 'Ich Ni San Chi' intoned and went completely nuts when 'Pocket Calculator' became 'Dentaku'. Between the songs the audience would clap and then a total silence would fall, so you could hear the band whispering to each other on stage. The 1st night did involve (has I had hoped) some interesting mistakes. The intro to 'Radioactivity' got stuck an stuttered for a minute before Hilpert fixed it. The funniest mistake was in 'Pocket Calculator' when it seemed a sample had been loaded incorrectly and in the middle of the song a loud saxophone sound blurted out!. The band looked at each other and started laughing. Hilpert then used the sound over again at the end of the song. The 2nd night started as usual, but suddenly 'Numbers' stopped after a couple of minutes. Then silence for 3 minutes and the lights went out. After a long break, the voice of Kraftwerk started again and the show began again from the top. The Kling Klang set up has been changed since the '97 shows, there are a few new Doepher devices and I think Ralf is now playing a Roland JP8000. There are a lot more parts played live, as I could often hear small mistakes. The sounds in each song changed slightly each night. After the 2nd show JBV and myself again met Florian. He was walking back to his hotel by himself. He asked if we were going to the show again tomorrow and said, smiling, that 'that is not good for the ears' The 3rd and final show went much better with no major mistakes and the sound mix had improved from the previous nights. The audience again goes wild during 'Dentaku' and particularly love 'The Robots'. After the show I went up and asked the sound mixer what was the name of the song before 'Music Non Stop', he said is was a new song called 'Tribal'. There you go. He was also putting away the DAT recording of the nights show. Within 15 minutes all of the audience had left and there was only me standing there, so I wandered to the backstage door in time to see the 4 Robots being put into their cases. Fritz Hilpert wandered past and came over to talk to me. I asked him about the 1st nights saxophone mistake. He said that the sample is from the voice processor and the midi channel was crossed. He said that Kraftwerk will be going to Australia next year. He also said that he was looking forward to the U.S. leg - - 'It should be interesting' He signed my CD cover and got the rest of the group to do the same. Ralf Hutter then spoke with me for a few minutes. I asked in about the new record and he said that 'maybe we release it after the tour'. He also confirmed that Kraftwerk will play Australia and asked me 'Do you think Australia is a good place for us to play?' I definitely got the impression that he is very unsure of audience reaction and seemed genuinely surprised by the japanese audience approval. The next day I gave the last of my Yen to a couple bootleg shops and hopped a plane home. Overall, the shows are much better than the '97 shows, and a good small venue makes a big difference. The sound is very good and the small parts of extra live playing makes it a little more interesting, but 3 shows in a row was about as much as I could take. I thought that some of the background videos were slightly different, but JBV disagreed, he is probably correct. Photos from the show and a small real audio sample can be found at: http://www.world.net/~adamr I will be updating it with some new material at the end of the week with some more sound and the magazines I picked up in Tokyo. Adam Read >> # Need help using (or leaving) this mailing list? # Send the command "info kraftwerk" to majordomo@lists.xmission.com. # To post, email kraftwerk@lists.xmission.com; replies go to original sender. # Other questions? Read the FAQ: http://web.bham.ac.uk/busbykg/kraftwerk/FAQ/ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 7 Jun 1998 23:20:23 -0400 (EDT) From: Jose Subject: Re: (kw) Tokyo Report >Another shop had several Kraftwerk videos and one amazingly small record shop had >just about every Kraftwerk vinyl rarity I could think of, including a Tour De France >from Peru! I picked up some very nice original japanese 7" and two different old >Kometenmelodie 2 singles. Peru!, yeah!. Jose, Lima - Peru # Need help using (or leaving) this mailing list? # Send the command "info kraftwerk" to