KARLBARTOS.COM

13th May 2009

Find of the day: Reviews of the album COMMUNICATON – interesting reading six years after the release

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amazon.com

10 Reviews / Average Customer Review *****
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***** It's like new material from his old band, but way better!
JARROD J. JOWDY, February 22, 2008

At first, I heard a little of this CD on MySpace, and was very excited. I had no idea this album was out there. The last time I googled Karl Bartos was pre ”Communication” and I knew he was working on something, but was taken aback when I actually purchased it. The first couple of times I listened to the CD I thought it was too heavy with vocoders, but soon after realized how amazing all the tracks were. Now I just can't stop listening to it! And because of this CD, I feel his former band suffered a great loss when they went their separate ways so many years ago. Although forever inspirational, they did nothing but regurgitate the same music for 20 years. But now, as I look (and listen) on the positive side, I ask myself... ”would the world have this astounding CD if they hadn't parted ways?” Karl Bartos is still waaaay ahead of the times, and this CD calibrates the future of music.



***** Wow! Nice stuff!
Brian St John ”Brian” (Mesa, AZ, USA), January 19, 2008

One of the great mysteries of KW was ”who did what?” Who writes what parts in their songs? Who plays which instruments? Who programs the sounds? Who programs the beats? Who writes the words? Ok, you get it. I think this solo project from former KW member Karl Bartos goes a long way toward answering some of those questions.

I find that these songs incorporate a sense of lyricism and grace, not confined just to the words, that is noticably present in some KW songs (such as The Telephone Call or The Model). And, of course, the use of the computer-vocoder voice on a lot of these songs makes one wonder who influenced who? Are these songs an expose into Bartos' contribution to KW or are they a product of their collective influence on him? It is hard to say from just a passing listen - one has to live with this CD to ponder it.

Nonetheless, this is a strong collection of thoughtful, tuneful, well-written and well-produced songs. Track number six, LIFE, is my new theme song (at least for the next month or year!). I highly recommend this excellent CD and I think anyone who is a fan of KW, or electronic music, will enjoy it.



**** Surprisingly Good!
Aparato SuperSonico (Orlando, FL), May 25, 2007

The songs are good. Nothing super great or classic memorable, but pleasant to listen to. There are comments made by two other people with whom I concur: That he overdoes it with the vocoder, and that this is the album KW should have put out instead of Tour De France Soundtracks. By the time this CD came out (2003), the sound sounds contemporary, even a little dated. This is a shame, but a fact. I truly wish he had released this 10 years ago. Ralf and Florian would not have taken so long between albums, beating Tom Schultz at the game of ”perfection”. Recommended.



***** Bartos keeps the vision alive!
S. Han (Center of the Universe, LA, CA USA), April 6, 2007

I wish Bartos could have stuck out longer with the Kling Klang Guys... but then again, Bartos alone has his distinct flavor and approach to the compositions and sound treatments. This album is so delicious! Bartos really kept the phat tones alive from his past days with KW and incorporates some new textures too on this great collection of songs. After seeing the transformation of KW after Bartos' exit, I'm realizing that Bartos may have been the ”HEART BEAT” of KW. The vocoder really works well and his old school drum machine still pounds out the measures. The innocense of the lyrics/subjects are still there and he infuses catchy melodies with out-of-this-world synth voices, although resorting to bland transition chords like in ”Electronic Apeman”, just slightly killing the flow of wonderful group of measures. I wished he had access to Marnie and Aroyo of Ladytron or a female voice to some of the tracks... So what's the deal with these technopop gurus? Why not pump out records like mad ?!?!



***** The album KW should have made instead of ”Tour De France Soundtracks”
Steven LeBeau, February 23, 2007

Just as KW were readying their first album in twenty years (”Tour De France Soundtracks), Karl Bartos released his first ”official” solo album, Communication. Ask most KW fans which album sounds more like classic KW, the answer is, maybe not surprisingly, the Karl Bartos release.

