Kraftwerk-aktivität in the '90s

1995

April 1995 sees a batch of re-issued Kraftwerk CDs from the EMI United Kingdom label; 'Radio-Activity', 'The Man Machine', 'Computer World' and 'The Mix'. The second wave in this re-issue programme appeared in September, with 'Autobahn', 'Trans-Europe Express' and 'Electric Cafe'. The reviews of this re-issue programme certainly see plenty of Kraftwerk coverage in the media.

'Trancewerk Express Vol.1' a Kraftwerk cover versions 'tribute' CD by largely unknown acts is released in USA on the Hypnotic/Cleopatra label, to mixed critical reception. Later in the year a band called the Elecktroids release an album called 'Elektroworld', featuring their own music in a style similar to earlier electronic music, particularly Kraftwerk, YMO etc. The packaging owes more than a slight credit to the 'Computer World' era Kraftwerk style, with its bright yellow and green colours and basic computer typestyles.

More re-issued CD's appear in the USA, of the bands Capitol-era albums once more, this time on the Capitol label itself.

Similar releases for 'Radio-Activity', 'Trans-Europe Express' and 'The Man Machine' also appear in Japan as part of budget-price CD re-issues series.

The US label Cleopatra continues to re-issue Kraftwerk material with the odd track or two on several different compilation CD/book releases, such as 'Industrial Revolution' and 'Space Daze'.

A German-language edition of Pascal Bussy's 'Man, Machine and Music' book is issued in July. Now re-titled Kraftwerk - Synthesizer, Sounds und Samples' due to pressure from the band regarding the 'Man Machine' phrase.

A short news item in the October issue of Q magazine reveals that apart from following the Tour De France bicycle race stage by stage, Ralf Hütter has informed EMI UK to expect the release of a new Kraftwerk album 'sometime' in 1996...

WIth the increasing popularity of multimedia software, a Swiss-released CD-ROM called 'Best of German Rock Vol. 1' features a non-Kraftwerk MIDI arrangement of 'The Model' and a biography/discography and series of 1981 concert photos on the band.

December sees the UK Radio 1FM radio station broadcast an hour-long documentary on Kraftwerk, featuring contributions from both Karl Bartos and Wolfgang Flür, with a brief snippet of new material from Flür's band Yamo to be heard. Hütter and Schnider of Kraftwerk were not interviewed for the programme, those portions of Hütter that were to be aired all being from archive sources.

No activity from Elektric Music. In time it becomes apparent that the duo of Karl Bartos and Lothar Manteuffel have in fact gone their seperate ways. Bartos, as well as working with the Swedish band Mobile Homes is also reported to be very involved in the recording of the next album by the band Electronic, consisting of New Order's Bernard Sumner and The Smiths' Johnny Marr.

Wolfgang Flür gives an interview to 'The Prof' which is printed in issue 7 of Aktivitaet in September. The interview, 'From the robots to a human', details, amongst other topics, Wolfgang's plans for his band Yamo.

> 1996