Best. Cover Version. Ever.

Stereo Total - Tour de France

Stereo Total, je t'aime! Your new album Baby Ouh! is full of all of the things I love about you. Songs in a multitude of languages. Cheesy synths! Scruffy, scrappy lo-fi production. Lyrical lewdness! Wacky subject matter - see I Wanna Be A Mama. Stylistic Anarchy Rules! The Original Upper Kreuzberg Nose Flute Orchestra! And cover versions. I love their covers - they are unafraid to make them their own, and they are almost always a blast. This latest is no exception. - they cover Willie Dixon, Brigitte Fontaine, Pedro Almodovar (!) and Kraftwerk. Feel the power of Trans Europe Express, and if it can't bring a smile to your face fuhgeddaboutit!

Inventory

Kraftwerk - NumbersToday was inventory day at work. That meant there were seemingly endless stacks of stuff, all needing counting and computing. Suffice it to say that this little ditty by the Teutonic math nerds fits the bill perfectly, and gives you, the reader, a bit of insight into what the inside of my head sounds like today.

Funky Friday

This is a re-post. The evil Blog-Google monster deleted this post on 2/12/2009, almost a full year after all of these audio links had expired. Pretty pointless move. eh? No audio content, just writing. Wankers.

The breakdown - Marianne Faithfull's '80s classic gets a nice beefy updating, Goldfrapp is dreamy, drippy gorgeousness and Air are funkier than you've ever heard. Estelle is a British singer/rapper whose album Shine is out next Tuesday on John Legend's label. It features John, as well as Kanye West, Cee-Lo, Mark Ronson, will.i.am and Swizz Beatz. It is the perfect Mid Atlantic blend, managing to maintain it's British-ness while also sounding very American.
The Presets = Justice + Depeche Mode. Madonna has a sleek pulsating groove that rocks like Kraftwerk and a chorus that sounds like Minneapolis. Lyrics Born dishes up some prime G-funk, Santogold brings the electro-dub hop hybrid, and Casxio offer sleek disco pop.

Marianne Faithfull - Broken English (Baron von Luxxury Slow Touch Rmx)
Goldfrapp - Happiness (Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve Remix)
Air - Kelly Watch The Stars (Moog Cookbook Remix)
Estelle - Pretty Please (Love Me) (feat. Cee-Lo)
Estelle - American Boy (feat. Kanye West)
The Presets - A New Sky
Lyrics Born - Cakewalk
Madonna - Candy Shop
Santogold - Shove It
Casxio - Seventeen
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KRAFTWERK - A Few Last Words...

Kraftwerk were ace. They started on time and played most everything I hoped for - except for "Pocket Calculator". The sound was good and the visuals were great - yay, robots! Florian Schneider was not with the band (his replacement even had his own robot), so only Ralf Hütter was left from the original four. It was a real thrill for me to hear these songs played live, so it will always hold a special place in my heart. The band plays Coachella this weekend - enjoy the show!

SET LIST:
The Man Machine
Planet of Vision
Numbers / Computerworld
Homecomputer / It's More Fun to Compute
Prologue / Tour de France 2003 (Etape 1, 2 & 3)
Tour de France (original)
Vitamin
Autobahn
Computerlove
The Model
Neon Lights
Les Mannequins
Radioactivity
Trans-Europe Express / Abzug / Metal on Metal
curtain
ENCORE
The Robots
Elektrokardiogramm
Aerodynamik
Musik Non Stop

The photo above is from the actual show in Minneapolis, and is part of reslbear1's Kraftwerk 2008 flickr set - some nice shots that really evoke the mood of the gig! There are also a bunch of clips on youtube from the shows in Minneapolis and Milwaukee. Sound quality varies, but there are a few good ones.

Record Store Day + Kraftwerk

Today is Record Store Day. Hundreds of independently owned record stores all over the US and the UK will simultaneously link and act as one with the purpose of celebrating the culture and unique place that they occupy both in their local communities and nationally. You will find a list of all participating stores at the Record Store Day site. A bunch of bands are also releasing exclusive limited edition 7"s to be sold today, including Built to Spill, R.E.M., Death Cab for Cutie, the Black Keys, Vampire Weekend and Stephen Malkmus + Jicks (who have a 10" EP with 3 exclusive tracks). Go support your local music store and your favorite artists. If you live in the Minneapolis/St.Paul area, be sure to check out The Electric Fetus._________________

In case you hadn't noticed, I'm going to see KRAFTWERK tonight.
Thats right, das mother-effing Mensch Machine in going to be in the house,
and I will be getting my robot dance on.
"Now is the time on Sprockets when we dance!"

Here are some classic Pocket Calculator/Dentaku moments...

Funky Friday

A brief rundown - M83 are back and feeling a bit mellower and dancier than before. Glass Castles bring the blippy noise. Robyn is produced by The Knife, nuff said! D-Train is a stone cold classic electro disco anthem. Germany's Munk bring the DFA-ish funk with special guest Asia Argento. Ditto for Zero Cash & Khan. Padded Cell is Richard Sen (Bronx Dogs) and Neil Beatnik (Dirty Beatniks), and their album Night Must Fall is great -post-punk/funk/electro, and not a whiff of big beat. Sahara All Stars are straight outta Nigeria, delivering a sweet slice of Afro-funk. And then theres Kraftwerk.

I AM SEEING KRAFTWERK TOMORROW NIGHT.
What are you doing?

