Komputer – The World Of Tomorrow

Absolutely killer 90s synth. Some volume-maxed-out electro-jams. Sad they're so unheard of. Very underrated.

RELEASE THIS ON VINYL!!!! love this album, always have. I don't think there are fillers at all i think it was magnificant. Carried a total atmosphere all of its own.

Yes, the first two singles ("Komputer EP" and "Looking Down On London") gave something more to wish for - in an era of pre-electroclash, Komputer were a refreshing (if not entirely ironic) return to the future, with audible Kraftwerk pastiche screaming all over the likes of "Valentina" and "Oh Synthesizer". Still, the humour and a tendency to keep the main reference obvious while at the same time sliding into their own futuristic rendering, makes "The World of Tomorrow" a rewarding, fun listen.

The only remark is the repeating of songs that should have been left alone in their own unique setting of those first two singles - which were already two years away when the album came out, only to realise, "Valentina", "Looking Down on London" and "We Are Komputer" (the latter a slightly different studio version though) serve here as "fillers" in absence of more unique new studio material. Some claim many songs here are fillers regardless, but generally they fit in and add to the funny picture of the world of tomorrow of the late 90s era, still hoping and embracing the future in that typically naive, nostalgic way. "Bill Gates" alone deserves an electro-Oscar for the sheer (black) humour of it, openly hinting at Kraftwerk's "The Man-Machine" with an ode to the world's most (in)famous global technocrat.

The singles leading up to the album are all fantastic, but they missed the target with the album, it's far too tongue in cheek with too much filler (Bill Gates, Singapore, TPPB), so it goes down as well as a lead zeppelin.

This is the best attempt at the whole 80's synth revival that has become so fashionable. Some might say that Komputer copied Kraftwerk too closely but there are some complexities in the melodies, rhythms and overall song structures that set them apart. The Phobos remix of "Valentina" is the standout. A long, ethereal and melodic thumper that is reminiscent of the German trance scene in the mid-90's (Eye-Q, Harthouse).