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Kraftwerk: Publikation
Formado em 1970 em Düsseldorf por Ralf Hütter e Florian Schneider e consolidado entre 1975 e 1987 com os percussionistas Wolfgang Flür e Karl Bartos, o grupo é tido como precursor de toda a dance music moderna. "Kraftwerk Publikation" é muito mais do que uma biografia de um grupo sem paralelo na história. Com contribuições de Wolfgang Flür e Karl Bartos, bem como de outros ex-integrantes da banda e artistas do mundo da música eletrônica, o autor David Buckley nos conta, numa linguagem ágil e jornalística, como um "bando de esquisitões" ligados à cena de música de vanguarda alemã acabou se tornando os improváveis "Lords da Música Eletrônica" pop moderna e mantendo-se na ativa até os dias de hoje, com uma agenda de shows lotada.
351 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
June 26, 2017
I really enjoyed 'Kraftwerk: Publikation' by David Buckley, having previously really appreciated his Bowie biography.
It was finally seeing Kraftwerk live, on 7 June 2017, that inspired me to read 'Kraftwerk: Publikation'. This show, their 3-D show, has had me in a Kraftwerk frame of mind ever since.
As a teenager in the late 1970s Kraftwerk were a band my friends and I were in thrall to. We loved them. That love has endured. Needless to say when they pitched up in my back yard, and despite an eye wateringly high ticket price, I was there like a bullet train.
The notoriously secretive band are a challenge to any biographer, however I really enjoyed 'Kraftwerk: Publikation’ and reckon it to be as interesting and thorough a read as anyone could reasonably expect.
Despite no involvement from key members Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider, David Buckley did receive full co-operation from the other two members of the classic line up - Karl Bartos and Wolfgang Flür - along with other ex-members and people associated with Kraftwerk. Karl Bartos and Wolfgang Flür provide some illuminating insights into key moments in the group's career.
More importantly David Buckley is sufficiently knowledgeable and erudite to convincingly place Kraftwerk’s development and achievements into a broader cultural context, and this is where 'Kraftwerk: Publikation' succeeds most convincingly.
If you like Kraftwerk I feel confident you’ll also enjoy 'Kraftwerk: Publikation'.
It was finally seeing Kraftwerk live, on 7 June 2017, that inspired me to read 'Kraftwerk: Publikation'. This show, their 3-D show, has had me in a Kraftwerk frame of mind ever since.
As a teenager in the late 1970s Kraftwerk were a band my friends and I were in thrall to. We loved them. That love has endured. Needless to say when they pitched up in my back yard, and despite an eye wateringly high ticket price, I was there like a bullet train.
The notoriously secretive band are a challenge to any biographer, however I really enjoyed 'Kraftwerk: Publikation’ and reckon it to be as interesting and thorough a read as anyone could reasonably expect.
Despite no involvement from key members Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider, David Buckley did receive full co-operation from the other two members of the classic line up - Karl Bartos and Wolfgang Flür - along with other ex-members and people associated with Kraftwerk. Karl Bartos and Wolfgang Flür provide some illuminating insights into key moments in the group's career.
More importantly David Buckley is sufficiently knowledgeable and erudite to convincingly place Kraftwerk’s development and achievements into a broader cultural context, and this is where 'Kraftwerk: Publikation' succeeds most convincingly.
If you like Kraftwerk I feel confident you’ll also enjoy 'Kraftwerk: Publikation'.
November 30, 2023
Another book about Kraftwerk you ask? If you remember l read Karl Bartos' autobiography earlier in the year. One of the original 'fab four', who wrote a reluctant, but warm foreword for this Buckley bio.
While Karl's book was more personal, dealing as it did with his life both in and out of Kraftwerk, this Publikation (sic) dealt with their stats: releases, remixes, concerts and influences and has many glowing tributes and reminiscences from all those who followed who were influenced by them (OMD's Andy McCluskey, John Foxx, Gary Numan et al) and although a bit weighed down by facts and figures, still casts a warm and reverential light into corners of their world that few would know, save for the die-hards.
