Autobahn

Performer: Kraftwerk
Engineer: Conrad Plank
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: Lyricists: Emil Schult; Florian Schneider. Personnel: Florian Schneider (flute, synthesizer, vocoder, electronic drums, electronics). Germanic in approach and delivery, this record gets under the skin and infuriates as you find yourself compelled to hum the melodies. A significant record in the development of electronic music, and not to be confused with other "kraut rock" efforts from the school of mid-70s prog, this is the album from which countless bands borrowed riffs--passages of the Cure, Depeche Mode, Joy Division, and New Order are to be found among the five lengthy tracks. Don't be fooled: Kraftwerk were there at least five years in advance. Great for driving on the motorway in Europe, incidentally!

Spin (p.87) - "[The album] buoys jolly German-language lyrics over humming synths and creates the sound of the future." Spin (9/01, p.134) - Included in Spin's "5 Essential Krautrock Records" - "...A quick confection about zooming along the expressways of Germany....they'd discovered the joy of mechanical repetition..." Q (10/95, p.141) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...23 minutes of synthetically simulated road miles, with several fascinating segments and hauntingly lovely tunes....A remarkable journey--and one that needs to be heard on headphones..." Q (Magazine) (p.116) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "From 1974 to the early '80s, they were so ahead of the field as to appear almost superhuman, as instantly proved by the epic title track of 'Autobahn'..."

Kraftwerk was initially part of the hippie-era krautrock boom. However, this pioneering German electro-pop group soon set themselves apart from their long-haired contemporaries by forsaking acid-soaked jams for a clean, precise sound whose mechanical aspects were part of its charm. Their catchy, simple synthesizer melodies were a key influence on subsequent generations of electronic musicians. They can be seen as the fathers of both '80s synth-pop and '90s electronica.

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