June 13th, 2006
Kraftwerk’s cycling obsession
I know there’s lots to look forward
to at this year’s Electric Picnic (Devendra Banhart, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Nathan Fake, Coldcut, Hot Chip, New Order) but it still doesn’t top last year’s line-up. Ok, I know I have a bit of Kraftwerk obsession (so what if I want one of their songs played at my funeral and have admitted I’d happily watch them live every night for the rest of my life - same set and everything?) but this year’s line-up hasn’t thrown up anything as tantalising as the robot rock Deutsch boys.
Yet.
I still have my fingers crossed for Daft Punk.
I was thinking about this over the weekend and then (coincidence or fate - you decide) in yesterday’s UK Independent, this article tracing Kraftwerk’s obsession with cycling appeared:
“[Ralf] Hutter took his new-found pastime particularly seriously, completing the classic and challenging courses of the Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia and following the big races around the world as a spectator. At the height of his obsession, he would jump off the tour bus and cycle the last 150km into the town where the band were scheduled to perform next.”
Who’d have thought ‘Tour De France’ was so literal?
June 14th, 2006 at 8:30 am
Yeah I knew about the cycling angle. They’re still into it, presumably to keep trim and fit into those skin tight Tron outfits.
That’s why the infamous “TechnoPop” album was abandoned. Ralf had a bad cycling accident and couldn’t work for a long time. By the time he was back, digital technology was arriving, the analogue sessions were discarded and they started again. Some of it ended up on Electric Café…
June 14th, 2006 at 8:37 am
That’s an interesting article. Thanks Sinead. I’ve been listening to Tour de France a LOT lately. Genuinely amazing at a time when most their age would have given up. I remember reading the positive reviews in 2004 when it came out but dismissing it as I wasn’t a big Kraftwerk fan then and I presumed it was a gesture of goodwill towards the “godfathers” of electronica. But ever since hearing that live album last year before Electric Picnic and the subsequent live show, I’ve no doubts they are still as relevant as ever.
June 14th, 2006 at 1:43 pm
A good group to check out in my opinion is the teirever corporation (horribly mis-spelt) They have a tune on the garden state sound track. The album the richest man in babalon is excellent.
June 14th, 2006 at 3:10 pm
Martin - I know the critics grumbled about Electric Cafe, but it still has Musique Non Stop on it. It’s worth it for that alone.
Niall - I couldn’t believe it when I saw them last year, and the year before that at the Olympia. They blew me away. Everyone who makes even vaguely electronic music owes them a debt.
Simon - Thievery Corporation’s The Mirror Conspiracy is a great album, particularly the tracks with Bebel Gilberto. They’ve also done a lot of great remixes over the years.
June 14th, 2006 at 4:30 pm
Correct spelling of Thievery ehh. show off. :)I might have to check out mirror conspiracy. I think Sounds From The Thievery Hi-Fi is not as good as the richest man.