Pioneering hip hop musician Afrika Bambaataa’s love for Kraftwerk is evidenced by his groundbreaking 1982 electro track “Planet Rock” (above). Indeed, Bambataaa’s underground DJ sets in black nightclubs were a key point-of-entry into the United States for many international electronic musicians in the early 1980s, from Yellow Magic Orchestra to Gary Numan. I hadn’t realized though that Kraftwerk readily acknowledged that it was a two-way musical conversation: Black American music, particularly R&B, was a massive influence on Kraftwerk’s music. In The Wire, John Morrison writes:
In an interview with Dan Sicko, the late author of Techno Rebels: The Renegades Of Electronic Funk, former Kraftwerk percussionist Karl Bartos gives an essential statement on the influence of black R&B on the band’s work: “We were all fans of American music: soul, the Tamla/Motown thing, and of course, James Brown. We always tried to make an American rhythm feel, with a European approach to harmony and melody.” When exploring the band’s early work, this rhythmic influence does occasionally peek its head up through their abstract sound. On “Tone Float” (the title track from founder members Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider-Esleben’s pre-Kraftwerk 1970 debut album as members of Organisation), the band can be heard experimenting with a rhythmic framework similar to the “Bo Diddley” beat, the heavily accented drum pattern that dominated rock ’n’ roll in the 50s and early 60s. For their first release as Kraftwerk, the “Bo Diddley” beat remerges, albeit with an aggressive Jazz flair courtesy of drummer Charly Weiss providing the driving pulse for the the album’s ten minute closer “Vom Himmel Hoch”. In 1974, both Kraftwerk and James Brown delivered “Autobahn” and “Papa Don’t Take No Mess”, two landmark releases that each stretched their subdued, mid-tempo grooves and repetitive conceptual lyrics across extended ten minute plus running times. By 1977, Kraftwerk had fully developed their practice of fusing European electronic music with black American rhythms, forging an aesthetic that reached critical mass with the release of Trans Europe Express.
“Kraftwerk And Black America: A Musical Dialogue” (The Wire)
There’s actually an interesting (and obsessive) story behind Wheatus’s “Teenage Dirtbag”
I have a soft spot for Wheatus’s “Teenage Dirtbag,” mostly as a fun karaoke song that namedrops Iron Maiden and a boyfriend who’s a dick. But I’ve always been surprised by its lasting endure — it’s even by covered by One Direction, and the band re-recorded a translation in Irish Gaelic. Not bad for a […]
READ THE REST
Watch “Mondo Elvis,” a short and unsettling 1984 documentary about extreme Elvis Presley fans
Tom Corboy’s “Mondo Elvis” (1984) is a short, award-winning, and oddly unsettling documentary about extreme Elvis Presley fanatics after The King’s demise. From the description at Mondo A-Go Go Video’s channel: “This award-winning film takes a searing look at Elvis Presley’s most fanatic followers. Meet such devoted disciples as the twin sisters who believe Elvis […]
READ THE REST
This Phoebe Bridgers profile is a fascinating look at journalism in the time of coronavius
The New Yorker has a great new profile on singer-songwriter / human treasure Phoebe Bridgers, whose new album, Punisher, will be released on June 19. Any interview with Bridgers is a delight, even if you’re not a fan of her work. But what really makes this article stick out is its relationship to coronavirus quarantine. Author […]
READ THE REST
Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty has a yoga and fitness app that might just change your life
We’ve all been cooped up in the house for way too long. Even though we’re all trying to be more health-conscious these days, the confinement is likely doing a number on both the physical and psychological health of millions. Young or old, male or female, it’s time for many to take some proactive steps toward […]
READ THE REST
Here’s how to get certification-ready to work on Cisco networked systems
At some point in the future, global communications networks will likely reach one standardized protocol that everyone uses. If you look back over the past few decades, there’s a decent chance that when the story of digital networking is finally settled once and for all, it’s Cisco and Cisco-based systems that the globe will be […]
READ THE REST
Winc will hook you up with 12 of the world’s best wines for less than $8 a bottle
We’ve all grown accustomed to the new world order. And until we can go out and experience the world again like we used to, we’ll settle for the next best thing: bringing the world to our door. And if ever there was a time for wine (and lots of it), it’s now. So even if […]