It's also obvious Peter Buckley is a fan. A huge one too. As are many of the people who provide snippets of insight into just what makes Kraftwerk such ground-breakers and pioneers in the electronic music realms.
Covering their hippy beginnings in the 60's right up to their current iteration - basically just Ralf and a succession of bit-part players, some more permanent than others since Karl, Florian & Wolfgang all left to persue varying careers both inside and outside of music.
An enjoyable but arduous read tempered as it is by a genuine affection shown for the subjects from the author.
If you like comprehensive bios then you'll enjoy this one. It's exhaustively researched and it shows.
Kling Klang. Boing Boom Tschak!
While Karl's book was more personal, dealing as it did with his life both in and out of Kraftwerk, this Publikation (sic) dealt with their stats: releases, remixes, concerts and influences and has many glowing tributes and reminiscences from all those who followed who were influenced by them (OMD's Andy McCluskey, John Foxx, Gary Numan et al) and although a bit weighed down by facts and figures, still casts a warm and reverential light into corners of their world that few would know, save for the die-hards.
It's also obvious Peter Buckley is a fan. A huge one too. As are many of the people who provide snippets of insight into just what makes Kraftwerk such ground-breakers and pioneers in the electronic music realms.
Covering their hippy beginnings in the 60's right up to their current iteration - basically just Ralf and a succession of bit-part players, some more permanent than others since Karl, Florian & Wolfgang all left to persue varying careers both inside and outside of music.
An enjoyable but arduous read tempered as it is by a genuine affection shown for the subjects from the author.
If you like comprehensive bios then you'll enjoy this one. It's exhaustively researched and it shows.
Kling Klang. Boing Boom Tschak!
July 20, 2017
Some writers are able to make even the most apparently dull subject matter compelling (for example, Michael Lewis). Others take a subject full of fascinating potential and proceed to render it in the dullest possible way. I'm sad to report that this book falls into the second category. A 400-page account of Kraftwerk should be gripping, insightful, esoteric (in a good way), and at an intellectual level appropriate to its subject. This account just felt banal and rote. It's also a lesson in not judging a book by its cover, because the cover is gorgeous. The contents are, sadly, quite monotonous. Very disappointing indeed.
December 26, 2012
with as expected no real access to the main men. it relies on hearsay and gossip. not the most reliable way to write a biography. there is no real revelations either. and more than a few small errors. Depeche mode debut single wasn't new life. music from the catherine wheel wasnt by Byrne and Eno. and Coldplay have never been on the artistic margins while being successful. it was ok but no real insight into the group.
April 15, 2020
Superb biography of the ground-breaking German electronic band
January 9, 2017
Excellent read - learned quite a bit about the post Second World War German generation of youth and gave new insights into this great band
October 31, 2024
The 84th album in my project based on the book "1001 Albums to Hear Before You Die" was "Trans-Europe Express" by Kraftwerk. Until then, I had no idea the band existed, at least not consciously. It wasn’t love at first listen, but I didn’t dislike the group’s electronic sound at all.
About a year later, a friend not only mentioned the band but also lent me its biography, "Kraftwerk: Publication", by David Buckley (translated by Martha Argel and Humberto Moura Neto). That standalone album I listened to months before took on a whole new meaning.
Formed in Düsseldorf, in western Germany, the group plugged electronic music’s synthesizers into the wall, creating an influence that spans from other genre groups, like Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and Yellow Magic Orchestra, to bands and artists from other styles, like David Bowie, New Order, and Coldplay.
Based on several interviews, including with two of the original members, Wolfgang Flür and Karl Bartos, the author traces Kraftwerk’s career from its early days, when only Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider formed the group in the early 1970s, to the 3D concerts held in the 2010s, by which time only Ralf remained of the original four.
