In Bureau B‘s relentless desire to document the German electronic music scene of the last fifty years, they have stumbled across one of Karl Bartos‘s few solo releases. Best known as a member of Kraftwerk from 1975-1990, his solo releases are always worth the entry fee, with his mix of synthesisers, beats and social commentary proving to be timeless.
With the tracks collected here all composed by Karl except one co-written with Anthony Rother and all instruments played by himself, there is a surprising variety in the styles and delivery. He pays particular attention to the vocals, which are nearly all effected in some way and they range from the sweet tone of his unmolested voice right through to gurgling robotic entreaties.
You could probably recognise that he had once been a member of Kraftwerk, but this album is thirteen years on, and not only has he embraced new sounds and techniques, but is not afraid to merge those with more familiar sounds from the past. So the intense synth beat of opener “The Camera” is merged with cross-currents of romantic ’80s keyboards that travel at different speeds to the beats. A modern parable with the line “The camera is gonna be your best friend”, he was already warning us of how technology would become so invasive twenty years ago.
You have the feeling that some of these tracks would have been classic pop hits, with “Electronic Apeman” almost ballad-like in its construction; while “Life” has a hint of Pet Shop Boys about its sleek toe-tapping quality. The string-like drifting sweep of “Cyberspace” aches against some descending chords, while “Interview” kicks things up another gear, heading again for the dancefloor. The repeated line in “Ultraviolet” — “I have to return some video tapes” — had me smiling and there is a subtle ironic sense of humour at play here, as if he is aware that there are elements of the past involved but is happy with this unique way of updating things.
A slightly sleeker and darker version of “I Am A Camera” is the penultimate track and the album ends with the ambient synth drift and malfunctioning vocals of “Another Reality”, a lullaby-like calm to bring things to a conclusion. It would be another ten years before Off The Record was released, but Communication really stands the test of time and goes to show just how important he was to the Kraftwerk sound when he was a member. It is great to have it back in print and well worth investigation.-Mr Olivetti-