majordomo@lists.xmission.com. # To post, email kraftwerk@lists.xmission.com; replies go to original sender. # Other questions? Read the FAQ: http://web.bham.ac.uk/busbykg/kraftwerk/FAQ/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 8 Jun 1998 02:32:30 EDT From: Subject: (kw) WARFIELD show Just got home....it was incredible.......fantastic..... But, having said that....with the exception of the post CW songs and some changes(minor) with the videos,it was almost identical to 1981 at the Santa Monica Civic....But don't misunderstand, I loved every second!!!! # Need help using (or leaving) this mailing list? # Send the command "info kraftwerk" to majordomo@lists.xmission.com. # To post, email kraftwerk@lists.xmission.com; replies go to original sender. # Other questions? Read the FAQ: http://web.bham.ac.uk/busbykg/kraftwerk/FAQ/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 8 Jun 1998 09:19:31 +0200 From: Eric.Schader@gambro.com Subject: RE: (kw) Tokyo Report > Thanks for a truly VERY nice report. It almost makes you feel like you > were there. > Couldn't help feeling a sting of envy reading a bout you talking to > the boys. > > Regards > Eric > # Need help using (or leaving) this mailing list? # Send the command "info kraftwerk" to majordomo@lists.xmission.com. # To post, email kraftwerk@lists.xmission.com; replies go to original sender. # Other questions? Read the FAQ: http://web.bham.ac.uk/busbykg/kraftwerk/FAQ/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 8 Jun 1998 04:28:26 EDT From: Subject: (kw) Family life of KW Florian has been associated with girlfriend(s), eg. Sandhya Whally (who provided some of the operator vocals on Telefonanruf) and (i think) is now a father. As for Ralf ? I think Bussy states that he lives in a family property, quite possible on his own. I think turning KW into freaks is a little strong: Just think of how natural and open Fluer and Bartos have been in recent interviews. Although they've never actually been candid about R&F (in public) I think it would have been hard for them to stick it out in a band if the other two colleagues were as mad as people seem to think. KW is image. I bet Ralf can be found down the local boozer on a Friday night, off his tits on Pils and taking the piss out of us lot. # Need help using (or leaving) this mailing list? # Send the command "info kraftwerk" to majordomo@lists.xmission.com. # To post, email kraftwerk@lists.xmission.com; replies go to original sender. # Other questions? Read the FAQ: http://web.bham.ac.uk/busbykg/kraftwerk/FAQ/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 8 Jun 1998 10:40:30 +0100 From: johan.andersson@allers.aller.se Subject: (kw) New oficial live CD? At http://www=2Eboxman=2Ese/ i found a KW-record called Concert Classics sc= eduled for release 1998-06-29=95distributed by "MNW Distribution AB" Boxman only keeps oficial KW releases=2E What is this? /johan # Need help using (or leaving) this mailing list? # Send the command "info kraftwerk" to majordomo@lists.xmission.com. # To post, email kraftwerk@lists.xmission.com; replies go to original sender. # Other questions? Read the FAQ: http://web.bham.ac.uk/busbykg/kraftwerk/FAQ/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 8 Jun 1998 00:12 -0700 From: chrism@bbn.hp.com Subject: (kw) mail from ROBOT!! SPOILER ALERT!!! !!=SPOILER ALERT=!! *WhooOOP-WhooOOP* ROBOT's Konzert Review (Warfield, SF): Overall, it was EXcellent and FUN!! There was ONE totally hysterical glitch. Poor Florian! His Calculator wasn't WERKing during most of the tune. -(sorry, I'll stand in the MIDDLE next time and spead out my love/feedback more evenly*blush*)- So, he made the best of it and clowned around with it. First he was shocked, kept punching buttons, exchanged worried glances with the others, looked at the audience and shrugged- the audience laughed WITH him, not AT him- then he shook it, "strangled" it, swung it up and caught it, mimed a few punch-button/spasm moves -(oh, God, YES!)-, kept clowning, Ralf & Henning & Fritz were smiling, etc- and FINALLY it WERKed! YAY! Applause/cheers! They finished the song with pinache`. True ROBO-Troopers! The ROBOTS performed flawlessly, btw. -(good thing I had the rail to hang on to!*SPAZZZ*!)