Bartos is a classically trained percussionist who played electronic drums in KW, but he also received songwriting credit on some of KW's most enduring compositions. Listening to ”Communication” and ”Tour De France Soundtracks” side by side, it doesn't take a genius to see Bartos was the man behind the beautiful melodies of ”Neon Lights”, ”Computer World”, ”Computer Love”, ”Tour De France”, and ”The Model,” and I speculate he also wrote the lead synth melody of ”Europe Endless” (although he doesn't receive a writing credit).

And melody is why this album succeeds: ”Communication” is loaded with beautiful melodies and some great singing from Bartos. It's unfortunate that he let the ”computer voice” (it's not a vocoder!) sing so much on this album, as he's got a very enjoyable voice. Hopefully he'll sing more on his next release...



***** Excellent ex-KW
Lovblad (Geneva, Switzerland), January 18, 2004

This is an excellent album by Karl Bartos from KW. Very well performed electronic music. OK maybe a little too much use of the Vocoder but otherwise excellent.



**** Karl has still got it!
Mr Robert Charter (Sydney, Australia), January 18, 2004

Karl has, over the last 10 years, been able to express his individual musical talent through solo and coproduced albums, rather than have his skillful, clever and slightly cynical musica creations placed over the tall-standing umbrella of KW.

Following up from his albums released under the band name of Elektric Music/Electric Music, Karl has graced us with an album full of groaning, throaty bassy synthesizer tracks, combined with funky pop songs and effects laden musical journeys. His (somewhat overused) vocoder thrusts out lyrics related to the premises of communication, with tracks such as Im The Message, The Camera and Ultraviolet sending a slightly disguised and quite funny message about modern society and its use of communication such as means as advertisments, photographs, ect.

I wont compare Karl's music to KW as much as many people do, but you can certainly feel the underlying precision and simple but catchy tunes that tends to be very valuable to the structure of KW's music. If you enjoy electronica, or simply would like to hear what a great master of electronic music can produce, dont give Communication a miss!

And if you enjoy this album, make sure you take a look at Karl's earlier effort, Esperanto (under the title of Elektric Music) as these two albums are quite similar in style, although i feel that Communication has a better level of refinment and focus. Dont deprive yourself and order a copy of Communication now!



***** Deserves more than 5 stars!!!!
kittyfan ”briarrose11” (Tinley Park, IL United States), November 6, 2003

I have always been a KW fan and this album is probably one my favorites ever! I like it because every track is dancable and catchy and sticks in your head. The vocals are mostly robotic, but on the ones where Karl sings, it reminds me of his other side project from several years back called Elektric Music. If you missed that one, I highly recommend it too! KW fans will not be disappointed. I think this is the worth every penny of the import price! Who knows if it will ever be domestic, but I wouldn't wait if I were you.



**** This man knows KW cuisine
Aulis Vierhovssen ”Aulismedia” (Dallas, Texas United States), October 2, 2003

Karl Bartos, best known for his role in german mensch machine KW, issued this album, 'Communication' which can be called enough nice to draw attention of electro lovers. This opus demonstrates clearly that Karl was not that far from KW studio processes as Ralf Hutter tried to show. But he's definitely ex-KW, he understands the spirit of late 70s electronic music and delivered it to the 00s. Thus, as you can probably imagine, the album sounds a bit outdated but only a bit, on the other side it is a balsam for all KW admirers. You should also buy KW's 'Tour De France Soundtracks' just to make a comparison between real KW and what sometimes was a part of it.



***** The Best Synthpop Release of 2003? Perhaps!!
A Customer, September 22, 2003

Wow, this is what the last KW cd should have been. You can really see who had the talent in KW. Nice upbeat songs, cool use of vocoders, great bass and synth lines. Think ”Man Machine” meets ”Computer World” and you are almost there. Yeah, it is that good. Totally impressed with this release. Karl had a good release with ”Esperanto” a few years back, but this blows that away with ease. Buy it!!


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amazon.co.uk

23 Reviews / Average Customer Review *****
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***** Outstandica, 16 Oct 2008
By John Roberts

Ignore the negatives. This is a superb album. Track after track of class. BUY BUY BUY !!!!!



***** Rockin, 23 Jun 2008
By Bill Flowerpot (In the Garden)

Superb uplifting music that just makes me want to dance. Genius, despite what some arrogant reviewers may feel, ”Let me remix it” What a Prat.



