KRAFTWERK AERODYNAMIK SINGLE EMI RELEASE: MARCH 17, 2004 REVIEW: MARCH 26, 2004

So here it is, the latest product in what must be seen as quite an interesting period in Kraftwerk's career; after so long away Kraftwerk could actually be seen as going through quite a prolific period; the album last year, touring around Europe, and the release of this single.
From the creators then of such classics as “Pocket Calculator”, “The Robots” and of course “Tour de France”, it does have to be said that they will always find it hard to live up to those legendary heights; especially thanks to the new breed of electro-heads who have pushed the genre so far from those early beginnings. It does have to be said that this single doesn’t quite meet those heights.
Made up of what appears to be recycled parts of previous Kraftwerk outings, both the “Kling Klang Radio Mix” and the “Kling Klang Dynamix” tracks give the impression that this is Kraftwerk-by-numbers; very good given that they are from the same classic formula; robotic voices, strong synths and those infectious catches that have made their tracks so influential to musicians and listeners alike. But to avid fans and people who are familiar with their output (of which there are many) it will all seem a little too similar for comfort.
The mixes then; Alex Gopher and Etienne De Crecy produce a nice little building techno stomper, which will be perfectly at home on any discerning dancefloor (and love that little insistent woodblock beat!) Long-term Kraftwerk remixer Francois Kevorkian also manages to pull out a nice up-tempo reworking, full of blips, squiggles and effected-up sounds over that insistent Kraftwerk bassline.
A decent single by others standards, with some boppy remixes, but you can’t help feeling you have been here before.

MIKE WHYTE