Yea, I know, I’m two days late. Fuck off.

You may not have heard of Kraftwerk, as they come from a different time. A time when you didnt have to look good to be a famous musician. A time when you could release an 8 minute song as a single. The 70′s. I know kids, its hard to imagine life thirty years ago without cell phones, and without all this crazy electronic music that you all are listening to these days.

But that crazy electronica started with Kraftwerk, and little does everyone know that they are the original Queen- the band that rap rips off without asking. Take Common’s new commercial for example, where he talks about his new song being influenced by Afrika Bambamtas “Planet Rock.” What Common’s uneducated ass doesn’t know is that Afrika Bambamta illegally stole “Planet Rock” from Kraftwerk’s “Trans-Europe Express.” Now, I’m all for sampling, despite it taking much less talent than writing, but I want the writers to get credit, or at least recognition, and with an article on 72pc.com, Kraftwerk now has that recognition.

Ok, maybe not.

Anymore, those faces would all be photoshopped to make the band more appealing, and they’d all be wearing eyeliner and girls jeans. Fuck our current culture.

Trans-Europe Express begins with synth. You’ll be getting used to synth throughout this album, as it is pretty much the only instrument they use. The melodies are repetitive, but you’ll find yourself humming them throughout the day. Kraftwerk does an amazing job at layering parts slowly, but effectively. Lyrics are mostly non-existent on tracks, but The Hall of Mirrors and Showroom Dummies SHOW us a ROOM full of crazy lyrics that are not DUMMIES? Damn it. Sometimes even I hate horrible puns.

While these men are close to geniouses for inventing electronica and becoming what would be the roots of techno, don’t expect compositional genious. Their songs lack a regular structure and it quickly becomes obvious that they didn’t write any of this to make money. Kraftwerk also uses a heavy vocoder that can make lil’ wayne sometimes look under-computerized.

Honestly, I’d love to see him try to use this machine, let alone rewire and configure it to create effects not possible with it’s standard controls.

All in all, Trans-Europe Express is a pretty solid album. What it lacks in complexity it makes up for in catchiness and inventiveness. Without Kraftwerk’s early werk, rock music might be different than it is today.

Also, check them out on tour with Radiohead if you’re lucky enough to be in Europe. Who knows, you might be one of the only ones that will know who they are, so you can impress all your hip indie friends that went to see Radiohead.

Seventy Two Pin Connector Podcast: Episode 025 – Rock and Roll

SeventyTwoPC – Ustream

Yea!! Battletunes is back! Have I got a great tune for you all: Its your standard Mute City remix alright, but kicks so much ass. From the subtle way it first integrates the base tune to the way it kicks your ass with rockitude. 

Enjoy F-Zero – Voices Broken by the amazing JigginJonT of OC Remix Fame

OC Remix – F-Zero – Voices Broken

Original Remix Page

So, I’m assuming that everyone knows who the Mars Volta are, who At The Drive-In was, and how Sparta sucks. If not, Wiki that shit. I’ll wait and give you this picture to gander at when you get back.

Saying that Omar kicks the shit out of everyone on guitar is an understatement. He is a virtuoso of a different kind. Just listen to “Tied Prom Digs on the Docks” on this album. It is clearly the centerpiece of the album and brings a whole new feel to the rest of the album from a perfect mix of ATDI and Volta to complete jazz fusion. This album really feels ahead of its time, as it was recorded in 2001, released recently, and still manages to jump ahead of what artists are doing now.

While I listen to most albums while playing games, I listened to this album while sitting and paying attention, which is something I try to do for Omar, because if I don’t I never comprehend what is going on. He takes you through twists and turns that will come at you unexpected, and then follows those with insane improvisational guitar parts that put him with the best musicians of our time.

The biggest difference between current Omar and Volta projects and this cd is the life of Jeremy Michael Ward. He was the original sound manipulator/programmer for Volta until he died of a heroin overdose like musicians always fatefully do. His depression is evident in his sounds, and how he always played offstage. His ability to scare the living shit out of you with sound will make you even more frightened to think what was going on through his and Omar’s mind, as they were both on heroin throughout this album.

You must check this album out if you want an exploration in music. If you have distaste for creativity, honesty, instrumentals (considering the lack of vocals) or jazz, then fuck off. If not, you are in for a treat. Good luck finding it though. It took a good long while of intense googling and traveling to record stores to find this.