***** You may not know the name, but you will know the sound alright, 30 Jun 2007
By Mr. M. A. Reed (Somewhere, GB)

The long neglected, and unrecognised genius who sat quietly within KW and helped create some of their best songs, strikes out with his first solo album in his own right.

Popular opinion will tell you KW were Ralf and Florian, and two other blokes. In terms of numbers, this is absolutely correct. But Karl Bartos was as much a member of KW as they were: co-writer of every song on 1981's classic ”Computer World”, vocalist, and programmer / producer, he was an integral part of KW as anyone else. To those of us in the know, he's the Techno equivalent of John Lennon.

But this is his first solo album in it's own right. And my god, it's good. Stylistically, it's a KW album: simplistic, but never simple, sparse progressions, original and intriguing rhythms, inventive use of sounds, and some wonderful, infectious melodies. Classic sounds burst forth from Moogs, mellotrons, and other things that sound like they were invented by aliens, and make this album an experience in retro dance futurism that is effortlessly in vogue with - and far superior to - the faux-retro futurism of the Electroclash scene.

”Communciation”: like his previous album ”Esperanto” and KW's records, stands on the central concept or theme. For this album, Bartos deconstructs the nature of fame and the media as a statement on the cult of personality and celebrity in an elegant and simple style. One track (the pulsating ”Ultraviolet”) endlessly recycles the work of Bret Easton Ellis to exploit simple phrases that have now entered the popular lexicon, revealing the meaningful to be as meaningless as anything it seeks to replace.

Musically the album is certainly a superior, and probably obscure, addition to the genre. Not to bore you, but it sounds lush, is effortlessly danceable, has just the right mix of reclaimed, forgotten instrumentation from decades past and bleeding edge stuff. Nobody else sounds like this.

Problem is, Karl Bartos has a fetish for using the best bit of kit he ever invented when he was in KW, and he uses it a lot. The Bands DLV. Digital Lead Vocalist. Or, a superadvanced version of the Speak And Spell machine. Instead of the neutral, clean vocals that Bartos leant to such classics as ”Telephone Call”, and the overlooked ”Television” from his 1993 debut ”Esperanto”, every lead vocal on the album (or near enough every one) is performed by a Speak And Spell machine.

Sure there's been solo albums before : 1993's ”Esperanto” ( a collaboration with long-established friends), 1996's ”Raise The Pressure” (where, working as part of Electronic, he helped create the ultimate crossbreed between techno and guitars), and 1999's ”Electric Music”, which saw him divulging his love for guitars, alienating most of his fanbase, and producing a frankly turgid album of dull rock. Thankfully only one song on this album (the dreadful ”Life”), appears to date from his rock-fetish days, and has been substantially reworked into the electronic arena, but is still a piece of unessential filler that demands you test the FFWD button.

It's far from perfect: a over-reliance on vocoders, a lack of elegant chord progressions, and the occasionally trite lyric detract from that. In addition, as one would expect from a founder member of the band that invented electronic music, it sounds dated. Then again, everything good sounds dated these days. From the Kylie to The Darkness, nothing sounds futuristic anymore. In fact, come to think of, the production values and retro-sounds on this album put such faux-retro albums as Sophie Ellis Bextor's Shoot From The Hip, and lesser, bland efforts by Kylie, Madonna and Goldfrapp in the shade. If a pretty girl had sung on these songs they would go Top 10. But the air of nostalgic futurism - a vision of the world the way it could've been in 2004 - overshadows this album, in the same way that all great science fiction tries to predict the future, and misses completely.

But this is his spiritual home. This is as intruiging and interesting as KW's recent exploits: more so, in fact. You shouldn't own a copy of KW's recent ”Tour De France” without also having this one in your collection. The perfect compliment. What KW lack, this has, and vice versa. ”Communication” is the type of album that stands up as equal of any album either he or his peers have produced. Consider what could have happened: he could've turned into a McCartney, producing anodyne and dull, vaccous rehashes of his past of negliable artistic validity... or he could've done this. Remained true to the trail, and forged forward. Fast Forward Retro-Futurama.



