Tag: Kraftwerk (Page 12 of 13)

2012 END OF YEAR REVIEW

16 December 2012 /
Close Encounters Of The Synth Kind

The year began with the housewives’ favourite astronomer Brian Cox naming several synth friendly classics like OMD’s ‘Messages’ and DURAN DURAN’s ‘Friends Of Mine’ in his choices for ‘Desert Island Discs’ as well as declaring an appreciation of ULTRAVOX.

The confessions of the one-time keyboard player of DARE and D:REAM proved once again that electronic music is the preserve of the intelligent, discerning listener. And as with the strap line to ‘Close Encounters Of The Third Kind’ which featured the use of an ARP 2500 to communicate with the aliens incidentally!), it proved to many a synth enthusiast that “we are not alone”!

Speaking of ULTRAVOX, they made the comeback of the year with ‘Brilliant’, the first long player featuring the classic line-up of Warren Cann, Chris Cross, Billy Currie and Midge Ure since 1984’s ‘Lament’.

While the album could have probably done with being two tracks shorter, it was the best of the bunch in a line of returns from the last few years by Synth Britannia veterans OMD, BLANCMANGE and THE HUMAN LEAGUE; not bad considering most of the band are now in their early sixties! The Dreaded Pink Thing has now been truly buried!

Gary Numan continued to tour like there was no tomorrow and reunited with his old backing band DRAMATIS on several of his ‘Machine Music’ shows in tribute to the late Ced Sharpley who had drummed for both. From the same management stable, JOHN FOXX & THE MATHS unleashed their third album in 18 months entitled ‘Evidence’ while Claudia Brücken released only her second solo album in just over 20 years with a soothing collection of reinterpretations called ‘The Lost Are Found’.

With only Synth-Werk plug-in hoaxes and Belgian clones METROLAND to keep Klingklangers entertained with new material, KRAFTWERK themselves undertook a 3D residency at New York’s MoMA featuring their eight most recent works with a controversial two tickets per customer policy. As most of these albums clocked in at just over 30 minutes, there was still an hour’s other favourites to savour for those lucky enough to get their names on the list.

This electronic extravaganza will be reprised at London’s Tate Modern in February 2013. As a former power plant, the location is wholly appropriate although the occasion will be tainted by the ticket fiasco that preceded it!

Ex-member Karl Bartos was probably observing with amusement as he will be returning in 2013 with a new album ‘Off The Record’ and world tour. Disgruntled fans who missed out on the Tate Modern shows are now likely to be venturing his way for their KRAFTWERK fix!

Danny Boyle’s London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony attempted to showcase the best of British so with UNDERWORLD as musical directors, OMD, NEW ORDER, PET SHOP BOYS, BRIAN ENO and EURYTHMICS all figured during the evening.

And in keeping with the Games message to “inspire a generation”, promising new act STRANGERS had their single ‘Safe / Pain’ used by the BBC in a montage of Team GB’s cycling success during the Olympics. The trio also shone at BASII, a Basildon electronic music festival celebrating the legacy of their most famous sons DEPECHE MODE and went on to support BLANCMANGE and CLAUDIA BRÜCKEN.

DEPECHE MODE themselves announced a new album and tour for 2013 in a bizarre press conference that appeared to have no actual news! But this was not before Dave Gahan guested with SOULSAVERS and Martin Gore did a cameo for MOTOR; He also reunited with former bandmate Vince Clarke for the rather polarising techno project VCMG. And in a year that saw all members of the extended DM family busy, former bandmate Alan Wilder helped compile a tribute album to one-time synthpoppers TALK TALK and released the RECOIL concert film ‘A Strange Hour In Budapest’.

MARSHEAUX returned to London with a triumphant performance featuring The Blitz Club’s legendary Rusty Egan on electronic percussion during an encore of ‘Come On’, a song from their forthcoming fourth long player ‘Inhale’.

They also released a double headed single with the marvellous TWINS NATALIA; Sophie and Marianthi covered their cult favourite ‘When We Were Young’ to compliment their rendition of ‘Radial Emotion’.

