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Kraftwerk: The Mix

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: EMI Records
Released: 1991
Time:
 65:06
Category: Electronica
Producer(s): See Artists ...
Rating: *********. (9/10)
Media type: CD
Web address: www.kraftwerk.com
Appears with: Karl Bartos
Purchase date: 2001.03.02
Price in €: 16,99



 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] Die Roboter (Bartos/Hütter/Schneider) - 8:56
[2] Computer Leibe (Kraftwerk) - 6:35
[3] Taschenrechner (Kraftwerk) - 4:32
[4] Dentaku (Kraftwerk) - 3:27
[5] Autobahn (Hutter/Schneider/Schult) - 9:27
[6] Radioaktivität (R.Hütter/F.Schneider/E.Schult) - 6:53
[7] Trans Europa Express (Hütter / Hütter, Schult) - 3:20
[8] Abzug (Hütter) - 2:18
[9] Metall Auf Metall (Hütter) - 4:48
[10] Heimcomputer (Kraftwerk) - 8:02
[11] Musique Non-Stop (Kraftwerk) - 6:38

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Karl Bartos - Keyboards, Producer
Ralf Hütter - Drums, Keyboards, Vocals, Producer
Florian Schneider - Drums, Keyboards, Producer
Wolfgang Flür - Keyboards, Producer

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


By the early '90s, it was quite apparent just how far-reaching Kraftwerk's influence had been. From techno to hip-hop to industrial music to house, numerous others were undeniably indebted to the group. Dance clubs had long been a key part of Kraftwerk's following, and the dance market was the obvious target of The Mix — a collection of highly enjoyable, often clever remixes. While novices would do better to start out with Trans Europe Express or The Man Machine, hardcore Kraftwerk followers shouldn't pass up these remixes of such classics as "Trans Europe Express," "The Robots," "Autobahn" and "Radioactivity." One could nitpick about the absence of "Neon Lights" and "Europe Endless," but the bottom line is that this CD was a welcome addition to the Kraftwerk catalogue. [The Mix is also available in the original German version.]

Alex Henderson - All Music Guide



There's really not much I can say about this album that hasn't been said better elsewhere. It's one of those modern-day classic albums that you simply need to own if you enjoy electronic music. First, let me explain a few things before you go out and buy this album and get all pissed at me because it doesn't sound like The Prodigy or The Chemical Brothers. The first thing you need to do is look at the release date on the album. It's 1991, so what? Well, the thing about this date is that in 1991, neither of the above groups had released anything, and chances are, they were probably grooving along with Kraftwerk anyway. A good portion of the current onslaught of electronic artists (Aphex Twin and Orbital included) have admitted that Kraftwerk was a major influence on their work. The more interesting thing about the album is that the 1991 date is actually misleading, since most of the songs on the album were originally composed in the 1970's and 80's anyway. The Mix is simply an effort by the group to 'update' the songs a bit for the 90's.

Like me, upon first listen, you'll probably be thinking that Kraftwerk is the cheesiest electronic music you've ever heard. There aren't any big beats (that seem to rule electronic music these days) to speak of, the electronic sounds are distinctively light and playful, and there are vocodered vocals on almost every track.

Give the album a couple listens, though, and I think you'll find that although it sounds a bit simplistic, it really is put together quite well, and several of the songs are catchy enough that you'll find yourself humming along to them later, which is more than you can say about most electronic music. While you're at it, listen to the lyrics
to the songs "Computerlove," "Radioactivity," and "Homecomputer" and you'll find that they seemed to have predicted the future of society, as well as that of music.



