April 4, 2007 Playlist

"Die Mensch-Maschine" by Kraftwerk (1978)
CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK
Kraftwerk "Die Mensch-Maschine"  1978 (Germany)
Kraftwerk's influence on electronic pop is equivalent to that of The Beatles on rock.  They started off as a fairly conventional"krautrock" group in 1970, but by 1978 they had abandoned "musical instruments" completely and were creating their music entirely electronicly with custom-built equipment.  On stage, the four members of the band stood behind rows of consoles and twidled knobs and pushed buttons (these days the technology has advanced to the point were their stage gear consists of just four laptop computers!)  "Die Mensch-Maschine", or "The Man-Machine" in English, is their most potent conceptual statement:  "Kraftwerk" is not a band but a cybernetic entity consisting of four humans and a room full of machines -- when making the music, where do the humans end and where do the machines begin?  Their songs also deal with the technologization of humanity and the humanization of technology, a unique case of a group whose "form and function" are perfectly matched.   Kraftwerk released their most recent album in 2005, and still tour the world to sellout crowds.   Official website.
"A Brief History of Electronic Music"
From the 1950's to the early 21st Century
Karlheinz Stockhausen   Kraftwerk
   
Artist Song Album Year Country
The Orb Towers of Dub U. F. Orb 1992 UK
The Future Sound of London The Far Out Son of Lung and the Ramblings of a Madman The Far Out Son of Lung and the Ramblings of a Madman EP 1994 UK
Daft Punk Digital Love Discovery 2001 France
Power Pill  (Aphex Twin aka Richard D. James) Pac-Man (original version) Pac-Man EP 1992 UK
 
 
Cosmic Jokers  Galactic Joke pt. 3 Cosmic Jokers 1974 Germany
Vangelis Heaven and Hell (excerpt) Heaven and Hell 1975 Greece
Patrick Vian Tunnel 4, Red Noise Bruits Et Temps Analogues 1975 France
Cluster Caramba Zuckerzeit 1974 Germany
Kraftwerk Die Roboter Die Mensch-Maschine (The Man-Machine)
CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK
1978 Germany
   
 
T.O.N.T.O.'s Expanding Headband Cybernaut Zero Time 1971 USA
Bo Hansson The Black Riders and Flight to the Ford Sagan Om Ringen (Music Inspired by The Lord of the Rings)  1970 Sweden
Emerson Lake & Palmer The Old Castle / Blue Variation  (Mussorgsky) Pictures At An Exhibition 1971 UK
Miles Davis Rated X Get Up With It 1972 USA
   
 
Bruce Haack Incantation Electric Lucifer 1970 Canada
Morton Subotnick Silver Apples of the Moon (excerpt) Silver Apples of the Moon
1967 USA
Silver Apples I Have Known Love Contact 1969 USA
The Fifty Foot Hose Things That Concern You Cauldron 1967 USA
Lothar & The Hand People It Comes On Anyhow Presenting Lothar & The Hand People
1968 USA
The Free Pop Electronic Concept Pish Pishaw A New Exciting Experience
1969 Belgium
 
 
Perrey & Kingsley One Note Samba / Spanish Flea Kaleidoscopic Vibrations 1967 France/USA
The Genuine Electric Latin Love Machine (Richard Hayman) Dansero The Genuine Electric Latin Love Machine 1969 USA
The Plastic Cow  (Mike Melvoin) Spinning Wheel  (Blood Sweat & Tears) The Plastic Cow Goes Moooooog 1969 USA
Mort Garson Hair  (Theme from the musical Hair) Electric Hair Pieces 1969 USA
The Electric Concept Orchestra Hey Jude  (Beatles) Moog Groove 1969 USA
Synthesonic Sounds Superfly  (Curtis Mayfield) Moog At The Movies  1973 UK
The Moog Cookbook Whole Lotta Love  (Led Zeppelin) Ye Olde Space Bande Plays Classic Rock Hits 1997 USA
Dick Hyman The Moog and Me The Electric Eclectics of Dick Hyman 1969 USA
 
  
Louis & Bebe Barron Ancient Krell Music Forbidden Planet OST 1956 USA
The BBC Radiophonic Workshop Doctor Who Theme (original version) Doctor Who At The BBC Radiophonic Workshop Volume One - The Early Years (1963-1969) 1963 UK
Les Yper Sound (Pierre Henry) Teen Tonic 7" single / Pierre Henry - Messe Pour Le Temps Present CD 1967 France
Wendy Carlos (born Walter Carlos) Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, 4th Movement (March from A Clockwork Orange) A Clockwork Orange OST 1972 USA
Karlheinz Stockhausen Hymnen - "Dritte Region" version for electronic tape and  orchestra (excerpt) Stockhausen Complete Edition #47 CD
1969 Germany
   
   
Kraftwerk Die Mensch-Maschine Die Mensch-Maschine (The Man-Machine)
CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK
1978 Germany
Perrey & Kingsley Barnyard In Orbit The In Sound From Way Out! 1966 France/USA
          
   
Back to playlists         Back to main