Kraftwerk's Karl Bartos releases his memoir, The Sound of the Machine

Kraftwerk member Karl Bartos has penned a memoir, detailing his time with the German electronic group from the '70s to the '90s.

The musician co-composed some of Kraftwerk's most influential, era-defining music, including 'The Robots', 'Computer Love', 'Neon Lights', 'Tour De France' and the band's 1982 No.1 single 'The Model'.

He joined the group's founding members Ralf Hütter, Wolfgang Flür and Florian Schneider in 1975.

"Bartos speaks candidly and with wit and humour about his life in Kraftwerk, a band widely acknowledged as being one of the most important in modern music," the book's blurb reveals, adding that he "vividly recalls what it was like to be in the Kling Klang studios during recording, describing the process and perfectly capturing the joy and passion of three people composing and recording."

Bartos also writes about his solo career of 30 years, post-war childhood memories, parallel career as a musician and teacher, and his hopes and fears for today's musical culture.

 

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Released in July, Bartos chronicles his years with the widely acknowledged "godfathers of electronic pop music" and inventors of the Krautrock genre, some 30 years after leaving the band in August 1990.

According to the composer, the book reveals the ways in which the influential band from Düsseldorf found "artistic expression".

"In The Sound of the Machine I try to describe the secrets of our writing sessions, how we played like children and how our mutual search for new artistic expression made us happy," Bartos explains.

"I reveal why our music – created in the analogue world – has survived its digital substitute. As I see it, in our best moments the compositions are a testament to our search for the poetry concealed in the sound of the machine."

Karl Bartos' memoir spans 640 pages.

Kraftwerk had a profound influence on a wide range of genres including electro, hip-hop, techno and synth-pop, due to their experimentation with robotics, synthetic voices, computerised rhythms, and other technical innovations.

The Electronica innovators are set to return to Ireland, following a hugely successful worldwide tour in 2022. They will play King John’s Castle in Limerick on June 28th, 2023, and the Trinity Summer Series in Dublin the next day, on June 29th, 2023.

The Sound of the Machine is available here.

Get tickets to see Kraftwerk in Ireland in 2023 here.