Search - Kraftwerk And The Electronic Revolution on DVD

Should really have been called from Krautrock to Kraftwerk..

J Warden | Des Moines, Iowa USA | 11/27/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"First of all, I loved this movie. Then again, I am very much into the Krautrock scene that Kraftwerk sprang from and found that very fascinating. The first hour of this movie is not really concentrated on Kraftwerk, but on how electronic music and Krautrock - anti-popular, avant-garde "rock" - came from Germany, and how it developed on different levels (academic, cultural, and 'normal' music channels) I think most Kraftwerk fans will be interested but if you're thinking "I don't give a damn about Popul Vuh, tell me about Kraftwerk" you will find it VERY boring. The filmmakers I think did Kraftwerk a great service by this, however, because they show that while Kraftwerk were amazingly innovative and fresh their cultural context was not a vacuum, however it seemed to the West when "Autobahn" was a hit. All that said, all the popular Kraftwerk stuff from Autobahn on was dealt with as well as can be expected with no big surprises to uncover. When specific pieces of equipment were discussed, I found that fascinating, but the obligatory talking heads ("Krautrock expert", "Music Reviewer") discussing records got a little bland. All the discussions by the actual musicians in the Krautrock scene (and 1 former Kraftwerk member, a coup I imagine for the film makers) were great.
The post-Kraftwerk explosion and influence I thought would be uninteresting but it was actually very watchable and engaging - starting with the drum machines on Donna Summer's hit, to Bowie's experiments in Berlin, and then to 80's pop music.
I have one tiny thing to complain about, and that's with all the talk about some great and obscure Krautrock artists, why did Faust get shafted? FAUST!?!? Only mentioned once, in passing? Maybe they weren't "typical" Krautrockers but as the movie showed, there were only a few threads linking all the Krautrock bands together and they weren't musical as much as they were conceptual......anyway, yeah, good movie!"

Must-have for any serious fan of Kraftwerk (and of electroni

Paul Allaer | Cincinnati | 01/18/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have to admit that I am a HUGE Kraftwerk fan, and when I fell on this, I just knew I had to get it. The goal of this 3 hour documentary is not simply to tell the story of just Kraftwerk, but also of the German music scene in the 60s and 70s, the Berlin vs. Dusseldorf schools of music, etc. The first hour or so brings a lot of attention to the so-called Krautrock acts like Amon Duul, Can, and Neu!, but also electronic avant-garde bands like Harmonia, Cluster, etc. Incredibly Klaus Schulze, one of my favorite electronic music artists, is interviewed extensively as well.

The second half of the documentary is more focused on Kraftwerk's career, from the first three (and later disavowed) albums on to the mainstream success that "Autobahn" was, and so on. Karl Bartos, member of Kraftwerk from 1975 to 1990, is also interviewed extensively, and not surprisingly has the most interesting insight and stories of anyone interviewed. Towards the end of the documentary, attention is given to the lasting legacy of Kraftwerk, from the influence on Brian Eno and David Bowie, to the disco scene and Giorgio Moroder (who of course recorded in Germany), to acts like the Human League (thumbs up from Bartos) and Gary Numan (thumbs down from Bartos, dismissing Numan as a 'parody'). And on and on. The 3 hours just flew by to be honest. Be aware, this is NOT a Kraftwerk concert movie (for that, check out the "Minimum Maximum" DVD) or even biography. Instead, this should be seen as nothing more (or less) than a history lesson on a particular slice of music history, which I happen to find fascinating.

There are a couple of extras on the DVD: a 10 min. further look into the Berlin vs. Dusseldorf schools of music, another 10 min. of the Karl Bartos interview, which I wish they would just give us in its entirety, and a bio on all of the people who were interviewed for the documentary, which is actually quite helpful. If you are a serious Kraftwerk fan, you will not want to miss this, period."

A fairly decent, 3 hour non-official documentary of the elec

Rykre | Carson City, Nevada | 07/24/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This documentary is about more than just Kraftwerk. It talks about the Zodiac movement, and the early stages of Krautrock. The hippies and groupies of the late sixties that were exploring music outside of the standard. Studying electronic music and experimental space music. And it's fair to say that its humble beginnings were in Hamburg, Germany.

Klaus Schulze, Ash Ra Tempel, Can, Kluster, Tangerine Dream, and the such were explored throughout this documentary. Kraftwerk was mentioned often here because it is obvious that Kraftwerk was the strongest influence of the directions of many experimental musicians, from Jean Michel Jarre, Vangelis, Mike Oldfield, all the way up to David Bowie and Depeche Mode and The Orb. This DVD is definitely worth having if you enjoy learning about some of the pioneers of various technical sound inventions that added shape to all the electronic music that we know today.
"

A must for anyone interested in this era. 5 Stars!

M. A. L. KANOO | Abu Dhabi, UAE | 06/23/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One of my favorite albums growing up was The Man Machine. So when I learned that Kraftwerk were to be performing on July 2nd (2009)as the opening gig at the Manchester Festival I wanted to learn more.

The DVD is a comprehensive review of the genre. It is 3 hours long and is an excellent documentary of the times, the music, the people. I found it to be fascinating and (it) filled in many, many wide gaps of my musical knowledge from my youth.

Absolute 5 Stars."