Cracking the Code - Tribute to Kraftwerk

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Various Artists

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Covering Kraftwerk is extremely risky. The task presents a problem that few, if any other music groups in the world do. Their music is so sublime, so perfectly crafted, that it cannot be easily imitated or duplicated, even with the best intentions. It's like painting a Picasso to honor Picasso. Why look at the imitation to remember the original?

The musicians who have successfully reinterpreted Kraftwerk made the decision to approach the music in an entirely different context than the original. The problem with this CD is that the artists honor Kraftwerk using the same electronic tools that were used by Ralf and Florian, only to much poorer effect. The tracks are bland, the compositions uninteresting, and very few melodies are present. Only a couple of the artists incorporate the source material into their song, and most of the tracks bear no resemblance whatsoever to their muse.

If you want a Kraftwerk `tribute' CD, there are two you absolutely MUST have. The first is Señor Coconut's "El Baile Aleman," an amazing set of 9 Kraftwerk compositions completely reinterpreted into Latin dance rhythms with real instruments. By now that CD is famous in its own right and well worth having, even if you've never heard of Kraftwerk. The second CD is "Possessed," by The Balanescu Quartet." This CD has 5 Krafwerk songs reinterpreted by classical string quartet. Uwe Schmidt and Alexander Balanescu are both massively talented musicians in their own right, and their tribute projects attest to the fact that if you're going to take on Kraftwerk, you'd better know what you are doing.

Many of the `tribute' titles from the VITAMIN label are worth checking out, especially those that reinterpret the music on string quartet. U2's "Joshua Tree" album and the Jane's Addiction tribute are in my collection and I like them a lot. But in this case, you should spend your money on something else. If you want forgettable electronic junk, this CD does the job. But if you are sincerely interested in learning more about Kraftwerk's influence your time will be better spent exploring how the original sounds have been sampled by other artists. Immerse yourself in the Kraftwerk catalogue and then open your ears to hear the many examples where rappers and turntablists have lifted Kraftwerk's perfect notes. Sampling Kraftwerk can be magical. Imitating Kraftwerk is almost certain death.