Kraftwerk
The Man Machine

THE REVIEW

What is the greatest merit of Kraftwerk?

The answers could be numerous: besides having influenced the music of the following 20 years, these four composed German gentlemen invented electronic music from scratch, releasing memorable albums like Autobahn and Trans-Europe Express, experimental and unique works not understood at the time, but reevaluated today, more than two decades later. In 1978, The Man Machine was released, and we are once again faced with an album of the highest caliber, where the group's decadent futurism seems to reach new unexpected heights. 6 perfect tracks, a cover inspired by the Russian constructivist El Lissitzky, and the work is done: you go from the hypnotic "The Robots" to the dance rhythms of "Spacelab" and "Metropolis", then arriving at the true masterpiece of the album, "The Model", a song from the "global village" with an irresistible melody attached, continuing with the twilight "Neon Lights" and the stunning concluding title-track, perhaps the most current and shocking piece (I don't know, if someone rapped over it and it came out today, it almost wouldn’t seem like a song from 1978! :D).

Nothing else to say, therefore, except to reiterate that The Man Machine is another masterpiece by Kraftwerk, a group that, even today, remains among the most innovative in the history of music. After the release of the excellent concept album Computer World, with which Kraftwerk inaugurate the '80s, the group's momentum seems to wane. Nevertheless, albums like The Man Machine remain indelible imprints, difficult to erase, and if today we can talk about electronic, techno, or drum'n'bass, it is undoubtedly thanks to these austere German gentlemen, perhaps ignored by many, but they did their part. And they certainly did it well. Legendary.