- There were some out-of-synch sequences, but, overall the SOUND was GOOD. I was in front of Florian to the right, and it still sounded fairly well ballanced,! ! although Ralf's voice needed to be turned up a bit. -(JBV said he sounded better in Tokyo. I thought he sounded nice. Just quiet. Jet lag.)- Another neat-0 surprise: they were wearing shiny black zip-up mock turtleneck shirts at first, and they turned a deep RED/Burgandy when the red lights hit 'em on RADIOAKTIVITY. I'm sure someone else with a clear(er) head can quote the track list. M.M was half English/half German. Very nice! The 2 new tracks were very impressive *LIVE*- they sounded much more complete. The sound files on the net don't do them justice. I'm sorry- I know this is all jumbled and out of chronological order. I just wanted to tell the highlights while it's fresh on what's left of my brain. The crowd was VERY enthusiastic- full 2 hour gig with a couple short breaks. Our beloved heroes made their customary exits 1 by 1 and disappeared into the San Fransisco fog. l They're probably on a red-eye 1/2 way to LAX by now. See ya tomorrow at the Palladium, boys! :] incident'ly, it rained/drizzled a bit. Christoph & I arrived around 3 and only 2 people were there before us- since NOON. The line didn't get long til 6pm. Doors opened at 7, show started about 8:15. The pre-bleeps were NICE! :] okay- I'm gonna forget stuff- I'll have to fill in later. It will be interesting to compare with tomorrow's gig. *SIGH* Yes, it was WORTH waiting 20 years for. I was not the least bit disappointed. There was a certain "familiarity" -(from videos)- to calm me down just a tiny bit. In fact, I expected KW to be more "sedate", -(they were pretty still at first, but not "boring")- however, I honestly didn't expect The ROBOTS and RA to be so ovedrwhelming! Those LIGHTS!! The sudden BRIGHTNESS- The VIBES!! It totally kicks @$$!! Lord almighty! The Ultimate K-gasm!!*OOOMPH*!! I cried HAPPY tears throughout the Konzert- then sad tears 'cause it was over. BUT- I get to do it again tomorrow! I'm up for it. I want it EVery night!! FOREVER!! And EVER!! HALLELUJAH!! I'm gonna have some wild dreams tonight!*OOooWEEE*! Thank you, Christoph, for letting me type this! Thanks to EVERYone who helped make this wonderful dream cum true!! -(I lost count....)- *SIGH* [ROBOT out- till Thursday the 11th- unless I find a convenient CyberCafe in LA] # Need help using (or leaving) this mailing list? # Send the command "info kraftwerk" to majordomo@lists.xmission.com. # To post, email kraftwerk@lists.xmission.com; replies go to original sender. # Other questions? Read the FAQ: http://web.bham.ac.uk/busbykg/kraftwerk/FAQ/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 08 Jun 1998 11:49:06 +0200 From: Thomas Weckert Subject: Re: (kw) Family life of KW >KW is image. I bet Ralf can be found down the local boozer on a Friday night, >off his tits on Pils and taking the piss out of us lot. > Exactly! But a very sophisticated image... thomas. # Need help using (or leaving) this mailing list? # Send the command "info kraftwerk" to majordomo@lists.xmission.com. # To post, email kraftwerk@lists.xmission.com; replies go to original sender. # Other questions? Read the FAQ: http://web.bham.ac.uk/busbykg/kraftwerk/FAQ/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 8 Jun 1998 06:07:18 EDT From: Subject: Re: Re[2]: (kw) Lyrics You're right about the absence of bass. But I think you have to place that in context of the "production values" prevalent at the time their individual recordings were made. Listen to any "pop song" of the 80s and compare to one of the 90s - there is a huge difference in the place of bass in the mix. Fact is: KW were never particularly original in the WAY they recorded their music. What I find most infuriating is the tendency of bassy parts of the mix drifting in and out. Their levels are all over the bloody place sometimes. In a sense that adds to the dynamic of some tracks (listen to Numbers' big drum sound and the clicks, they just move in and out of mix at random) but as a 90s listener accustomed to continous uni-level pumping bass in dance music it's strange and often annoying. Times have changed. Perhaps the Mix version of Radioactivity is one of the few occassions were KW have bowed to the publics demand for bass. But of course, the Mix is the album that has dated most of all - it's not abstract enough to