EMOTIONS ELECTRIC

Some interesting comments in relation to my Autechre post. In particular, 11v: "Emotions come in different forms I guess - Kraftwerk were always damned as being robotic/inhuman/emotionless, but that couldn't be farther from the truth imo." I agree entirely. I get tonnes of emotion from Kraftwerk. I'm not entirely sure how it's possible to get an emotional kick from pure machine music, but I get it all the time. I was trying to think how to explain it, then remembered what John McCready wrote for the sleevenotes of Network's "Biorhythm 2" compilation in 1990, which still seems to be a good stab at quantifying the phenomena.

Biorhythm 2 emerges as a new metal machine music, a music as cold as ice. Still it has an emotional quality too. You can't just turn the machines on and walk away. This is always forgotten by the imitators. There has to be emotion and interaction. Kraftwerk knew this. They are the only root for this new school of electronic purism - they existed before the first bleep, before the first speaker gave way, when the acknowledged masters of techno were putting the first batteries in their toy robots. Kraftwerk's mathematical precision is the only influence Biorhythm 2 ackowledges. Ralf and Florian knew the score. Listen to the spaces in this music. That's where the magic happens. That's when your shoulders twitch. That's when you wish you were somewhere dark.

Biorhythm 2 teases the mind but it's also dance music. It's intentions are clear - to induce movement at both ends of the body. Those still static after Constant Ritual's "Hard Way To Come" are beyond hope.

Oh, and for anyone who doesn't know what the hell he's referring to there, here's a quick rip of the track in question:

MP3: Constant Ritual - Hard Way To Come

Right, now I s'pose I'd better try and work up the enthusiasm to visit the polling station...