A few years later, I bought a copy of the British music magazine Q, and it included a tape called Drive. It was a wonderful compilation of songs that are great for listening while driving, and it included a song by Kraftwerk called The Model. I was getting intrigued. Then krautrock was referenced more and more by Motorpsycho, so I finally broke down and purchased The Mix, a compilation of some of their best known songs edited together, and that's where I first discovered the song Radioactivity. I have since explored both Kraftwerk and krautrock a little bit more - it did help that Porcupine Tree also did a cover version of Neu!'s Hallogallo, and I am liking what I find.
Defining krautrock, however, is a little bit more difficult. I think that the easiest way to talk about it is in the sense of it being a very experimental music scene in Germany in the 1970s. Yes, the roots can be traced back to the 60s, and yes, there are still krautrock bands today, but they were in many way the German reaction to the prog rock movement of the 70s. It was initially thought of as a derogatory term in the music press, but it was quickly embraced by the bands in what became more of a musical movement.
Like I said, they were very experimental, with massive use of new electronic instruments, especially synthesizers, but many of the bands still had a very traditional organic backdrop with drums and bass. This blend is very apparent in a lot of Kraftwerk's music, although on Radioactivity, the drums are sounding like they have been heavily treated and synthesized. The melody to me is infectious, but the mood of the song is really shining with a very radioactive glow...
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