survive like Radio Activity or Electric Cafe, it's not classic enough to be TEE and it's not good enough to be Man Machine or Computer World. The Mix is too slow, suffers from some horribly cheesy percussion sounds (re- sampling has made many of the original analogue sounds too clinical, have too much presence) and is the kind of megamix album that you now associate with stuff that is accepted to have a shelf and interest life of about 1 week. More new material please. PS Has anyone noticed the similarity between (I think) the TG97 new track's hook and the "theme" from It's more fun to Compute" ? # Need help using (or leaving) this mailing list? # Send the command "info kraftwerk" to majordomo@lists.xmission.com. # To post, email kraftwerk@lists.xmission.com; replies go to original sender. # Other questions? Read the FAQ: http://web.bham.ac.uk/busbykg/kraftwerk/FAQ/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 8 Jun 1998 03:24:02 -0700 From: "d. c A r t o" Subject: (kw) Warfield show Back home in the sticks at three in the morning after a wonderful show. The first new song was very beautiful, the visuals were an ocilloscope, the shapes of the sounds were exciting as the sounds themselves. I felt that these songs could go on and on. Wished they did. The crowd was loving of them. Is it a kind of revival? The second new song was great too. There was a very powerful sound like a throttle - it was felt as such in the audience... I brought a friend that had heard of Kraftwerk a whole two weeks ago, he really enjoyed himself. Consensus from the people behind me that these songs should be in the clubs. Where are they? It was a presentation of, a future that was? Anyway I'm glad I got to see them. Like Robot I have been waiting twenty years. In the 1980s I never thought I would be seeing them so close to the year two thousand, and that one of the songs would be autobahn. The new material sounds great, let's hear more. Michael # Need help using (or leaving) this mailing list? # Send the command "info kraftwerk" to majordomo@lists.xmission.com. # To post, email kraftwerk@lists.xmission.com; replies go to original sender. # Other questions? Read the FAQ: http://web.bham.ac.uk/busbykg/kraftwerk/FAQ/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 8 Jun 1998 09:07:09 EDT From: Subject: Re: (kw) Ralf off his tits on bier My apologies to deutsche bierkenner: If - hypothetically speaking of course - Ralf were indeed to enter his local hostelry for purposes of imbibing liquid refreshment containing traces of alcohol created through a process of fermentation of malted barley enhanced with the adjunct of hops, then he would prob. not drink Pils: In Duesseldorf he would drink "Alt" and - if he should be in Cologne (approx. 30 minutes on the IC) he would drink "Koelsch". Either way, he'd get off his tits ! Prost. # Need help using (or leaving) this mailing list? # Send the command "info kraftwerk" to majordomo@lists.xmission.com. # To post, email kraftwerk@lists.xmission.com; replies go to original sender. # Other questions? Read the FAQ: http://web.bham.ac.uk/busbykg/kraftwerk/FAQ/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 08 Jun 1998 23:27:37 +1000 From: Adam Read Subject: Re: (kw) Kraftwerk at Akasaka - Web Site > AKASAKA BLITZ, TOKYO, JAPAN > > These following photos are from the 3 nights in Tokyo last week. Some > are not so good quality, but you get the idea. > <<< > > many many thanks Adam! I was not there but I did get the idea. I have updated the pages at http://www.world.net/~adamr with the rest of the the photos from Japan. Adam # Need help using (or leaving) this mailing list? # Send the command "info kraftwerk" to majordomo@lists.xmission.com. # To post, email kraftwerk@lists.xmission.com; replies go to original sender. # Other questions? Read the FAQ: http://web.bham.ac.uk/busbykg/kraftwerk/FAQ/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 8 Jun 98 10:42:43 EDT From: Dorthe Cohrs Subject: (kw) re:lyrics Hallo Mit-maschinen. Hi fellow machines. I don't know whether I should write in German or English but it seems that most here are English-based life forms so I will try my best. Not that my English is bad but I have a hard time talking about German topics in English. Regarding the lyrics: I think Kraftwerk is one of the few bands combining