***** Like it a lot., 21 Feb 2007
By T. J. Stickland ”tomstickland” (UK)

My first impression was that this was a pretty reasonable though slightly unexciting album. After listening to it for a number of days I have to say that I've been won over by the clever hooks and the apparently simple arrangements. There's no really big theme and it's not as cool as a KW record, but it does contain a lot of tasty sounds and it bounces along in a techno pop manner. The loop of ”I have to return some video tapes” makes me grin too. I've recently been reading Wolfgang Flur's book and I think it's great that Flur and Bartos are doing their own thing and releasing their own music.



*** KW on a Good Day, 22 Sep 2006
By I. Kelly ”Ian” (UK)

I borrowed this from my local library, so I am rather pleased that I didn't buy it. Of the 10 tracks, only 3 really worked for me. 'The Camera', '15 Minutes of Fame' and 'Life'. I'm afraid the rest of the tracks are a bit naff.



***** Superb!, 14 Nov 2005
By Coincidence Vs Fate (Warwickshire, UK)

OK, so as some other reviewers have pointed out, this album does suffer a little from the ”I've got a vocoder and I'm gonna use it” syndrome, but don't let that put you off.

What Karl has given us here is a superb album, with ten slices of pure electronic bliss. The instrumentation on this album is absolutely amazing, particularly when you whack that volume dial up to max! There were three singles altogether from this album. ”The Camera” is probably my favourite and features the aforementioned vocoder to great effect. Again, the vocoder is used exclusively on ”I'm The Message”. The last of the trio of singles is ”15 Minutes Of Fame” which was actually released as a single three years before the album came out. I know why Karl chose to put on the album though as it's a fantastic catchy piece of synthpop. How this wasn't a hit is anyone's guess.

Other highlights are the highly contagious ”Life” which would have made a great fourth single, it's probably the most catchy track on the whole album and is very New Orderish in style. Curiously this album was released around the same time as KW's ”TDF: Soundtracks” and for my money, ”Communication” is the superior piece of work.

It's now been 15 years since Karl jumped ship from KW and while his star has risen, his old bandmates' has fallen somewhat. While the musical world has now caught up (and in some cases surpassed) with KW, Karl still forges a path of his own.I think it's now clear to see that Karl was a major force within the band and since his departure it's plain that they have missed his songwriting input. Pluck a CD out from your KW collection and just look at his song writing credits. The guy's a genius and deserves his place in musical history.



*** Remix the Vocoders!, 27 Jan 2005
By james havers (crawley, west sussex)

I have to admit I only bought this CD today so the opinions given might be a little premature! On first listen, the quality electronic music is spoilt by the overbearing vocoders - which sound just a bit too harsh for my ears...I think the vocal on KW's TDF Soundtracks was definitely superior. However, 'Communication' does contain a few tracks with unenhanced vocal which I think could have been used to greater effect elsewhere on the album!



*** This is the follow-up to computerworld., 20 Jul 2004
By A Customer

If, like me, you have been disappointed by everything released by KW since computer world in 1981, then this could be the album for you. Good analogue bass lines, lots of vocoder, and all the little drum noises that you like. The music is repetitive and melodic, and based firmly on the late 70s early 80s KW sound, although Bartos has introduced a smattering of more contemporary sounds. I highly recommend this album.



*** KWian problem infects the electrics, 2 May 2004
By Mr. S. R. Dhain ”shekhardhain”

KARL BARTOS' second offering (yes, him who USED TO BE in KW), is like KW's last album,even and consistent. But therein lies the problem...it doesnt manage to even attempt sound as up to date as their TOUR DE FRANCE Album, Nevermind anything else on the market.

The album itself is relatively short, and apart from perhaps 3 or 4 of the tracks (i'm the message, the title track, ultraviolet, electronic apeman), the lack of professional production polish - especially the use of very old mid-period kraftwerk sounds- becomes the aural equivalent of ”vanilla ice cream”; nice in short doses, but not for prolonged periods. It's a shame, because if he had worked with the sounds a bit more- no complaints about the vocoding, as that does help somewhat-instead of just reusing those same old samples off his (perhaps) akai s1100 from the early nineties then this would have been something else; but of course, he didn't.