M83 - Couleurs
Glass Castles - Air War
Robyn - Who's That Girl
D-Train - You're The One For Me
Zero Cash & Khan - Light Of Love
Padded Cell - Konkorde Lafayette
Padded Cell - Fare Beneath London
Sahara All Stars Of Jos - Take Your Soul
Kraftwerk - Aerodynamik (Hot Chip's Intelligent Design Mix)
Munk - Live Fast Die Old feat. Asia Argento (Maral Salmassi And Zero Cash Remix)

Das Model

In case you were wondering...
2 DAYS UNTIL KRAFTWERK.

Snakefinger - The Model
Krazy Ben - The Way Models Are

It's More Fun To Compute

3 DAYS UNTIL KRAFTERK.

Glomag - Pocket Calculator
Bubblyfish - It's More Fun To Compute

Today's selections are from
8-Bit Operators
The Music Of Kraftwerk Performed On 8-Bit Video Game Systems

New Music Tuesday + Kraftwerk

4 DAYS UNTIL KRAFTERK.
Woo-hoo.
Glass Candy - Computer Love
_____________________

There are a few new releases of note today - M83's Saturday=Youth, Phantom Planet's Raise The Dead, The Kooks' Konk, Does It Offend You, Yeah?'s You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into , Frank Black's Svn Fngrs, and the deluxe 10 year anniversary reissue of AIR's classic Moon Safari - a two disc set. Happy shopping.

Kraftwerk Mash-Up

5 DAYS UNTIL KRAFTWERK.

ToTom - Policy Of Spacelab
Apollo Zero - Workin' Techno Pop

Both of these are taken from Bootwerk - A Bastard Pop Tribute To Kraftwerk, which you can nab from the link.

Sunday Stew

A few bits and bobs to share today...

Kraftwerk - Techno Pop (Demo Version)
6 DAYS UNTIL KRAFTWERK. I am excited.
__________________________

Mute Records has done us Americans a favor. They are releasing the Hercules And Love Affair album in the US. It has been out on DFA since March in Europe, but we will have to wait until June 24th to get it here. It is well worth the wait. The first single will be Blind and is out May 27th. No word on the remixes, but it will probably have some of the same ones as the Euro versions - Frankie Knuckles, Serge Santiago and the band's own mix among them.
__________________________
The latest web/music/playlistism thingie buzzing around the internets is to make a Muxtape ("a simple way to create and share mp3 mixtapes"). It's ultra basic but works very nicely for streaming audio. Create an account, upload some songs and tell your friends to listen to your hot new mix. Listen to SIART's Muxtape, which features Hercules And Love Affair, Herb Alpert, The Skids and ZZ Top, some Italo, some electro and a few more choice morsels.
__________________________


Trip-hop? I think not...

Kraftwerk Announce US Dates

I got a rather exciting e-mail from Astralwerks Records yesterday, and this is what it said...

KRAFTWERK ANNOUNCE A SHORT SERIES OF US SHOWS

Kraftwerk is one of the most influential bands in pop history. In a career spanning more than 35 years, the German electro pioneers have been endlessly saluted and mimicked by each new generation of innovators. In the late 1970s, the post-punk futurists professed their devotion. In the 1980s and '90s, the leading lights of Chicago house, Detroit and Euro-techno paid homage. Kraftwerk is possibly the most sampled band on the planet, and their music continues to inspire.

Over the last decade, Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider, Fritz Hilpert and Henning Schmitz have toured the world and now Kraftwerk is returning to the US to perform a short series of shows in Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Denver, and the 2008 Coachella festival. These are Kraftwerk's first US shows since 2005 following the release of their first ever official live document, the 2 x CD and DVD sets Minimum-Maximum. Their unforgettable appearance at Coachella 2004, combining state-of-the-art interactive audio and lighting, still has their legions of fans buzzing four years on.

Sat 4/19 Minneapolis, MN @ Myth
Sun 4/20 Milwaukee, WI @ Eagles Ballroom
Wed 4/23 Denver, CO @ The Fillmore Auditorium
Sat 4/26 Coachella, CA @ Coachella Music Festival

_______________________________
My hometown finally made the cut! After being a fan for some 30 years I am going to get a chance to see The Man Machine up close and personal, and man am I psyched. Tickets go on sale March 22nd. The craziest part of this is the club they are playing, The Myth. It is a box (capacity 4500) in the middle of a parking lot behind a mall, way out in the 'burbs. It is reputed to be a pretty good place to see bands, and the sound system is state of the art. The usual acts it books? 311, Flo Rida, Tech N9ne & Paul Wall and Megadeath are all upcoming shows there. Anyway, it should be interesting to see what kind of a crowd Kraftwerk draw here, and I expect to be mightily entertained.
Kraftwerk - Home Computer (Live) &
Expo 2000 (Francois K & Rob Rives Mix)

Die Mensch-Maschine

Yesterday was the first big new release day of 2007. My personal list went thusly;

1. The Shins' Wincing The Night Away - check.
2. Clinic's Visitation - next time...
3. Echo & The Bunnymen's Songs To Learn And Sing expanded edition - check!
4. Of Montreal's Hissing Fauna... - Check.
5. David Vandervelde's The Moonstation House Band - check.
6. 8-Bit Operators - The Music Of Kraftwerk compilation - check.

There were a few other bits and bobs that got missed out or skipped over, but all in all a good shopping day. Which leads to today's tunes...

8-Bit Operators is a compilation of the music of Kraftwerk performed on vintage 8-bit video games systems. It is the perfect synthesis of old school video games sounds and the classic old school grooves of the German electro pioneers. I am a huge Kraftwerk fan. I was never much of a video gamer, but I recognize the blips, bleeps and bloops. There are a couple of versions here that aren't so great, but I will say I am enjoying most of this compilation. Here are a few of my faves...
Glomag - Pocket Calculator
8-Bit Weapon - Spacelab
Bubblyfish - It's More Fun To Compute