using lyrics as an instrument, integrating it as a sound effect, and at the same time expressing an idea in words. If you ask me: would the words only be instrument, then you would be able to take words to one song and put them into another Kraftwerk song, and nobody would notice. But try it, and you will see, the meldoy and the meaning of the words are so fine-tuned to each other, the tone fits, and also, and call me weird or not, but the music makes you feel the lyrics, the meaning. Okay, I am quite poetic, overly dramatic, aber da kann man nix aendern. SEe? going off in German. Sorry, did not have a lot of sleep (met someone, completely beside the point, but let me tell you....) Only 6 days till NY>>>>>>>>>>> Ciao, Diz # Need help using (or leaving) this mailing list? # Send the command "info kraftwerk" to majordomo@lists.xmission.com. # To post, email kraftwerk@lists.xmission.com; replies go to original sender. # Other questions? Read the FAQ: http://web.bham.ac.uk/busbykg/kraftwerk/FAQ/ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 07 Jun 1998 22:50:24 -0500 From: CADBOT Subject: Re: (kw) Kraftwerk and Autism Does anyone know if KW members are subscribing to this list? You can't get a list of who subscribes from Major Domo as you can with other lists. You'd think that they probably view it some of the time. # Need help using (or leaving) this mailing list? # Send the command "info kraftwerk" to majordomo@lists.xmission.com. # To post, email kraftwerk@lists.xmission.com; replies go to original sender. # Other questions? Read the FAQ: http://web.bham.ac.uk/busbykg/kraftwerk/FAQ/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 08 Jun 1998 03:39:10 -0700 From: Fred Becker Subject: (kw) Warfield Report From Fred Kraftwerk Quakes SF! Look out USA! The US tour is off to a great start. Here is my live report (home) from the Warfield. I was in line early along with Robot, Christoff, JBV and new fans we met from San Jose and elsewhere. We had time to chat and meet and that is when I got fans to sign my Computer World LP cover. In all I got about 25 fan signatures. I think this is a great idea for some others to try. If you are really brave you can give it to Kraftwerk after the show. I wanted to keep mine. We would occasionally walk to the side of the building to watch all the equipment being loaded in and occasionally see the stage being set up. I recognized the four robot cases. The steel scaffolding you might see is used to hold the curtains and the interior sides of the stage. A big orange mobile generator is used to produce the 230 Volts, 50 Hz, European standard power for the computers. The semi-trailer used has a black cab with a white trailer. Someone saw "KW" on the front of the truck! It really is a KONVOY! A very loud security man at one point moved our line away from the building as the hour approached, and we all laughed at his amazing loud voice. He was funny. The first ones in line had a boom box and played Kraftwerk rare material the whole time, which was great to hear. One couple came to buy tickets on the street. They were too high priced, and we were very sorry to see them walk off. They were on the list. I hope they got in somehow. So the doors opened and we all happily rushed in. I was impressed by the interior of the Warfield. It is hugely elegant with gold carvings, ceiling paintings. It is somewhat oval shaped, not rectangular in the back. Very nice. I chose a spot right in front of the stage by Ralf's station. I collected more fan signatures while waiting inside the Warfield. I met a great fan named Guenther from Germany stationed here in the US in New Mexico. He is not on the list, but is a great fan and serious collector. I also met many others near me. Christoff stood in the center of the stage. ROBOT stood in front of Florian's stage. Finally the vocodor introduction began and Numbers began playing. The curtains opened and 17 years of US fans without Kraftwerk were swept away. Kraftwerk walked to their stations in a very deliberate and dignified fashion amid the wild cheering. I really liked the way they all sort of "set" themselves as they stood at their stations and began moving to the ongoing rhythm. I was amazed that the stage was laid out in the "L" shape again. Cool! Our railing was about five feet in front of