After the label and personnel upheavals of last Autumn, MIRRORS regrouped as a trio and made a welcome return with a starker sound. While this new material perhaps lacked the immediacy of their ‘Lights & Offerings’ debut, songs like ‘Between Four Walls’ and ‘Dust’ captured a depth of mood that grew with each listen. MIRRORS off-shoot LOVELIFE decamped to make their fortune in New York and unveiled a promising number in ‘Brave Face’ which crossed OMD with HARD-FI.

Sweden proved its prowess with COMPUTE who beefed up her sound for second EP ‘The Distance’ while IAMAMIWHOAMI took her mysterious audio visual experience into the physical album arena for the first time with ‘Kin’ where the enigmatic electronic soundtrack stood up on its own. Just down the road, there was the RAMMSTEIN reincarnated as DEPECHE MODE menace of TITANS.

Electro crooners JULIAN & MARINA showcased their lounge crooner synthpop with a cover of a Hollywood-era Elvis number ‘A House That Has Everything’ and DAYBEHAVIOR released their third album ‘Follow That Car!’ after a year’s delay.

Among the best songs of 2012 was ‘Trust’ by Finland’s SIN COS TAN, a new project from VILLA NAH’s Juho Paalosmaa and ace producer Jori Hulkkonen.

The parent eponymous album was impressive too and showed once again that the Nordic region was the perfect environment for the genesis of inventive leftfield synthpop.

From across the Atlantic, Canadians CRYSTAL CASTLES and PURITY RING were the darlings of the hipster cognoscenti along with GRIMES who hit the black keys of her Juno-G and impressed with her latest album ‘Visions’. She also made a timely appearance on ‘Later With Jools Holland’ which recalled the TV debut of LITTLE BOOTS back in 2008.

Sadly, Victoria Hesketh left behind her synth girl persona to head for the less challenging climes of clubland. Big rival LA ROUX was taking her time recording her second album while LADYHAWKE proved that she was always a rock chick in the first place with her second long player ‘Anxiety’sounding like it had been recorded down a drainpipe!

But in Diamond Jubilee Year, QUEEN OF HEARTS flew the electro flag with a glitzy slice of electro schaffel appropriately entitled ‘Neon’. A further single ‘Warrior’ proved it was not a fluke as the young royal turned into CLAUDIA BRÜCKEN meeting Emo KYLIE!

The UK found itself a few promising female-led electronic acts in the charmingly kooky …OF DIAMONDS, the Italo-led KOVAK and the dark but dreamy EVOKATEUR. But virtually out of nowhere came Glasgow’s new synth sensations CHVRCHES.

Despite only unleashing two songs ‘Lies’ and ‘The Mother We Share’ for public consumption, both were corkers; their much vaunted live performances met expectations, displaying both inventive synth arrangements and a vital pop sensibility.

The boys weren’t idle either with BRIGHT LIGHT BRIGHT LIGHT and KID KASIO unleashing their long awaited debut albums while on the newer side of the tracks, there was the angry OMD of AUTOMATIC WRITING, the FAITHLESS gone rock of SINESTAR and the ERASURE for the new millennium of MODOVAR.

After the excitement of the years between 2008 and 2011, this was a comparatively quiet year for the sound of the synth with regards special events. There was no Short Circuit or gatherings on the scale of Tomorrow Is Today, the Vintage Electronic Phuture Revue or the BEF Weekender.

Within the mainstream, the majors were keen to support electronic music just so long as it was dance oriented. Notably, EMI pushed the generic foil of SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA and the ubiquitous David Guetta as the new acceptable faces of electronic music via their flawed ‘Electrospective’ promotional campaign; by default, this also involved Daniel Miller, Martyn Ware and Andy McCluskey due to the label’s ownership of the Virgin and Mute back catalogues! But some glaring schoolboy errors on their website and the use of quotes from COLDPLAY’s Chris Martin showed they didn’t really understand electronic pop…

There had been signs at the end of 2011 that the major record companies thought a rave revival would save their corporate bacons. Swedish synthpop duo THE SOUND OF ARROWS said that during their brief tenure with Geffen Records, the A&R had wanted them to sound more Ibiza club friendly. Their one-time label mate SUNDAY GIRL, who originally had a promising GOLDFRAPP meets JOY DIVISION sound, was reduced to covering dance numbers made famous by STEPS… her debut album originally slated for 2010 is still nowhere to be seen!

