Kraftwerk-aktivität in the '90s

1999

The events for 1999 listed here are taken from the 'Update' pages that were produced periodically throughout the year and are listed from the latest events backwards.

Added: 13.6.99: 'Japanese release for Elektric Music's 'Esperanto'. A recent release is a Japanese issue for Elektric Music's 'Esperanto' album. This is called 'Esperanto_Plus' and as well as the original eight album tracks, it also has the bonus of including four additional mixes of 'Lifestyle' plus the additional tracks from the bands first 'Crosstalk' single, namely 'Intercomix' and 'Baby Come Back'.

Added: 13.6.99 : 'New official Kraftwerk merchandise' - The latest item of official Kraftwerk merchandise being offered via the Kling Klang Konsum Produkt section of the Ticketworld website is, it would appear, a Skateboard with the familiar Kraftwerk robot logo design. Sells for 105Dm. Website: http://www.ticketworld.de/cgi-bin/jumpin.pl?f,english,KRAFTWERK

Added: 13.6.99: 'Kraftwerk book due from Wolfgang Flür?' A recent email I received suggests that Wolfgang Flür will be publishing a book detailing his time as a member of Kraftwerk. The book is to be titled 'Kraftwerk transformiert' (Kraftwerk Transformed) and is scheduled for publication in August or September of this year, featuring further exclusive photos from Flür's private archive. In an interview published in Issue 7 of Aktivität, Flür first mentioned his plans for such a book.

Added: 13.6.99: Kraftwerk activity for EXPO2000 fair in Hannover, Germany. Reported in the German publication 'Münchner Merkur', Kraftwerk have composed the signature tune for the EXPO 2000 world's fair in Hannover. The short piece features an electronic voice that intones "Expo 2000" in various languages. It is now available on the EXPO2000 website in its various language forms. As for how it sounds - it is basically in the ilk of electronic voices familiar from earlier Kraftwerk material. It has also been reported that Kraftwerk will perform live at the EXPO Arena, Hannover on June 9th of 2000. (Thanks to Klaus Zäpke for originally highlighting this info.)

Website: http://www.expo2000.de

Added: 9.7.99, update 9.9.99: Kraftwerk classic 'Tour De France' officially released on CD single format in Germany. Kraftwerk's single 'Tour De France' has at long last been issued as a CD single in Germany, via EMI. As well as a CD single, there is also to be a 12" single. Release date was July 5th 1999. The CD single, catalogue number EMI 7243 8 87421 0 8, contains three digitally remastered audio mixes of the song, all in French language, plus a Quicktime-format video clip of the song, which is in German language, the original 1982 promo clip, also at 3:07 in length. Tracklisting and catalogue number for the CD single is;

1. Tour de France (Radio Version) 3:07
2. Tour de France (Kling Klang Analog Mix) 6:44
3. Tour de France (Remix Francois K.) 6:45
4. Tour de France Quicktime video clip

The 'radio version' is the original 1983 7" edit, while the 'Kling Klang Analog Mix' and 'Remix Francis K.' verions are from the 1984 remix 12" release.

A 12" single is also available, catalogue number is EMI 7243 8 87421 6 0. It features only two of the mixes, namely;

1. Tour de France (Kling Klang Analog Mix) 6:44
2. Tour de France (Remix Francois K.) 6:45

Added: 9.7.99: EMI Germany Kraftwerk webpages online. To coincide with the release of 'Tour De France' on CD format, EMI Germany have placed a series of Kraftwerk webpages online @ http://www.emimusic.de As well as giving details specifically of the 'Tour De France' reissues, their is also a News pages, a Discography page (albeit somewhat rudimentary), a Guestbook page, a competition page, a video page (with a clip of the original promo video (also to be found on the CD single) that can be downloaded) and a postcard page; yes, you can email a 'Tour De France'-themed electronic postcard to the recipient of your choice. You will also find a link to the official Tour De France website too.

Added: 9.7.99: EXPO 2000 developments... Kraftwerk in German media controversy. The jingle for the Expo2000 event that Kraftwerk were commissioned to compose has been causing consternation amongst sections of German society, principally in the government and media. Amongst the critics are the German Tax Payers Union, the German Rock and Pop Music Union, the NDR broadcasting corporation, the government of Lower Saxony and more recently even the German Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. The initial criticism has been concerned with a dislike of the simplistic, electronic tones of the Kraftwerk-supplied jingle. This has now been compounded with outrage at the knowledge of how much it cost in German taxpayers money. A fee of 400,000Dm (Approx. £134,000) is the figure quoted as having been paid to Kraftwerk for production of the jingle. It is particularly of note that the NDR has refused to use the jingle on any of its five channels, as the NDR are principal media partner of the Expo2000. EXPO arts section manager Tom Stromberg has attempted to defuse the controversy about the value of the piece by stating that the worldwide rights to the pieces are secured for use by Expo2000 as part of the fee, while a more melodic version of the jingle will also be presented in the future. (With thanks to Klaus Zäpke for information made available via the Kraftwerk Mailing List. Sources: Berliner Zeitung, Die Welt, 6 July 1999, Hamburger Morgenpost 7 July 1999