the base of the stage. I was about fifteen feet from Ralf on stage. I was amazed at how I knew everything already The set list was apparently just like Tokyo. I dropped all thought of writing down each song as it came. I was too intent on the show. I didn't have a recorder to bring, but I hope somebody else did. Larry Lacost (sp?) who I met was next to me and took a lot of photos from our close up vantage point. >From watching Kraftwerk, or at least Ralf, I felt like the whole thing is just a toy to them, and they are like kids who have grown up but who still like to play. They are preserving the curiosity of being a kid by their songs. Do any of you remember how strange mannequins were when you were a kid? How about trains, machines, traffic cones, radio towers, neon lights, searchlights, etc... I think some of these songs come from that innocence of seeing strange new things and not knowing what they are. When Computer World began I held up my LP with all the fan signatures on it for Kraftwerk to see! I think they all saw it. Autobahn was a treat. They gave the engine a good four or five attempts at the start before it kicked in. The tempo was nice and slow, closer to the original version it seemed, though still retaining the Mix rhythm. Videos for Autobahn were great, as for all the songs. It was great to hear Airwaves, Man Machine and Tour de France. Again great videos on Tour de France. The real drama came with Pocket Calculator, Radioactivity and the Robots. Pocket Calculator is the only real good look at the band. Here the walk in front of their stands and play through remote units, as you all know. Well, Florian's was on the fritz. So we got to see some of their personality as they reacted to that and decided what to do about it. Very funny and the crowd was laughing and cheering about that while enjoying the music too. Florian kind of seriously stabbed at it, shook it, yanked on the cords and finally shrugged. He looked at the other band members and they all laughed with him. Then Florian tossed it up and down in his hands and acted like he would throw it to the crowd, swung it around a little and then just tapped his feet. All real funny. Then Fritz Hilpert went to Florian's station and changed something. Suddenly Florian could make come noise. We all cheered. They all laughed. This went on and on. It stopped making noise again, etc. Radioactivity was just an intense song. It is played very much like on The Mix or the Kevorkian remix. One thing I wished was that Florian would sings all those vocoded parts through a vocoder live. As it was, these were stored vocal samples that were played or sequenced. But the bass was just really booming on that one. I could see Fritz hitting some notes (or pretending to) in this song. These were the main theme notes: da-da da da-da-da da-da da-da "Radioactivity." See if this happens at your show. Then Robots played and then Robotronic, first just the keyboards and then keyboards plus Robots. This was a visual treat with strobe lights flashing in various syncopations while the Robots moved in synchronicity. At other times the lights at the base of the instruments behind the stations would illuminate to correspond to the song: red for Man Machine, green for Autobahn, red white and blue for Tour de France and so on. Here is the Tokyo play list, and I'm pretty sure it's the same that we saw: >01. Numbers >02. Computer World >03. Home Computer >04. The Man Machine >05. Tour De France >06. Autobahn >07. The Model >08. Air Waves (intro) - New Song 1 >09. Radioactivity >10. Trans Europe Express >11. Pocket Caluculator - DENTAKU >12. The Robots >13. New Song 2 >14. Music Non Stop The two new songs were quite good. I really liked the second one, which had a high vibrational intense rhythm. You couldn't tap your feet to it, only sort of shake yourself? Wow. At the end they came back on after The Robots with those reflective suits made to look like 3-d graphics wire-maps. Great visuals also accompanied this. Each member then took a solo and individually exited. The fans cheered as they left. The cheering sort of died down for a while and then , as we realized it was really over and we had just seen a great show, we just had to cheer some more. So the cheering continued for a good ten to 15 minutes. Floor stomping. The works. The