In addition to detailing the band’s technical and artistic evolution, this biography also paints the historical, musical, and social panorama surrounding the group. In this context, I was struck by how they helped shape a sense of national pride in the post-war era, with lyrics celebrating German industry and customs, like in the classic album "Autobahn", from 1974, the first with the lineup of Ralf, Florian, Wolfgang, and Karl.
Finally, there’s plenty of drama too, both with outsiders and among the band members themselves; after all, any good story is full of gossip. A tip: if you decide to read this book, listening to the albums as they’re mentioned really enriches the experience.
About a year later, a friend not only mentioned the band but also lent me its biography, "Kraftwerk: Publication", by David Buckley (translated by Martha Argel and Humberto Moura Neto). That standalone album I listened to months before took on a whole new meaning.
Formed in Düsseldorf, in western Germany, the group plugged electronic music’s synthesizers into the wall, creating an influence that spans from other genre groups, like Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and Yellow Magic Orchestra, to bands and artists from other styles, like David Bowie, New Order, and Coldplay.
Based on several interviews, including with two of the original members, Wolfgang Flür and Karl Bartos, the author traces Kraftwerk’s career from its early days, when only Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider formed the group in the early 1970s, to the 3D concerts held in the 2010s, by which time only Ralf remained of the original four.
In addition to detailing the band’s technical and artistic evolution, this biography also paints the historical, musical, and social panorama surrounding the group. In this context, I was struck by how they helped shape a sense of national pride in the post-war era, with lyrics celebrating German industry and customs, like in the classic album "Autobahn", from 1974, the first with the lineup of Ralf, Florian, Wolfgang, and Karl.
Finally, there’s plenty of drama too, both with outsiders and among the band members themselves; after all, any good story is full of gossip. A tip: if you decide to read this book, listening to the albums as they’re mentioned really enriches the experience.
March 28, 2019
Utterly interesting for fans of the band, but I can't think it would be anything but dull to anyone else. Perhaps it does read like an entertaining little story of egos, jealousies and petty rivalries. Flür does come across as more than a little bitter, Bartos looks more graceful and more relevant than one would have thought. Ralf and Florian... only speak through past interviews.
A wealth of information about how each album was made and how they were left stuck in repeat when the world finally caught up with them, and they escaped in their bikes. For the record, I think Electric Cafe is a great album and sounds much better than the 1983 demos that have surfaced. So we have to wait 20 years for another album? It had better be better than TDFS.
A wealth of information about how each album was made and how they were left stuck in repeat when the world finally caught up with them, and they escaped in their bikes. For the record, I think Electric Cafe is a great album and sounds much better than the 1983 demos that have surfaced. So we have to wait 20 years for another album? It had better be better than TDFS.
July 6, 2022
Ive read this book on and off for about a year and it wasnt until last week i decided to finish the full thing by reading the 150+ pages i had left. Overall its not a bad biography of kraftwerk i quite liked it and id say its accurate in telling the story of kraftwerk and its clear a lot of effort and passion was put into the book. Problem was its not super thrilling too read about a 50 year old band, i much prefer fantasy stuff like LOTR. Im not even close too a book person so the problem simply lies with me.
I dont regret reading it tho and whilst i knew a lot about the band already, this book still provides with all the necesary details i wouldnt know of.
A must read for any kraftwerk fan.
I dont regret reading it tho and whilst i knew a lot about the band already, this book still provides with all the necesary details i wouldnt know of.
A must read for any kraftwerk fan.
July 7, 2018
This is a “good” book on Kraftwerk. The environment that created the band, and their influences on other musicians (Orchestra Maneuvers in the Dark is mentioned so often you might mistake this as their biography). As secretive as the two main members are, you can credit David Buckley for painting as complete a picture as one can considering the information available. In hindsight I wish I had picked up Pascal Bussy’s ‘Kraftwerk: Man, Machine and Music’ or an un-redacted English version of Wolfgang Flur’s ‘Kraftwerk: I Was A Robot’ (if there is one). Both of which are now on my eBay, Abebooks, Amazon hunt list.