Meanwhile, MARINA & THE DIAMONDS‘ very good in places second album ‘Electra Heart’ had several of its songs spoiled by overdriving club beats! Is this really the only way to make people dance? It all seems a little brain dead! “NAME THAT TUNE…” snarled Rusty Egan on Facebook, “…if you can hear one?”

So should ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK settle down with a pipe and slippers? While we prefer to “dance to disco” cos we “don’t like rock”, there must be more to electro than shallow repetitive four-to-the-floor thuds and glowsticks?

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK likes a tune and doesn’t pretend to love every variation of the electronic theme. And from conversations with several DJs, it would appear clubland doesn’t want to be associated with the classic synthpop world anymore than the classic synthpop world wants to be lumped in with dance culture… so why attempt to centralise everything?

Modern beat driven flavours and other influences can be appreciated but a full blown experience is not always what is required! As the marvellous new Texan duo ELEVEN:ELEVEN have proved, danceable electronic music can be made that is subtle and syncopated. And all this without the need of an annoying dubstep remix, or a 10 minute techno rework with no melodic elements!

It’s cool to be discerning…

ELECTRICTYCLUB.CO.UK Contributor Listings of 2012

PAUL BODDY

Best Album: DEADMAU5 >album title goes here<
Best Song: ORBITAL New France (Tom Middleton Cosmos remix)
Best Gig: RAMMSTEIN at London O2 Arena
Best Video: SPLEEN UNITED Days Of Thunder
Most Promising New Act: TITANS

STEVE GRAY

Best Album: ULTRAVOX Brilliant
Best Song: CHVRCHES Lies
Best Gig: HEAVEN 17 at London Shepherds Bush Empire
Best Video: SINESTAR I Am The Rain
Most Promising New Act: CHVRCHES

CHI MING LAI

Best Album: SIN COS TAN Sin Cos Tan
Best Song: SIN COS TAN Trust
Best Gig: HEAVEN 17 at London Shepherds Bush Empire
Best Video: IAMAMIWHOAMI Drops
Most Promising New Act: CHVRCHES

RICHARD PRICE

Best Album: SIN COS TAN Sin Cos Tan
Best Song: ULTRAVOX Rise
Best Gig: BAS II
Best Video: KID KASIO Telephone Line
Most Promising New Act: KARIN PARK

Text by Chi Ming Lai
16th December 2012

METROLAND Mind The Gap

26 September 2012 /

Here is a really nice surprise that strikes like a lightning bolt from a clear blue sky: Belgian electroheads METROLAND and their epic rail bound technopop-journey in the spirit of KRAFTWERK and KOMPUTER.

The theme of debut album ‘Mind The Gap’ s thus railroad traffic and mostly underground travel. The trip spans over 13 (railway) tracks and begins quietly and beautifully with the warm arpeggio rich soundscapes built up in ‘Enjoying The View’. The feeling of going by train at moderate pace through Europe is really palpable.

The following song, ‘Mind The Gap’, takes us to the London Underground and then the journey proceeds to Germany, New York, Brussels and Moscow. The tempo is increased gradually and the songs become more and more dancefloor friendly.

The very Kraftwerkian rhythms are perfect and the sounds are always exquisite. However, it is not only KRAFTWERK and KOMPUTER that are cloned. Inspiration from early FRONT 242, JOHN FOXX & LOUIS GORDON, JEAN MICHEL JARRE, KARL BARTOS and not least TELEX is present too.

Being a Swede, I am also thinking of Swedish bands like DDR, TRANSFORMATION STATION and not least DEUTSCHE BANK, but that is probably a coincidence since these bands are heavily inspired by KRAFTWERK too. We who have a soft spot for voice synthesis from vocoders and the Speak & Spell toy obviously get our fair share, but some songs also feature sampled female voices, providing this very electronic train ride with a bit more organic feel and variety.

This is a true concept album, well thought out and implemented with classic Klingklang perfection. It is therefore hard to pick out a favourite song – if you like the first song, you almost certainly like the rest too.