house lights were up and everything. We just couldn't stop cheering as we wanted to welcome Kraftwerk back to the US. They're here! Now a word of advice for all those seeking autographs. From what happened here, not many were able to. I was waiting outside in a line, per security, and then Fritz came out and began signing things. Everything was fine. Suddenly Ralf walked by behind Fritz and the line broke up and surrounded him. I don't think Ralf was really expecting that. Ralf was happily signing things in this crowd when a stage worker called for everyone to move out of the way--including Ralf. So he was then shuffled off to his van along with Fritz and Henning. So my advice is to get all the fans in the line to agree to stay in that line. Then ask the security persons to please ask the band to sign things down that line. I'm sure anyone wouldn't mind signing things along an orderly line on the way to their car. It will take some real will power for all the fans to remain in a line I'm sure! If they refuse to come to the line, at least it will not be the fans' fault for being overzealous. Guenther, my collector friend, has been around. He was right there for Ralf and got all three signatures somehow on his copy of the luminous Neon Lights 12" cover. Now Florian had gone out another entrance from the others, so at our venue there was really no way for anyone to get all four autographs. I'm sure Guenther will get Florian's when he goes to the LA show tomorrow. If at all possible, do some talking with security to have them ask the band to come and sign your goodies. It was great to be there for Kraftwerk history in the making. Fred # Need help using (or leaving) this mailing list? # Send the command "info kraftwerk" to majordomo@lists.xmission.com. # To post, email kraftwerk@lists.xmission.com; replies go to original sender. # Other questions? Read the FAQ: http://web.bham.ac.uk/busbykg/kraftwerk/FAQ/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 8 Jun 1998 14:44:04 +0200 From: "B. Marcus Fjellström" Subject: (kw) The day the music stopped As I constantly read through these postings, I keep getting the same impression over and over again: 'Kraftwerk are losing it. They were pioneering once, but now, they're simply sad travesties of their own music'. Is this the case? Or is there a reason to all this? One of the members of this list wrote something a few days back that in my opinion stood out as mighty poetic; it was about the possibility of their computers all crashing in the year 2000: musique ... stop Get the taste of those words. Musique, ...stop. Is that the thing? Has the last 12 years since the release of the track 'musique non stop' been about just that: They've been doing a musique non stop for all these years: No new tracks, just that old music over and over again... until, possibly, the day the music stops. musique...stop. 'And then there was silence. The computers were all crashed, the Nostradamu prophecies finally came true, and the new millenium began with a bang that set all information blank, a blank paper for future inhabitans to write on. The music non stop machine had been playing for as long as it possibly could, but there's an end, a death, to everything, and as all tarot fortune tellers know, 'death' is basically quite good. Death means change.' We cannot expect that Kraftwerk will reinvent music for us once again. They will hypnotize us with their non stop music until we get the message: We are Kraftwerk. We live and breath what will be the dawning of the new music machine. We are Kraftwerk. Yee all, you can keep on with your 'They've lost it' business, it's perhaps clear that they're stuck at the same point since the release of 'musique non stop', but the nights who say 'boing' did the one real noble thing. Instead of parishing they kept on and broadcasted the message for as long as they possibly could: musique non stop. musique non stop. musique non stop. Yee of little faith! See the concerts, get the message, see the other side, hear the other side. Due to economical crisis I cannot attend at Roskilde, but then again, I've heard Kraftwerk. Not just listened; I've HEARD. /Marcus # Need help using (or leaving) this mailing list? # Send the command "info kraftwerk" to majordomo@lists.xmission.com. # To post, email