Overall, it's good, but not brilliant.It's a shame that in different ways, KW fans have perhaps been a bit shortchanged in both quarters at around the same time. Bartos, however, can perhaps solve HIS PROBLEM by updating his sonic pallette AS SOON AS POSSIBLE



**** KW in disguise!, 20 April 2004
By richard pardey (SANDOWN, ISLE OF WIGHT United Kingdom)

I wasn't expecting this cd to live up to KW's music but I was pleasently surprised! The opening track camera is top notch and yes this cd does sound like KW but slightly more uptempo. I Especially like the voice coder - very robotic! overall an essential purchase if you like KW. You can see here how much this artist contributed to KW's sound!



***** A great album!, 26 Feb 2004
By Mr. Benjamin Ward ”baward” (UK)

This is a great album, the fruit of a man with a lot of experience in modern music. The more you listen to it, the more it grows on you. And I think its better and far more interesting than its contemporary release from his old band, KW's 'Tour de France Soundtracks'. Excuse me, I must fly, I have to return some videotapes! ;-)



***** Return of the Meister, 25 Feb 2004
By A Customer

Karl Bartos is BACK and he's at the top of his game. Listening to this, you can easily understand how influential the man has been within both his former band KW and within modern pop music in general. The first single, ”I'm The Message”, is a sure-fire bet to be sampled by other artists for years to come. If you like KW and/or more recent examples of electronica, this album is the real deal, so buy it now and hear the sound of a master at work!



* Electronic cheese. Avoid., 11 Feb 2004
P. Warren (London, UK)

Let's get this straight, I love classic KW, Warp, IDM; so I should love this album; but I don't, because it's crap. The chord progressions are just so obvious and cheesy - this could be children's party music. The exception is ”I'm the message” which is actually quite good because here Karl has a flash of mild brilliance and substitutes cringe-worthy Bontempi organ lines with some distorted sounds for a change - great. What about trying that on the rest of the album, Karl.

KW always had a knack for being tuneful but inventive. This has tunes but no invention. KW always wrote interesting or amusing lyrics. This has neither - the lyrics are just awful: for instance, on Ultraviolet Karl sings over and over again ”I have to return some video tapes” - Karl's angst at having to pop down to Blockbusters, presumably.

It's not that absolutely every note and every sound is crap, some of it shows real potential, and given the chance I could remix this and make it into a really good album - I am open to offers Sony - however, the real problem is that Karl Bartos is hanging onto his KW roots so tightly he's cutting off the blood-supply to his brain. As it stands, this is rave music for the under fives; a sort of limp 'KW Kids vs S-Club 7' omelette mixed up in a bucket of fish - and the smell's not good. Two alternative contemporary recommendations: if you really want a hard 'robot music' fix, I recommend Richard Devine. And if you still dig a tuneful early-eighties electronic sound, then give Bochum Welt a try instead.



**** Krafty, ear-friendly electro, 31 Dec 2003
By Mr. K. Gardiner (Manchester, UK)

Okay - so here's the lowdown...

I love KW. Being ”of a certain age” (!) I wasn't into them from the start. No, I was a child of the 80's, and fell in love with ”The Model”. Then came the album from whence it came - ”The Man Machine”, followed rapidly by the rest of the back catalogue. So, with the anorak firmly on, I can confess a love for all kinds of electronica. My (christian) namesake is the man who was drafted in by Johnny and Barney to lend a hand in the songwriting and keyboards on the second Electronic album, ”Ease The Pressure”. That seems a good place to start with a comparison. Another reference point might be Karl's ex-band's vintage album offering ”Computer World”. This seems like a (slightly updated) companion-piece to that album. Yes - as another reviewer states - there is a lot of vocoder singing.

However, if you do not find computerised vocals off-putting, there is much to enjoy here. (And besides, ever since Air - with their unashamed love for retro technology - issued ”Moon Safari”, vocoders are back in fashion!) Karl even sounds a little like Brian Eno or John Foxx in places - on Track 5, Electronic Apeman - for example. (And that can't be a bad thing, as ”Metamatic” is in my top 10 favourite albums of all time!) The sound in general seems to consist of beaty mid-density techno throbs, with a healthy - if lightweight - melody, overlayed with pleasurable (normal and/or robotised) vocals. A pleasant overall listen, despite the seeming lack of any standout/”single” tracks. If I had to make just one comparison, I would say ”Communication” sounds as if it is what should have been the 3rd Electronic album, if they hadn't decided to release the dire ”Twisted Tenderness”. Oh, and the limited edition packaging is absolutely fantastic! PPS: Briggsy - you inspire me... thank you.