However, I have noticed that I’ve been saying: “He was called – Harry Beck” and “form follow function” spontaneously to myself now and again, which probably indicates that the song  ‘Harry Beck’ can be considered one of my favourites. Other highlights are ‘Travelling’, ‘The Passenger’, ‘Theme For Metroland’ and ‘T.F.L.’ – you might actually say that METROLAND almost sounds more KRAFTWERK than KRAFTWERK themselves have managed to do in recent times.

However, critics may argue that it is not that original trying to mimic KRAFTWERK, but METROLAND’s Passenger A and Passenger S do it with so much love and warmth. They really put their hearts to it. They do not try to hide their sources of inspiration either. The penultimate song title is, for example, a clear KRAFTWERK paraphrase; ‘It’s More Fun To Commute’. This song is seamlessly followed by ‘(Much) More Fun’ which is a wonderfully rhythm-driven song in the spirit of ‘Numbers’ and ‘Home Computer’.

For us KRAFTWERK-nerds, METROLAND is a very nice new acquaintance indeed.

‘Mind The Gap’ is released by Alfa Matrix in CD, 2CD Limited Edition and download formats

http://www.metrolandmusic.com/

http://www.alfa-matrix.com/bio-metroland.php

http://soundcloud.com/metroland

The original Swedish version of this article is published at www.synth.nu

Text by Johan Wejedal
26th September 2012

An Evening with JOHN TAYLOR

16 September 2012 /

In The Pleasure Groove: Love, Death & Duran Duran

Some have questioned ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK’s endorsement of DURAN DURAN but the bottom line of their appeal is simply great timeless pop songs.

While that essential element has been crucial to their massive worldwide appeal, it has also been their fusion of influences such as ROXY MUSIC, DAVID BOWIE, KRAFTWERK, CHIC, SEX PISTOLS, GIORGIO MORODER, JAPAN and THE HUMAN LEAGUE that have made them more appealing than the average boy band and allowed them to cross over into the hearts of synth aficionados.

DURAN DURAN particularly took the arty poise of JAPAN, who had been wooing teenage girls in Japan itself, and toned down their androgynous outré to make it more accessible. Keyboardist Nick Rhodes was essentially a David Sylvian clone and within his role, it was the burgeoning movement in post-punk Britain involving affordable synthesizers that was to prove crucial to the development of the band he founded with bassist John Taylor.

In his new autobiography ‘In The Pleasure Groove: Love, Death and Duran Duran’, John Taylor remembers: “Seeing THE HUMAN LEAGUE for the first time was a turning point. Nick and I saw them supporting SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES at the Mayfair Ballroom in the Bullring shopping centre and watched in amazed silence. They had no drummer. No guitars. They had three synthesisers and a drum machine instead. So Nick’s mum, Sylvia, made a £200 investment: the first Wasp synthesizer to arrive in Birmingham…”

Of course, this synthfluence went the full hog on their ‘Red Carpet Massacre’ tour in 2007-2008 with a mid-show electronic interlude.  Performed in the style of KRAFTWERK, the set included covers of ‘Warm Leatherette’ and ‘Showroom Dummies’ as well as a Klingklang rework of their own ‘Last Chance On The Stairway’ and their most RFWK inspired number ‘All She Wants Is’. When ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK asked John Taylor about this and commented it was a refreshing change from acoustic sets, his swift reply was: “Yes, exactly… fun wasn’t it. Nick and I really hate those ‘oh so sensitive’ acoustic sets!”

The David Beckham of the New Romantic movement launched his book at London’s Leicester Square Theatre with a sold-out book reading and signing, where he was met by applause and cheers from ladies of a particular demographic who were quite clearly dumbstruck at being face-to-face with someone who had adorned their bedroom walls in their teens.

There was excitement and anticipation, but it was quite apparent that these ladies were also into the music, something that is not always obvious with female fans of some bands. But of course, it was this adulation that ultimately sent JT off the rails into a well documented misadventure of sex, drugs and rock’n’roll! The book gives him a chance to tell his side of the story and to be honest, as outrageous and debauched some of these anecdotes are, it would have been difficult for most red-blooded men, thrust into the position he was at the age of 21, to have acted any differently…

John Taylor was a lanky bespectacled music geek called Nigel when he formed DURAN DURAN in 1978. He changed his name to the cooler John, while his pal Nicholas Bates felt the surname Rhodes (after the fashion designer Zandra and THE CLASH’s manager Bernie) would be slightly more aesthetically pleasing… after all, it’s not very nice to be called “Master Bates”.

