Kraftwerk are arguably the most important pop group of all time with only The Beatles rivaling the level of influence the German four-piece command.
Contentious perhaps, but Kraftwerk claim the honour of laying the groundwork for every progressive and interesting popular music genre since disco (hip-hop, house, techno.)
What’s more, the unlikely German quartet actually reinvented what music itself means, imagining a world of creativity without the luddite influence of guitar/drum bands.
Having not only sold-out but also crashed the ticketing systems of London and New York’s finest venues, it’s a real coup for Sydney’s Vivid Festival to host this tour. And it’s no ordinary tour either, with the band painstakingly recreating each of their studio albums accompanied by a striking 3D stage show.
Tonight’s performance is 1991’s The Mix, an album that on its release divided Kraftwerk’s loyal following. For a band so firmly rooted in the future, a backwards glancing ‘best of’ seemed an incongruous choice. But in true Man Machine style Ralf Hütter[ re-tooled the whole thing, creating an early version of the now ubiquitous remix album in the process.
It’s this free-glowing greatest hits retrospective that the assembled crowd wait patiently to see. With tickets available only by ballot, this is more an occasion than a traditional concert, and understandably expectations are high.
And greatest hits are most certainly what we get. Notwithstanding the future-retro 3D stage show, the band are in their best efficiently funky form. Very few musical acts of any genre could rival an opening salvo of ‘Radioactivity’, ‘Autobahn’ and ‘Computer Love’ for genuine classics that truly inspire and inform the popular consciousness.
But The Mix was never just about rehashing the classics. On the album the songs are given extended up-tempo re rubs that are almost timely in their reconstruction. Tonight however the remixed versions are more like Kraftwerk in dub featuring a thunderous based and echo laden keyboard parts that extend an already hallucinogenic tunes into head-nodding epic territory.
‘Radioactivity’ is a highlight with the sparkling keyboard melodies replicated by the syncopated visuals. The much-publicized 3D lightshow at times grates with its almost childlike retro chic. But in time with the luminous morse code phrasing of the world’s most charming anti-nuclear statement the almost laser like punctuation makes you wonder how the track sounded devoid of its accompaniment.
If there was a slight criticism of the night’s proceedings it could only be that the quality of the opening hour was just so hard to beat, allowing the second half to stretch a little in comparison. Techno Pop is a great song, but even in its extended form in pales slightly in comparison to an hour that offers Man Machine, Neon Lights and The Model.
And as the clock ticks towards countdown, one by one the four members of Kraftwerk perform their last synth jams and exit stage right with the slightest of nods and raised salutes.
And then original member and group leader Ralf Hütter presses the final key that brings Music Non Stop to a close. Clad in trademark Tron style neon, Hütter bows proudly to the assembled crowd with something resembling a Teutonic smile, and brings the proceedings to a close.
In a time where electronic music in the mainstream becomes unfeasibly popular, Kraftwerk seem more relevant and of their time than ever. The legions of fresh faced Eastern Europeans packing stadiums with their techno pop melodies, and earnest Gallic duos overhyping the planet with their four to the four party grooves owe these elderly Germans an huge debt.
With a legacy this large and a near perfectly regimented stage show, Kraftwerk could easily slip into pompous statesmanship. However the pure class, funk and pure power of the music overcomes any complacency delivering one of the best and more importantly most fun-filled show of the year.
