Kraftwerk – Electric Cafe

1986 (when this was released). Machine-based rhythms. Electronic music becoming mainstream pop. No interruptions by talking deejays. Sexual excitement achieved by things that do not live. People meet, but only talk over the telephone.
It's called "electric café".

2024 (when I'm writing this). Quantised music. Machines doing the mix. Autotuned voices. Pop stars created by artificial intelligence. People sitting next to each other, texting each other. People busier with their portable devices than the persons sitting or standing next to them.

Kraftwerk's future vision of an electric café evolved via the Internet to the collection of unrelated bubbles named social networks, where the value of someone is quantised by the number of people willing to follow that person. Makes me wonder whether Kraftwerk conceived this album to praise the opportunities of the future, or as a warning sign not to over-machine ourselves...

Such a wonderful album - easily one of their very best.

Unpopular opinion--I love this album. My 2nd favorite after "Computer World".

A few memories: Back in 1982 I was involved in the production (lithography and printing) of the cover for Kraftwerk's planned album "Techno Pop" (as also for the albums "Die Mensch-Maschine" and "Computerwelt" before). I still keep 2 proof prints of the original cover for „Techno Pop“ on 70 x 100 cm sheets in my archive. The other proofs have probably been destroyed.

I that there were lengthy discussions about the red tone in the print. The Kraftwerk group - almost always four of them showed up for the print acceptance - gave me the torn flap of a Marlboro cigarette pack as a colour sample with the words "The colour tone should look like this [the red of Marlboro]".

No information was given on the proof prints about the titles of the songs, and other text information was also missing. Probably the titles and/or the order had not yet been decided. However, the proofs show the front and back of the cover and also the inner sleeve (front and back) with pictures.

When I asked Ralf Hütter - who was the main spokesperson for the group - what the record label should look like, he handed me a titanium gear wheel from a racing bike: "This is what the label should look like". I had to quickly make a negative copy of the gear, because he still needed it, as he said. That was shortly before he had the accident with his racing bike, whereupon work on the cover stopped or was stopped completely.

Two of my colleagues in the reproduction company at that time were Jürgen Engler (Male, Krupps) and Wolf-Dieter Lauenroth (see their entries on Discogs). Both were apprentices, I was the head of production planning. Those were exciting years, I think back on them very fondly.

Not there best cheese lyrics though hipnotic sound scapes radio activity,tranc uro express,man machine best works..

My favorite KW album. Screw the haters! Never understood why this album has been routinely dismissed over the years. It's perfect. The drum/percussion programming is some of the best EVER, by any electronic artist.
The melodies are also great. The Mixing, by the legend Francois K. puts it over the edge, as the sonics on this album were always fantastic. 10/10.

For Kraftwerk - Electric Cafe - Unfortunately i had a lot Sibilance-Problems in "Der Telefonanruf". It sounds like "ich geb dir meine TZZZuneigung und meine TZZZeit", I think you can imagine. So i got me a cheap german CD from 1986 just to here a clear and brilliant version of this beautiful song.

Wow. I burrowed this cassette in High school over 30 years ago. I never made it ed track #1....Now I'm really enjoying most of Kraftwerk's releases. You can hear 100 different bands in their music. Rap, Hip Hop, Techno, Groove etc., most important to me Devo and New Order!!

i dont know, anyone noticed the fact, the new issues has two language versions as well. ;)
nice business improvement.

I the disappointment back in 1986 when the album came out. Now after I visited one of their concerts yesterday, I can see the full round trip they have made.
First Ralph & Florian were experimenting until in 1974 Autobahn caught mainstream attention but still as a gimmick act. The success that surfaced did not change their path. With Autobahn more concept albums followed. Each album from Ralp & Florian until and including Computerworld was and is of monumental importance for the evolution of music. [The use of German and multi language, the lyrics are a visionary message from the future without moralization, the instruments they have build themselves, the minimalistic, sterile and precise music that wasn't there yet, their music was used at the birth of genres like Techno and Hip Hop, their music is sampled by many artists, the use of vocals that is now normal in Dance music, just to name a few.]
Tour the is electro and back in 1983 it was not ahead of its time anymore: it was in line with time. From 1973 until 1983 Kraftwerk was far ahead of time, an enormous achievement. Although Kraftwerk perfected their music Electric Cafe was not ahead of time anymore it simply is just a good album. Their later work can be explained by trying to keep up with time and make it more perfect. I lost the appeal. Now in their recent tour they look to be more aware of the achievement of the past. Kraftwerk is making the full circle, by acknowledging that Der Catalog is Der Catalog. Their concerts are worthwhile. Kraftwerk is the founding father of EDM (1973+).