Anyhow, they loved ROXY MUSIC, whose lavish aspirational demeanour was key to their appeal… the message being that an ordinary man, like son of a miner Bryan Ferry, really could attain and get to date Kari-Ann, the glamorous model who was the first ROXY MUSIC cover girl. JT also joked to the audience about Roxy’s peacock synthesist Brian Eno: “They had this keyboard player who just turned knobs… how the hell does that work??”

Despite Nick’s Wasp and latterly accquired Crumar Performer, a number of line-ups featuring clarinets and various lead singers proved fruitless although one girl who auditioned, Elayne Griffiths, suggested JT should wear contact lenses after he took off his glasses for a video shoot.

Luckily, the owners of the legendary Birmingham club The Rum Runner, the Berrow brothers believed in their potential. Michael Berrow even sold his flat to finance the band, such was his commitment. Drummer Roger Taylor had joined, but the turning point was the recruitment of guitarist Andy Taylor who was to become JT’s party partner–in-crime and drama student drop-out Simon Le Bon as vocalist.

Le Bon may not have had the greatest voice in the world but he had swagger and he had lyrics. He gave the fledgling band focus and the rest would become history. The albums ‘Duran Duran’ and ‘Rio’ would become big sellers with singles such as ‘Planet Earth’, ‘Girls On Film’, ‘Hungry Like The Wolf’ and ‘Save A Prayer’ while crucially, the band toured like there was no tomorrow, unlike their arch rivals SPANDAU BALLET.

The other advantage they had over them was their songwriting prowess. In fact, ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK asked JT what was the particular moment when he realised DURAN DURAN were going to blow away the Islington quintet; he gleefully answered: “To Cut A Long Story Short!”

A bit like in that scene at the start of ‘The Inbetweeners Movie’, when ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK left school, the Deputy Headmaster warned everyone to “beware of slow horses and fast women”… JT most definitely ignored the latter and reaped all that was on offer; he was like a kid in a sweet shop.

In one of the evening’s book reading segments, JT told everyone over their smirks of laughter: “I had been a nerd at school, never had a regular girlfriend. Now, I had only to wink in a girl’s direction in a hotel lobby, backstage or at a record company party, and have company until the morning.” Over time though, enjoying The Hokey Cokey, fast cars and even faster women took priority over the music… the book includes a recollection of JT having a hissy fit when asked to redo a bass part in Sydney for ‘Seven & The Ragged Tiger’, their multi-million selling but disappointing follow-up to ‘Rio’.

Is it any wonder that the quality of a band’s output diminishes once they find the trappings of success? Incidentally, the ‘Seven’ of the album’s title was the five band members plus the Berrow brothers (in case you thought they couldn’t count!) while ‘The Ragged Tiger’ was fame!

DURAN DURAN fragmented in 1986 following THE POWER STATION and ARCADIA side projects… there was even a JT solo single ‘I Do What I Do’! Eventually despite a 1993 renaissance, the band was left with just Le Bon and Rhodes and no Taylors when JT himself departed in early 1997.

But in 2000 following the disastrous ‘Pop Trash’ album, a social meet-up in LA with the three of them at JT’s pad led to the definitive line-up reuniting for a triumphant world tour in 2004. When you’ve got it, you might lose your way but if you can re-focus and get your demons conquered, you can get it back.

However, the below expectations comeback albums ‘Astronaut’ and ‘Red Carpet Massacre’ followed and although they lost Andy Taylor again and a record deal with Sony on the way, their persistent efforts bore artistic fruit with the superb 2011 album ‘All You Need Is Now’ released on Nick Rhodes’ Tape Modern imprint. JT admitted it took three albums to get it right and was gracious in his regret that Andy Taylor was not still in the band to make his distinct contribution.

