This is indeed a classic techno album. Everything is appropriately done, from the titles of the tracks to the levels of the instruments, to the cover art. It's one giant cold slab of dance music that gives me a twisted vision of some white room in which scientists are creating pornographic movies starring mannequins. The hammer and sickle on the cover harks to an age or culture in which emotions are somewhere near last place. This could have been the soundtrack for much of the film Kontroll. No, it isn't overly ornate, impressively intricate, or ever time-signature bending. But Gesamtkunstwerk IS moving.

Chillingly beautiful release that, seen in retrospective, preceded the (80s) Electro revival we've seen in the early 2000s. I unsuspectingly picked this up in 1999 at a local record store and it instantly initialized my switch from Drum n Bass to Electro. There might have been other influences as well but I don't remember any so vividly as I do this Dopplereffekt release. Incidenly this staid in my record bag until recently. I finally had to retire it because it was so worn. One of the few records that have changed my life (musically speaking).

The heralded Dopplereffekt release "Gesamtkunstwerk" leaves me a little cold. Although a big drexciya fan i find most of these beats a bit cheesey. The production is raw and singular. There isn't much room to breath as a listener, you cannot drift into any other emotion than the emotion they are force feeding you thanks to the drab and often corny lyrics like in "Scientist". "Rocket Scientist" gets back to the basics, a decent dancefloor number and then to a ok ass wiggler in "Master Organism". You would think as a fan of Kraftwerk and Drexciya related music i would like this album but songs like "Pornoactress", "pornoviewer" & "plasiphilia" just seem like bad rip-offs of classics like "Sex Object" or "telephone call" by Kraftwerk. Thankfully two songs save this cd from being sold or trashed: "Voice Activated" will kill any manic dancefloor and "Infophysix" is a real nice number. Lets not blow things out of proportion on this release, it's got a couple of moments but it's no Rembrandt.

If you're only going to listen to a single electro album in your lifetime, then this is the one. Absolutely every track is a classic, and it is probably the best work Gerald Donald has been involved with. And considering he is one half of Drexciya, as well the mind behind Arpanet, Der Zyklus, and Japanese Telecom, it is high praise indeed. Stunning.

It's a classic. Pure and minimal Detroit Techno. What else can be said about this amazing record?
Sexual influences are eXposed (with interesting vocals)in tracks like Plastiphilia/Plastiphilia 2, Pornoactress or Pornoviewer, contributing for a special touch...
Anyway, my pick goes for Rocket Scientist, an amazing and very technical track.