Fünf Jahre nach dem letzten Album Electric Café veröffentlichten Kraftwerk 1991 The Mix mit elf digitalen Neubearbeitungen alter Stücke. "Die Roboter" klang mit Techno-Anleihen weniger eckig und wurde tanzbarer, Der Klassiker und erste Hit "Autobahn" verlor durch die gekürzte Version nichts an Frische und Zeitlosigkeit. Bei "Radioaktivität" war hauptsächlich der Text gekürzt. Nach der Erstveröffentlichung 1975 als Pro-Nuklear kritisiert, bezieht der Text jetzt -- politisch korrekt -- gegen Atomkraft Stellung. Weil Hits wie "Das Modell" und auch die Single "Tour de France" fehlen, die auf keinem Album erschienen, läßt sich die LP nicht als "Best of"-Album bezeichnen. Vielmehr ist es ein eigenständiges, homogenes Werk, und die Auswahl der Stücke ist auf den zweiten Blick sehr klug. Sie zeigen, daß die schlichten Kraftwerk-Melodien geradezu klassisch komponiert sind. "Computerliebe" als romantische Liebesballade, "Taschenrechner" als Kinderlied, "Trans Europa Express" als große europäische Sinfonie.

Das Album kam lediglich auf Platz 15 der englischen Charts. Wolfgang Flür und Karl Bartos verließen die Band, die seitdem nur noch mit raren Live-Auftritten von sich reden macht.

Ingeborg Schober - Amazon.de



Jawoll, so klang's, als seinerzeit synthetisches Popcorn aus Mini-Moogs und verwandten Ur-Synthesizern quoll. Da die Düsseldorfer Elektroniker die Speerspitze der Computer-Avantgarde bildeten, ist's nur legitim, daß sie versuchen, den selbstkreierten Computersound in die 90er hinüberzuretten - zumal sie Mixern immer noch blubbernden Rohstoff liefern. Das mag zwar antiquiertnaiv piep-piepen und klingklangen. Doch Computerliebe, Autobahn oder Trans Europa Express bleiben Genre-Klassiker - auch remixed.

© Audio



Die Düsseldorfer Kraftwerk leisteten unbestritten Pionierarbeit auf dem Gebiet des Synthie-Pop. Was das Quartett um Ralf Hütter vor nahezu 20 Jahren in seiner Kling-Klang-Küche auskochte, hat Heerscharen von blassen Wave-Bübchen beeinflußt - und auch heute noch Bestand. Die "Roboter" mixten weiche Melodien mit harten Rhythmen, intellektuelle Schärfe mit ironischer Distanz. Auch der 1991er-Remix hat Klassikern wie "Autobahn" und "Trans Europa Express" nichts anhaben können. Punktabzug aber gibt es für das Fehlen der Hits "Das Modell", "Tour De France" und "Computerwelt". ** Interpret.: 07-10

© Stereoplay



This 1991 Kraftwerk collection of often drastically remixed "greatest hits" offers a good, if slightly skewed, overview of the Dusseldorf legends' career. Inspired by the band's continuing influence on modern pop, dance, and techno, founders Florian Schneider and Ralf Hutter tweak Kraftwerk's sonic foundations with the intention of making their music more club-friendly. While some of the faithful have lamented the tinkering, The Mix presents a distinct, typically idiosyncratic take on modern club music. It also represents the way Kraftwerk usually sounds in their infrequent live forays; witness the reworking of "Radioactivity" into an unexpected (the band has been notably apolitical) antinuclear statement aimed largely at Britain's Sellafield installation. The Mix bows to trend in concept only; the execution is pure Kraftwerk.

Jerry McCulley - Amazon.com



Function: compile essentials of the Kraftwerk canon and update their sound for the dancefloors and mellow-down rooms of the post-ambient `90s. Form: not so much a remix as it is a complete rethinking, melding over a decade of electronic music into a near-seamless programmed whole where sequence and juxtaposition are just as crucial as the actual mixes themselves. Simply glancing at the titles of the 11 songs remixed here serves as a potent reminder of this band's contributions to the lexicon of body rock over the last 22 years-from "Computerlove," "Pocket Calculator" and "TransEurope Express" all the way to "Music Non Stop." The Mix functions in much the same way as The Cure's Mixed Up album from two years ago, in which the original feels and timbres of the song are often sublimated and transformed into new forms that are neither pale reflections of the originals nor entirely independent entities of their own. Given the extent of some of these songs, "remix" is a bit of an understatement; "rework" might be a better term to describe the changes wrought upon "The Model," "Autobahn" and "Dentaku."

CMJ New Music Report Issue: 246 - Jul 26, 1991
 

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