October 6, 2020
Omdat het duo dat de kern vormt/vormde van Kraftwerk (Ralf Hütter en Florian Schneider) altijd zelf weinig persoonlijke aandacht zocht en privé-informatie beschermde tegen al te nieuwsgierige fans en journalisten, is dit boek van David Buckley niet het soort biografie waarin je veel te weten komt over hun levens (maar wel een beetje natuurlijk). Wel krijgen we hier een overzicht van de groei van de band en hoe en waarom ze zo invloedrijk werd. En al bevestigt het boek dat na halfweg de jaren tachtig Kraftwerk maar weinig vernieuwends meer bracht, althans niet op inhoudelijk vlak, toch is het leuk om te lezen hoe hun visie op muziek consequent doorgevoerd werd doorheen alles wat ze maakten.
November 23, 2020
A solid journey through the cloaked history of Kraftwerk. A well written and engaging read drawing from many sources to reveal an insight into the secretive world of a ground breaking band. Best read with the soundtrack of each chapter. Also make sure you dig into the sounds of the associated bands and references of you haven’t done so already.
February 17, 2019
A tremendous insight into one of the most secretive bands that I follow. Full of insightful facts and accolades that many fans of the band won’t know, and written in a easy-going way. Top read for both the die-hard Kraftwerk fans and those only interested in the genre or music altogether.
January 26, 2022
Excellent book about an excellent group, really good history and interviews with several band members but not Ralph or Florian obviously! There was even discussion around the "missing" album from the nineties of which three tracks were played live
January 26, 2021
Viagem sobre q história da banda , do mundo e da música com todas as interações q essa banda teve …
December 28, 2024
A comprehensive, fascinating and detailed biography of arguably one of the most influential bands of all time.
April 8, 2025
Excellent resource on Kraftwerk, minus one star because the editing was surprisingly spotty.
March 9, 2013
As a book about Kraftwerk without input from Ralf and Florian, this is probably as good as it gets.
Upfront it is made clear that there is no new information in the book from the mouths of the two pivotal Kraftwerk ‘frontmen’, Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. It is this starting point that is crucial to the form the book takes and leads to both its strengths and weaknesses.
In the absence of any new data from the main men, the author is forced to create a holistic view. The author takes snippets from old interviews and articles (some of which were his own) and fills in the gaps. This is done skillfully by intertwining new and old interviews from former Kraftwerk band members (most notably Karl Bartos and Micheal Rother) and famous fans (John Foxx, Peter Saville), as well as placing Kraftwerk in a social, cultural and musical context. Within this, one of the most informative parts of the book for me was the examination of the post-WWII cultural landscape in Germany and how this is likely to have influenced Kraftwerk’s musical identity. Overall I did come away with a vivid picture of Kraftwerk’s world, but whether it was an accurate view shared by Ralf and Florian we will probably never know.
In terms of new information, the most notable input came from Karl Bartos (Kraftwerk member, 1975 to 1990) who did give the content some validity. However without the views of Ralf and Florian being accessible there were times when conflicting views were presented, largely with the reader wisely left to make up their own mind. On a few other occasions the author did allow his own or popularly held views to be presented as fact, rather than opinion, which I found a little irritating.
There was also lengthy discussion of the first wave of artists who were influenced by Kraftwerk. At times this meant that the book veered dangerously close to being as much about David Bowie and the ‘80’s electro-pop brigade as about Kraftwerk. That is not to say that this examination of the margins of Kraftwerk’s world was not interesting or mostly relevant. It was, to this reader anyway. However in this way the title of the book as a ‘biography’ could be considered a little misleading, it was more ‘Kraftwerk: A social and cultural study’.
Upfront it is made clear that there is no new information in the book from the mouths of the two pivotal Kraftwerk ‘frontmen’, Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. It is this starting point that is crucial to the form the book takes and leads to both its strengths and weaknesses.