Observing JT on stage without his bass and his bandmates was strange at first. But reading from a lectern in the style of a presidential address, he was articulate and came over as charming, humourous, and humble. He was also thankful he was still around to tell the tale. He talked about the passing of his parents and how the book had been inspired by the enormous family archive he had found when clearing up his childhood home.

He gamely accepted questions from the evening’s compere, book co-writer Tom Sykes and also the audience, some of whom endearingly could not contain themselves when actually speaking to their hero! Entertaining and witty, this thoroughly enjoyable and well organised event was carried off with charisma and fun.

Meanwhile, the book itself is a very good, easy read. With a more than generous selection of archive photos, it provokes laughter, sadness, affection and raised eyebrows in equal measure. One of the ingredients to a male popstar’s success is to make female fans fall in love with them and make male fans want to be them.

While some observers may complain about how some bands fail to get recognition over others they consider less deserving, a lot of it can be pinned down to lack of engagement on the band’s part… consider the fact that a number of the bands from that New Romantic / Synth Britannia era did not really tour much back in the day, if at all.

John Taylor may have been excessive in his pursuit of the fringe benefits that came with success but he, like the rest of DURAN DURAN, pursued their dreams and made some very good records on the way.

As Simon Le Bon once remarked on the ‘Top Ten New Romantics’ documentary back in 1999: “Decadent DURAN DURAN? We weren’t, we were just hard working!”

JOHN TAYLOR ‘In The Pleasure Groove: Love, Death and Duran Duran’ is published by Sphere

DURAN DURAN ‘A Diamond In The Mind’ Live DVD is released by Eagle Rock

http://www.duranduran.com/

https://www.facebook.com/duranduran/

https://twitter.com/thisistherealJT

Text by Chi Ming Lai
Event photos by Chi Ming Lai
16th September 2012

KRAFTWERK 45RPM at The Vinyl Factory

13 September 2012 /

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK were kindly invited by The Mott Collection to the launch party viewing of KRAFTWERK 45RPM, a new exhibition at The Vinyl Factory in the leafy London suburb of Chelsea.

Among those present were Back To The Phuture’s Mark Jones and SEX PISTOLS’ Paul Cook. Comprised of 45 iconic 7 inch KRAFTWERK single covers from all around the world, the exhibition showcased the band’s “analogue past dreaming of today’s digital present”.

Indeed on 1981’s ‘Computer World’, they predicted the world we live in today… home computers, internet dating, Big Brother surveillance and mobile devices that can add up, play tunes, compose songs AND control your day.

The Blitz Club’s legendary DJ Rusty Egan spun the appropriately themed gallery soundtrack featuring KRAFTWERK plus a variety of classic and new acts influenced by the Düsseldorf quartet such as ULTRAVOX and SIN COS TAN.

Amusingly, there was even room for SEÑOR COCONUT whose Latin-tinged covers of ‘Showroom Dummies’ and ‘The Robots’ have to be heard to be believed!

Onlookers mingled and viewed the sleeves which were slightly scuffed and showed their age. But their impressions of yesterday’s tomorrow still possessed a thoughtful Walter Gropius chic and a Gilbert & George art school demeanour, from ‘Autobahn’ to ‘The Telephone Call’.

As The Vinyl Factory themselves said: “Kraftwerk acknowledged that urban life was alienating yet celebrated the joys of modern technology. Their wistful melodies of contemporary reality were ironic but also a prediction of times to come.”

Everybody has their own particular memory with a slice of KRAFTWERK vinyl. With ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK, it involved the 12 inch luminous pressing of ‘Neon Lights’. You held it up next to a lamp with your hand hovering just over the vinyl’s surface. One minute later, you would switch the lights off to play the disc and watch a ghostly hand spin round at 45RPM while the turntable now glowed in the dark!

And this is without even mentioning the all encompassing music which also marvellously featured ‘The Model’ AND ‘Trans-Europe Express’ on the B-side!

And speaking of ‘Trans-Europe Express’, one of the lesser known but no less iconic images on display at KRAFTWERK 45RPM was the Schienenzeppelin experimental propeller driven railcar which adorned the Belgian ‘Trans-Europa Express’ single sleeve and also appeared in the video. Despite being designed in 1929 by Franz Kruckenberg, its aesthetic is still vintage yet uniquely futuristic…rather like KRAFTWERK’s own retro-modernism.

For an act who were associated with being robotic, KRAFTWERK were strangely human, especially in their imperial classic line-up of Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider, Wolfgang Flür and Karl Bartos. One case in point was ‘Ohm Sweet Ohm’ from 1975’s ‘Radio-Activity’.

Despite its vocodered intro, as the track steadily sped up, the white noise percussion actually fluctuated while the romantic Odyssey missed a cue and the Orchestron shrilled. The track built to its crescendo over the pulsing Minimoog bass and improvised virtuoso section to perhaps be one of the most beautiful pieces of music to have been recorded…ever!

KRAFTWERK’s simplicity was at their heart and in the process, their distinctly minimal European approach even influenced a whole bunch of urban youngsters across the Atlantic as the Klingklang sound mutated into electro, hip-hop, techno and house.

Every act that has ever used a synthesizer for a melody or a snap of electronic noise for a drum beat owes a debt of gratitude to them.

As Herr Hütter has even remarked: “…electro is everywhere!”

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its grateful thanks to Toby Mott and Rusty Egan

KRAFTWERK 45 RPM is at The Vinyl Factory, 91 Walton Street, London SW3 2HP until 5th October 2012. Opening hours are 10.30am to 6.00pm. Tel: (0) 207 589 0588

The commemorative book KRAFTWERK 45RPM by The Vinyl Factory is now available in a limited edition of 300 copies.

This catalogue documents the 45 singles from The Mott Collection. It also includes an essay by Toby Mott and an exclusive 7 inch single of a rare interview.

http://www.kraftwerk.com

http://thevinylfactory.com/

Text and photos by Chi Ming Lai
14th September 2012

Carry On Synthpop: Das Ist Die Ganze Sache

27 August 2012 /

Comedian and proficient musician Bill Bailey is best known for his rambling post-modern humour and musical parodies.

The targets of his skits have included prog rock, rave, Billy Bragg, Gary Numan, U2 and Chris De Burgh who he famously referred to as “the axis of evil”. In 2011, he headlined the Saturn stage at Sonosphere. His album ‘In Metal’ featured a cover of ‘Scarborough Fair’ in the style of RAMMSTEIN! As well as his stand-up and send-up routines, Bailey is also a well known TV personality appearing in shows such as ‘Never Mind The Buzzcocks’, ‘Have I Got News for You’ and ‘QI’ as well as sitcom ‘Black Books’.

During his ‘Part Troll’ tour in 2004, he turned his attentions to German innovators KRAFTWERK for some kestral manoeuvres in the dark. Suitably attired and looking not unlike “a Klingon motivational speaker”, the electronic ditty was introduced as one of the Düsseldorf foursome’s “lesser known tracks”! The number is frighteningly realistic, complete with robotic deadpan vocals and ironically even sounds like a real CAMOUFLAGE B-side called ‘Klingklang’. Sung entirely in German, the Teutonic rant is not quite the technological themed tone poem it first appears to be though…“Ja! Das Hokey Kokey!”

For those from non-English speaking nations who are not aware, The Hokey Cokey (or Hokey Pokey as it is known in North America and Australia) is a participation dance with a distinctive if irritating accompanying song. It is often an embarrassing staple at family parties and involves the movement of limbs in a synchronised fashion! Appropriated by Bailey in his surreal manner, the practice is reconstructed to amusing effect.

Recorded at Hammersmith Apollo, Bailey’s tribute was part of a spoof band called AUGENBLICK who also featured Kevin Eldon, John Moloney and Martin Trenaman. The latter was also a member of a punk band BEERGUT 100 with Bailey. After the final gig of the ‘Part Troll’ tour on 1st January 2005, AUGENBLIK reappeared on stage to perform a selection of Bailey’s favourite rock songs!

‘Das Hokey Kokey’ was released as a CD single in 2006 and is now a highly sought after collectors item. So all together now: “Man streckt den linken Arm ein, den linken Arm aus…”

‘Part Troll’ is available on DVD via Universal Pictures UK

http://www.billbailey.co.uk/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
27th August 2012

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