Kraftwerk 1978 clip

[Nano]

Weee-are the ROBOTS!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qo0iW...elated&search=

In retrospective, the funny thing was that all these techno acts were mimicking the "digital" with analogic means, which brings some nostalgia...

And that soviet look is still a killer! Maybe it was a criticism of then-ruling Communism and the RDA? Were they a politic band after all? :roll:

[Phoster]

The link doesn't work....

I guess it should be this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4VBM...elated&search=

or

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHEoMpMvz7A (german version)


I don't remember if there has ever been a discussion on KRAFTWERK in this forum before...IMO they're one of the most amazing bands ever!!!
They're in the music biz for over 25 years now, they always remained true to their style and appearance, they had a huge influence on all electronic styles of music...
I wouldn't say that they are a political band, that's exaggerated...but they have an intellectual approach concerning the relationship between man and machine.

It's amazing, they made techno back in the 70's

[White Raven]

And that soviet look is still a killer! Maybe it was a criticism of then-ruling Communism and the RDA? Were they a politic band after all?

No they were not a politic band and never were prohibited by Soviet propaganda in those communist times. Duran Duran, Kiss, Pink Floyd, Nazareth… were prohibited , but Kraftwerk was not. I remember those circumstances because was a Komsomol member (Young Leninist League Organisation) it was someting like young reserve of the Communist Party of The Soviet Union. It wasn’t so terrible, and don’t be afraid.:D

It's amazing, they made techno back in the 70's

Concerning the term “techno”. This term made changes in itself passing through years. Kraftwerk-techno, than Depeche Mode-techno, and all in the begging of the 90’s last century techno from many projects like Capella or Twenty 4 Seven, for example. All this techno, that I told, differs from one to another. Maybe the techno of new millenium is Ramstein? :) But I don’t see any evolution: all these projects are not the sections of one chain. So, to say that Kraftwewrk is techno, is to say absolutely nothing to represent their sounding style.

[Nano]

In Wikipedia I found some interesting facts about Düsseldorf (which was then in the RFA): was the main capital of the heavy industries for decades, by now was chosen by more than 3,000 foreign firms as home for their German offices, and has the biggest rate of Japanese inmigrants in all Europe.

So maybe there was a MOTIF for all that robot-obsession...

Hi White Raven: Argentina was visited by Komsomol delegations during the Eighties and they were nice guys (save for the KGB officer de rigueur). So, was Kraftwerk considered disco music in Moscow at the time? Did you guys dance to it? Was even a "disco scene" in Russia at the time? Questions, questions, questions!

Did you chant "weeee-are the SOVIETS!!!" ? ;) Or maybe they did a Russian version too?

[Phoster]

Concerning the term “techno”. This term made changes in itself passing through years. Kraftwerk-techno, than Depeche Mode-techno, and all in the begging of the 90’s last century techno from many projects like Capella or Twenty 4 Seven, for example. All this techno, that I told, differs from one to another. Maybe the techno of new millenium is Ramstein? :) But I don’t see any evolution: all these projects are not the sections of one chain. So, to say that Kraftwewrk is techno, is to say absolutely nothing to represent their sounding style.

Alright, I agree with you that "techno" is an outreaching term (like jazz or any other term for a music style). But I do see an evolution from the beginning in the late 70's with Kraftwerk, Liaisons Dangereuses a.o. to techno made in Detroit during the 80's by people like Juan Atkins, Derrick May a.o. up to todays popular minimal techno by Mathew Johnson, Steve Bug a.o. At least I can say this for club orientated techno music which is based on sounds and rhythms by machines.
Talking of Depeche Mode, I'd consider them to be a new wave act or even a pop group, but I'm sure they have been influenced by Kraftwerk as well...no doubt. Projects like Capella or Twenty 4 Seven is simply Euro Dance music, or we used to call it hiphouse. Rammstein have some electronic elements in their music, but I wouldn't call it techno either, it's much more rock orientated.

[White Raven]

Hi White Raven: Argentina was visited by Komsomol delegations during the Eighties and they were nice guys (save for the KGB officer de rigueur). So, was Kraftwerk considered disco music in Moscow at the time? Did you guys dance to it? Was even a "disco scene" in Russia at the time? Questions, questions, questions!

Hi, Dear Nano! I can’t say that Kraftwerk was well-known and famous in those times. It was too heavy to understand to many simple&work people of my land. Such kind of scene was very far from Soviet culture, like many-many other things from abroad too. All the records were dubbing many times from recorder to recorder and all of them were in bad quality. So, a lot of things ware prohibited. No passaran:), and so on…

Concerning “Soviet-disco”, I have some projects which took place in last ’70 - early 80’s, but they had no any common with black-soul or european-beat. They were something near to russian folk and pop-music hall & variety-art. One of them is interested for me and I told about it here one time. This project was more near to real disco style. I told something about it here and not so long ago, in the theme “Forgotten Heroes. Tina Charles” One more song from this old vynil plays like Eruption’ s “One way ticket” but in Russian Language. Funny!!!

Only in 1985 with the beginning “Gorbachev-PERESTROIKA” the sound of disco came officially to my land from abroad. Some Soviet music pop-bands began to sound like Modern Talking or C.C. Catch, for example. But that’s another kind of pop and another talk.

Did you chant "weeee-are the SOVIETS!!!" ? Or maybe they did a Russian version too?

I don’t feel myself like Soviet, already. Too many time had passed. But people in my land have a border between two tribes: old-russians and new-russians. Both of them are not Soviet already. “New” are people with dollars in their eyes, with no heart and sometimes with no head too. “Old” are not thiefs like “new”, so they working much and are kind people, but are poor, like me.

Alright, I agree with you that "techno" is an outreaching term (like jazz or any other term for a music style). At least I can say this for club orientated techno music which is based on sounds and rhythms by machines. Talking of Depeche Mode, I'd consider them to be a new wave act or even a pop group, but I'm sure they have been influenced by Kraftwerk as well...no doubt. Projects like Capella or Twenty 4 Seven is simply Euro Dance music, or we used to call it hiphouse.

Absolutely agree.

Rammstein have some electronic elements in their music, but I wouldn't call it techno either, it's much more rock orientated.

Sorry it was a joke. Of course, project “And One” is the thing that quite more near.