Last year, Deutsch-Amerikanische Freundschaft released a compilation album and decided to play a few shows to support it. I attended one of these shows, in Arvika, Sweden. DAF performed live, with everything on cd-r except the drums (played by Robert Görl) and the vocals (Gabi Delgado-Lopez), and it was surprisingly excellent.
A few days ago, approximately 30 minutes from this brilliantly minimalistic DAF show was broadcast by Swedish radio SR/p3. As they tend to take down the material from the web after a month or so, and as someone has been kind enough to upload a recording of the broadcast to the web, here it is:
Setlist:
1. Verschwende deine Jugend 2. Der Mussolini 3. Sato-Sato 4. Alle gegen Alle 5. Nacht Arbeit 6. Die Lüge 7. Als wär's das letzte Mal 8. Der Räuber und der Prinz
There is an interesting segment about Kraftwerk getting their first ever PC in 1981, in this new interview with Ralf Hütter.
Then we composed the concept of [the album] Computer World coming out in 81 and we didn't even have computers at that time. So that was more like a visionary album. We only got that technology, a small PC, around the tour of that album and we used one on stage just writing letters. Just typing them in, not even in synch or anything. Just live, and a guy putting that on screen.
The above image is from a concert at Captain Vidéo in Paris, France, July 7th 1981. Could the text on those screens have been typed "live"?
I know, there has been nothing but videos posted here recently. I'll do better soon. But right now, no.
Kraftwerk (or someone) has posted two videos from their recent Coachella performance , apparently filmed by people in the audience, at their MySpace page. Here they are:
I was just tipped off about these photographs of ex-Kraftwerk member Karl Bartos' show in Budapest yesterday.
Notice the crowded mess of computers, cables and general "stuff" on that table, and compare that to the complete strictness of the current Kraftwerk setup.
In 1981, Kraftwerk used the Stylophone to perform the track "Pocket Calculator". The Stylophone is a simple, battery operated instrument - you play it by touching it's metal keyboard with a stylus, thereby closing a circuit and generating sound. The device, marketed as a 'pocket electronic organ', was created already in 1967 by Dübrec, a british company. Dübrec closed down in the early eighties. By then, around 3 million Stylophones had been sold, mostly through toy stores.
The inventor of the Stylophone was Brian Jarvis, and his colleagues in Dübreq were Burt Coleman (managing director), and Ted Coleman (brother to Burt; artwork and finances). Dübreq got it's name from their original line of business, to dub and record movie sound tracks. I assume the umlauts and the "q" were added to create a certain "continental Europe" mystique.
The company employed australian musician/artist/comedian/childrens entertainer Rolf Harris (go here to see his Stylophone orchestra) to promote the invention. This rather funny quote from the now defunct "Stylophone Collectors Website" serves well the purpose of explaining his impact:
It almost seemed too good that such a person was around at the time the Stylophone was conceived, just imagine how it would have faired if Dübreq asked the Manic Street Preachers to promote the Stylophone, or maybe Nirvana, or even The Spice Girls. No one today has the sort of universal appeal that could sell millions of Stylophones to the kids of the world.
Since october 2007, the Stylophone is once again manufactured and available for purchase. The current product is a slightly updated version of the original, basic model. In addition to the On/Off, Vibrato and Pitch controls, the new version features three different sounds (instead of one), a volume control, and an mp3 input, that allows you the pleasure of playing along with your favorite songs.
I actually bought one last week for about £15, and it is quite enjoyable. Here it is! Look at it shine there, above my brothers rather murky carpeting.
While on the subject, you need to take a look at this video recording of Kraftwerk playing "Pocket Calculator" live in 1981. Check out the Stylophone action! Karl Bartos, the second person from the left, is handling it like there's no tomorrow. Also, don't miss Florian Schneider's vowel face action towards the end.