In the absence of any new data from the main men, the author is forced to create a holistic view. The author takes snippets from old interviews and articles (some of which were his own) and fills in the gaps. This is done skillfully by intertwining new and old interviews from former Kraftwerk band members (most notably Karl Bartos and Micheal Rother) and famous fans (John Foxx, Peter Saville), as well as placing Kraftwerk in a social, cultural and musical context. Within this, one of the most informative parts of the book for me was the examination of the post-WWII cultural landscape in Germany and how this is likely to have influenced Kraftwerk’s musical identity. Overall I did come away with a vivid picture of Kraftwerk’s world, but whether it was an accurate view shared by Ralf and Florian we will probably never know.
In terms of new information, the most notable input came from Karl Bartos (Kraftwerk member, 1975 to 1990) who did give the content some validity. However without the views of Ralf and Florian being accessible there were times when conflicting views were presented, largely with the reader wisely left to make up their own mind. On a few other occasions the author did allow his own or popularly held views to be presented as fact, rather than opinion, which I found a little irritating.
There was also lengthy discussion of the first wave of artists who were influenced by Kraftwerk. At times this meant that the book veered dangerously close to being as much about David Bowie and the ‘80’s electro-pop brigade as about Kraftwerk. That is not to say that this examination of the margins of Kraftwerk’s world was not interesting or mostly relevant. It was, to this reader anyway. However in this way the title of the book as a ‘biography’ could be considered a little misleading, it was more ‘Kraftwerk: A social and cultural study’.
July 31, 2013
This started really promising, with a lot of interesting background on the cultural scene that formed the band and interviews with early collaborators. But the reality is that the band themselves have gotten quieter and quieter, and information about them has gotten sparser and sparser. And as the book goes on it gets less and less interesting as it features less interesting insights or intriguing facts and becomes more focused on a) the gripes of ex members and b) awestruck recollections of various 80's synthpop musicians. I'm still waiting for a book that's able to get more inside the band's creative process rather than treating the second half of their career with the same long pauses between albums.
October 31, 2021
A superb tour d'horizon of Kraftwerk's extraordinary journey, and yet so much more. Buckley obviously knew that logistically a conventional fact-based biography of Kraftwerk isn't possible, and there is so much more interest in looking at the members, their forming influence and their context as an analysis. The chapters on their early career with the cultural backdrop of post-Nazi Germany are particularly fascinating. The ubiquitous presence of Bowie at certain chapters felt overdone, there were a few small errors, but in the most part Buckley does this most extraordinary cultural phenomenon justice. Oh, and it feels and looks simply stunning, the artwork alone means ownership of a physical copy is simply *essential* for fans.
March 18, 2016
David Buckley had a tough job ahead of him to write a deep book about Kraftwerk without having access to the main players, but he still manages to pull together a decent overview of the band's history. Though, I have to admit to being a little disappointed by how much simply pieces together large gaps based on conjecture of fans' opinions (no matter how famous those fans may be).
July 9, 2016
A nice overview of the history of this major band and its impact on modern music. Not much new historically that hasn't been covered by previous books and interviews (although updated to within the last couple of years), but the discussions of the music itself and connecting it to the trends of the last 40 years is quite interesting.
May 24, 2013
I'm very much in a Kraftwerk mood/frame of mind right now - so the book
was good timing for me in that sense. Obviously it's 'incomplete' given
the band doesn't really do a lot of talking but it covers off the periods/albums well.
was good timing for me in that sense. Obviously it's 'incomplete' given
the band doesn't really do a lot of talking but it covers off the periods/albums well.
October 29, 2012
Excellent reading on one of the greatest bands of all time. Places the band in context and covers the musical genres they inspired with great quotes from those artists.
November 14, 2013
Nothing really new, but good fun if you're a die hard fan like me :)
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November 6, 2017Turns out that even a band of robots has disputes. Sad, but on the other hand I've been listening to Trans Europe Express and Computerworld and loving them all over again.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews