Minimum-Maximum
June 26, 2008
Includes: 2 DVDs. This is the first ever official document of Kraftwerk’s legendary live show. Features two hours of visually stunning live performances from the band’s 2004 world tour, filmed and recorded with Kraftwerk’s legendary precision in DTS 5.1 surround sound. Features a bonus video for “Aerodynamik” filmed live at the MTV Europe Video Music Awards.
Customer Review: Yup! Yup!
How to sum it up in a few words? Well here’s a short attempt:
1) The sound is amazing. If you listen to this through a decent system, you will be blown away at the production quality.
2) I assume you have heard these songs and this group before, so I won’t go into detail on the song-writing. If you don’t know this group, then you are in for a treat!
3) One of the big points of mystery is “who does what?” Meaning, what things are actually being played versus what things are sequenced or taped. Well, I don’t think this matters much more than a curiosity. It is them, their songs, and their product. Sit back and enjoy the show.
4) Speaking of the show. . . In case you don’t know, KW are not known for their dynamic performances, especially lately. You would never know by listening that Ralf und Florian are in their 60s. . . but, you can certainly tell by the stoic body language. I don’t feel this detracts from the performance in any way. But, I think it is fair to tell you not to expect a dancefest by them onstage.
That’s all for now. I LOVE both the CD and DVD of this and have watched/listened repeatedly since I bought it. I recommend it for all lovers of Kraftwerk, and for anyone interested in learning more about them.
Hint: 1st time listener? I recommend “The Model” “Numbers” and “Computerworld” as well as “Pocket Calculator.” Don’t get me wrong, they are all great. . . one of my other favorites is “Elektrocardiogramm.” Ok, enough of my yakking. Get to it!
Customer Review: An excellent live performance, and an even better hallucinogen
Kraftwerk still know their way around synthpop after close to four decades. They’re surprisingly active for a band formed in the 1970’s, even though they haven’t produced a lot of new material lately. After an eternity, they have finally put forth a CD and a DVD of their live performances.
There is one fact, though: live electronica is normally extremely dull. All the artist needs to do is stand in place and twiddle a few knobs. Needless to say, all four band members are seen twiddling quite a few knobs in this video. Fortunately, they have a nice, big distraction like a video screen to keep things interesting.
This video is one of the most mind-bogglingly surreal experiences I’ve ever had. It opens with the click-clack notes of The Man Machine, and right off the bat, you know you’re in for a ride. Audience members can be seen holding camcorders, as if to pirate the performance, throughout the entire show, even though the video is made up of performances in multiple cities. When Ralf actually starts singing lyrics (it takes about 25 minutes for there to be sung lyrics instead of synthesized ones), he cups his hand to his head-mounted microphone every time he sings, unless his right hand is twiddling a knob or two.
We are then treated to some songs from Tour de France Soundtracks, all of which are very lively, even more so than the versions heard on the album. As the performance goes on, we are treated to some more classic output: Autobahn, The Model, Neon Lights. Of note is Radioactivity, which was re-written for The Mix to warn the listener of the dangers of nuclear power. We are then given some of their best output: we get Trans-Europe Express and a few tracks from Computer World. Of note, the Japanese version of Pocket Calculator, Dentaku, is performed, and since the performance was recorded in Tokyo, the audience reacts enthusiastically to the sight of a gray-haired German man cupping his hand to his mouth and singing in Japanese; they shout the lyrics with him.
We are then treated to The Robots, a performance that involves the band members’ robotic counterparts standing on stage and moving their arms. The band members then come out wearing blue makeup and with green wireframes painted on their suits, and perform two more songs from Tour de France Soundtracks. We are then treated to their final song, Music Non Stop, which sounded tacky in 1986 and still sounds tacky, unfortunately. The same annoying voice samples are used for the intro– “Boing-boing! Boom-tschak! Ping!” Nonetheless, it sounds catchy enough to close the performance on a high note.
Overall, Minimum Maximum is a good live performance, but it’s one of two times where I’ve watched a moving picture and thought, “Man, I should be high right now.” The other time I thought that was watching Pikachu’s Vacation.
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