Added: 9.7.99: Kraftwerk sign a deal with Sony/ATV Germany. Kraftwerk's company, Kling Klang Musikverlag have signed a 'worldwide author-publishing contract' with Sony/ATV Germany.

Added: 9.7.99 : New Kraftwerk merchandise - mousemats selection. The latest item of official Kraftwerk merchandise to be made available for sale via the Kling Klang Konsum Produkt webpages is a set of Mousemats featuring various Kraftwerk design motifs. These include;
Tour De France, Autobahn, Robot logo (white), Antenna, Robot logo (black), 'www.kraftwerk.com', Radioactivity, Trans-Europe Express. Cost of the set is 90Dm.

Added: 30.11.99: December 6th 1999: Kraftwerk to release 'Expo2000' theme as a new single. Featuring four mixes of Kraftwerk's theme for the 'EXPO 2000' exhibition, the release will be issued on both CD and 12" vinyl. Four mixes of the song will be included on the standard CD, which will feature a 3-D effect sleeve design based upon a design originated for the EXPO2000 event itself.

• Expo2000 Radio Mix (3:35)
• Expo2000 Kling Klang Mix 2000 (6:48)
• Expo2000 Kling Klang Mix 2001 (6:50)
• Expo2000 Kling Klang Mix 2002 (5:36)

The EMI records catalogue number for the CD issue is 8879846. Samples from the four mixes can be heard (in Real Audio format) at the EMI-Electrola website by searching under 'artists' for Kraftwerk and looking to the Diskographie section. Additionally, new photographs featuring Kraftwerk's mannequins clad in the same glow-in-the-dark 'wire-frame effect' costumes as the band have worn in concerts since 1997's 'Tribal Gathering' event are to be found on the pages too, as well as two choices of promotional e-postcards to mail to your Kraftwerk friends.

Added: 11.9.99: EXPO2000 - CD releases. A limited edition promotional CD featuring recordings of the official jingle for the event that Kraftwerk provided has been made available in Germany via the EXPO2000 website and as giveaways in the German media, while an auction for the CDs on the EXPO2000 website generated high price bids. The organisers of EXPO2000 have announced that there are plans for an expanded release of the CD in October, featuring extended versions of the jingle as well as multimedia features. Kraftwerk have made noises about pursuing legal action over the use of their name in conjunction with the original release, so the CD will simply be titled EXPO2000, with Kraftwerk credited only as composers.

Added: 11.9.99: New 'Tour de France' merchandise. The latest item of official Kraftwerk merchandise to be made available for sale via the Kling Klang Konsum Produkt webpages is a 'Tour De France' T-shirt and mousemat.

Added: 11.9.99: New bootleg releases. 'Der Maschinemensch' is the title of a DJ remix CD featuring a 40+ minute megamix of various Kraftwerk tracks, and various other shorter mixes. The set comes packaged in a digipak with some recent Kraftwerk live photos inside. 'Kraftwerk In Concert' meanwhile is a single CD that features some of the 1991 Düsseldorf concert as featured on numerous previous bootleg CDs. One for vinyl fans... 'Tribal Gathering' is an LP featuring a recording of the Radio1 broadcast from 1997.

Added: 11.9.99: Wolfgang Flür book released in Germany. The book that Wolfgang Flür has written is now available, in German language only, via Hannibal Verlag, Vienna. (View the webpage: http://www.hannibal-verlag.de/novis/kraftwerk.htm) The book now has a title of 'Kraftwerk - ich war ein roboter' and as well as Flür's text contains many photos from his private collection taken during his period with Kraftwerk. Flür has featured in the German press and television recently to promote the book. It has also been reported in the German media that Kraftwerk intend to pursue legal action against Flür and his book.

Added: 11.9.99: Electric Music - UK releases. Electric Music's most recent self-titled album has now been issued in the UK via the Jammin' label. Additionaly a single has been issued, namely 'The Young Urban Professional'. As well as this album track it alos includes 'Sunshine' (Radio Mix) and 'Sunshine' (Electro Mix), with the same sleeve design as the German issue of the 'Call On Me' single. Bartos also recently appeared at the German Popkomm music event.