Kraftwerk Computer World (2016)

by Frank Rothkamm

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1.	Side A1 - Future (For Voice, Violin, (Steel Str. & E.) Guitar, Drums & MegaBass IV) (3:12) opus 643 (2016) 03:12	buy track
2.	Side 1b - Computer World (For Voice, Violin, (Steel Str. & E.) Guitar, Drums & MegaBass I) (5:06) opus 640 (2016) 05:06	buy track
3.	Side B2 - Five (For Voice, Violin, (Steel Str. & E.) Guitar, Drums & MegaBass IV) (2:21) opus 646 (2016) 02:21	buy track
4.	Side B1 - Mortgage (For Voice, Violin, (Steel Str. & E.) Guitar, Drums & MegaBass II) (4:58) opus 641 (2016) 04:58	buy track
5.	Side A2 - Rebuke (For Voice, Violin, (Steel Str. & E.) Guitar, Drums & MegaBass IV) (3:34) opus 645 (2016) 03:34	buy track
6.	Side A3 - Zahlen (For Voice, Violin, (Steel Str. & E.) Guitar, Drums & MegaBass IV) (3:02) opus 644 (2016) 03:02	buy track
7.	Side B3 - Die Liebe (For Violin, (Steel Str. & E.) Guitar, Drums & MegaBass III) (7:11) opus 642 (2016) 07:11	buy track

about

Catalog No: FLX119
Title: Kraftwerk Computer World
Sound Artist: Frank Rothkamm
Visual Artist: Holger Rothkamm
Label: Flux Records
Length: 29:18
Composed: 2016
Location: Los Angeles
Instruments: Kurzweil K2500
Qtractor
Roland JV-1080
Williams WP1
Studio Projects C1
Korg M3R
Release Date: 4/17/2017
Format: Virtual Vinyl
File Under: Prog / Pop / Rock

‘Computer World’ or “Computerwelt” is an album by the German band Kraftwerk which was one of the first bands to exclusively use electronic synthesizers. ‘Computer Welt’ was released in 1981 on vinyl and it ventured into the then emerging world of computers. But only thematically, because the album was entirely made with analog synthesizers, played by custom-made analog sequencers that only Kraftwerk had.

The only true digital diversion was the Texas Instruments handheld computer, marketed under the “Speak & Spell” moniker, which was featured prominently on the track ‘Pocket Calculator’, although it played a minor musical role.

Taken as a whole, the album pretends to be something it is not. It goes to great lengths to sound and even look digital, but it does it the same way in which actors who play robots or play with them: ‘I am a robot - beep beep’.

In 2016 I decided to do a Derrida-like deconstruction or Dekonstruktion of ‘Kraftwerk’s Computer World’, but to reverse the roles played by technology. I took the original record and while listening, re-recorded each instrument one at a time by ear only, including all the vocals. I did not use any modern “error-correction” or quantization methods. Every instrument was played via a vintage digital keyboard in my studio, which housed arguably the largest collection of hardware synthesizers from the mid 80s through the mid 90s in Los Angeles at that time.

This compositional methodology is similar to the Resident’s ‘Third Reich n Roll” album. They took 1950s and 1960s songs, played along with them, and then discarded the originals.

‘Craft Work’ is a work of musical craft, the ability to replicate and improvise variations on musical parts extracted by ear from a recording in real-time. I played along with the ‘Computer World’ record, instrument by instrument, and then I discarded the original. I am a believer in first takes, but heavily edited ones.

This I put out as ‘Kraftwerk’s Computer World’ with my main distributor Google, on YouTube and Play. To my never ending surprise the album was mostly ignored, except by Google’s automated copyright lawyers. Even though I clearly indicated on the album title and on each song title the Kraftwerk-ian source, only the first song I recorded, ‘Computer World’, was detected, so the album was reduced to one track, a Single, really. To my never ending surprise, the rest of the material was declared original Rothkamm as all lyrics and instrumental parts were supposedly augmented, mutated or varied enough to make up a new species of music. Thus is the wisdom of Google’s robot lawyers.

credits

released April 17, 2017

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Frank Rothkamm Los Angeles, California

Prolific, L.A. based German composer & artist.

rothkamm.com

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