Kraftwerk – Kraftwerk

Strange case of an original reissue, as this is a package of the two first Kraftwerk albums, already released in Germany before as Kraftwerk 1 and Kraftwerk 2. Although Kraftwerk is most remembered for its synthesizer spaghetti, these albums prove that there is more to them than you may have realized. The first album indeed incorporates avalanches of electronics, but hardly any synths. Flute and organ rule. Embryonic forms of later developments are found, like short-ridden rhythms, a narrow harmonic horizon and mechanically affected repetitions. But at times the music veers towards sonic landscapes, industrial sounds inclusive. Where a drummer is heard, both Can and Faust come to mind, but mostly there are alternatively serene and unsettling carpets of sound. This must have sounded completely non-commercial in 1972. By ditching the drums, the second album is only rock by far-fetched association and there is in fact nothing left to connect this music to any anglo-american styling. Some Asian influences can be determined on ''Klingklang''. Much more extreme is ''Atem'', that consists of almost three minutes worth of a breathing human being, slightly electronically altered. A far cry from anything that ressembles the blues! ''Strom'' is a lesson in complete immobility. These courageous attempts make Kraftwerk worth remembering, much more so than their robotics of later date.