kraftwerk@lists.xmission.com; replies go to original sender. # Other questions? Read the FAQ: http://web.bham.ac.uk/busbykg/kraftwerk/FAQ/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 08 Jun 1998 06:37:27 PDT From: "dr. Digeridoo p.B.s" Subject: Re: (kw) Kraftwerk and the Packaging Industry wow. I thought I was the only one who had an obsession with the music that the "real" world makes on its own. Silence also sounds great if you turn it up real loud and funk with it. ...I'd bring some recording equipment in and capture this entire world of sounds!!!! wow ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com # Need help using (or leaving) this mailing list? # Send the command "info kraftwerk" to majordomo@lists.xmission.com. # To post, email kraftwerk@lists.xmission.com; replies go to original sender. # Other questions? Read the FAQ: http://web.bham.ac.uk/busbykg/kraftwerk/FAQ/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 08 Jun 1998 06:45:22 PDT From: "dr. Digeridoo p.B.s" Subject: Re: (kw) Kraftwerk and Autism >Computer World is the best electronic album ever. Though it certainly is an awesome album, I've always been more impressed with autobahn. The Kometenmelodies (I forgot how to spell it, I leave german class for one year..) are very, very rad. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com # Need help using (or leaving) this mailing list? # Send the command "info kraftwerk" to majordomo@lists.xmission.com. # To post, email kraftwerk@lists.xmission.com; replies go to original sender. # Other questions? Read the FAQ: http://web.bham.ac.uk/busbykg/kraftwerk/FAQ/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 08 Jun 1998 07:03:16 PDT From: "dr. Digeridoo p.B.s" Subject: Re: (kw) Similar groups ? I'd recommend really old Aphex Twin like "Selected Ambient Works 85-92" It's done by a fourteen year old with homemade synthesizers so it really has a minimalistic style to it. very good. also, there are supposed to be three fathers of electronic music. Yello, Kraftwerk, and Telex. I've never owned one of their albums but I've heard some good RA samples. Check them out at http://www.netbeat.com. They do a vocoded electronic version of "Rock Around the Clock" Can someone recommend similar groups like "Kraftwerk" . I also enjoy the groups "Yello" and "Buffalo Daughter","Frazier Chorus".. very much as well. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com # Need help using (or leaving) this mailing list? # Send the command "info kraftwerk" to majordomo@lists.xmission.com. # To post, email kraftwerk@lists.xmission.com; replies go to original sender. # Other questions? Read the FAQ: http://web.bham.ac.uk/busbykg/kraftwerk/FAQ/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 8 Jun 1998 12:04:05 EDT From: Subject: Re: (kw) re:lyrics Well said! Best, Harry Allen In a message dated 6/8/1998 10:47:02 AM, you wrote: << Hallo Mit-maschinen. Hi fellow machines. I don't know whether I should write in German or English but it seems that most here are English-based life forms so I will try my best. Not that my English is bad but I have a hard time talking about German topics in English. Regarding the lyrics: I think Kraftwerk is one of the few bands combining using lyrics as an instrument, integrating it as a sound effect, and at the same time expressing an idea in words. If you ask me: would the words only be instrument, then you would be able to take words to one song and put them into another Kraftwerk song, and nobody would notice. But try it, and you will see, the meldoy and the meaning of the words are so fine-tuned to each other, the tone fits, and also, and call me weird or not, but the music makes you feel the lyrics, the meaning. Okay, I am quite poetic, overly dramatic, aber da kann man nix aendern. SEe? going off in German. Sorry, did not have a lot of sleep (met someone, completely beside the point, but let me tell you....) Only 6 days till NY>>>>>>>>>>> Ciao, Diz >> # Need help using (or leaving) this mailing list? # Send the command "info kraftwerk" to majordomo@lists.xmission.com. # To post, email kraftwerk@lists.xmission.com; replies go to original sender. # Other questions? Read the FAQ: http://web.bham.ac.uk/busbykg/kraftwerk/FAQ/ ------------------------------ End of kraftwerk-digest V2 #121 *******************************