KRAFTWERK

So Kraftwerk's prog credentials definitely extend to their earliest period, when the band composed of Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider-Esleben, and producer Conny Plank was experimenting with sounds, structures and effects, resulting in them releasing some of the earliest and most important krautrock albums, preceded only by Can's 'Monster Movie' and Amon Düül II's 'Phallus Dei'. Kraftwerk's 1970 self-title debut album was released in November through Philips Records, and has remained one of the unusual entries of the German electronic mavericks' discography, completely unrelated to their later works and featuring for the most part a very repetitive, drone-like, and experimental sound, with a lot of jamming, memorable grooves, and free form circular washes of noise, all elements of the respective movement as the band had gradually become a part of the local art scene.

Opening up the album is the iconic piece 'Ruckzuck', a template krautrock compositions that has gone on to become one of the more recognizable early recordings of the band, the patterns of snare-heavy drums and punctuating flutes (played by Florian) provide for a fine patchwork of sounds that could occasionally be seen as an anticipation of the techno genre, with its repetitive textures and cold atmosphere. Second track 'Stratovarius' is wild and effective, opening up with a gloomy organ sequence followed by a collage of effects and dissonant sounds. As the drums kick in, the composition takes on a more recognizable form, until it dissolves into a frantic conundrum of sounds and shrieks of wah-wah guitars. We then have a piece with more ambient qualities - 'Megaherz', an interesting piece could be seen as Kraftwerk's "sound design" experiment. The fourth and final track on the album is the most improvisational of them all, a chaotic and disorienting piece that is difficult to appreciate, while containing some fascinating sounds. Of course, this album is far from perfect, as it is sonically challenging and experimental, which is why it is a fascinating piece of music, but it remains a great krautrock album that places Kraftwerk among the earliest and most significant bands of the movement.

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