***** lovely lovely vocoders, 6 Nov 2003
By ”vermona”

Karl's first album as Elektric Music took off where Computerworld left off. Now here is another album which proves that his contribution to the classic KW sound was huge. Whereas the new KW album sounds like it was all done on a laptop [it probably was] Communication is brimming with moogs, mellotrons, powerful electronic percussion and beautiful synthesized voices. Karl was obviously the raw, emotional soul of the band and this album is all the better for it. Any criticism of the use of vocoders [on 2 of the tracks] is unfounded. I personally love the robot voices and sampled phonemes and wouldn't dare suggest he ”grow out of them” - it's a unique and important part of his pallete. If you don't like synthesized voices don't buy this album and then moan that it's got synthesized voices on it - it's the reason I bought it!
Fantastic album.



* Vocoder overload - avoid at all costs!, 3 Nov 2003
By Outraged (London, United Kingdom)

Having read all the other reviews of this release, I was getting seriously excited about owning the CD. As soon it arrived in the post, I ran skipping to the stereo.... only to be hugely disappointed. Believe me - This CD is even worse than Electric Music's Esperanto. This is really, really bad: vocoders everywhere (KW have traditionally known how to use these sparingly to enhance the effect, not so Mr Bartos it would seem); the start of a good melody then an abrupt change; no coherent song structure; and percussion that is way too loud. These last two points are important. It's as if Bartos' worse excesses were mercifully repressed while he was a member of KW. Now, unfortunately, he is like the rebellious student who will do the exact opposite to his parents wishes, usually with disastrous results. This CD is a mess, and considering he has had a decade to work on it since his last release, the mess is inexcusable. If I had my way, Bartos would be barred from any future KW royalities.



***** Just as I expected, 14 Oct 2003
By L. Button ”leebutton”

I liked ”Elektric Music”, Karl's previous incarnation and this prompted me to buy his latest work. One of those risky but worth a try purchases. I am most definitely not disappointed. Rythmic, vocoder enhanced electric music with thought. I would argue that it has soul and as for the video of ”I'm the message”. Truly excellent and a compliment to the track, as are the two remixes available by download.The Camera, I'm the message, Electronic Apeman and Life stand out as the best tracks for me. This music has personality... Rythmic, electronic, synthesized, melodic personality! Well done Karl.



* Its a Mess with No Soul, 9 Oct 2003
By ”markyboy99”

Thank goodness I bought Human League's 'Travelogue' in the same order. 'Communication' was bought on the strength of the KW history behind Bartos, and I quite liked his previous solo single 'TV' under the 'Elektric Music' pseudonym. I'm not inclined to give reviews, but felt the need to redress the balance here.

There is no emotion or feeling to any of the tracks. The mono-tone vocoder throughout the ablum became something that I dreaded hearing again. There is an overall slopiness to the synth sounds. I'm surprised Karl Bartos had the heart to finish any of the tracks. Bonus remixes available to download on the internet, but not CD-quality bitrate - why not just put them on the CD? The included arthouse video becomes tenuous as a result of the music it supports. This style of music can have a soul, but not this album. Don't trust reviews - find out for real!



* Why, why, why use vocoders!, 8 Oct 2003
By Jay M ”jay_mc” (Dublin, Ireland)

Karl Bartos is a talented musician and also a good enough singer. That is why I can't understand why he relys so much on that awful invention, the vocoder. I am a huge KW fan and I knew they used vocoders, but they used them well, never over-using them and also they sounded more distinctive when they used them, actually like robots, more than just a voice-altering tool.

That is where the difference is. KW used them not to disguise or hide anything but to give a voice to their robots, but nowadays vocoders are used just to try and enhance singer's voices and make their voices 'wobble' a bit. I just don't see the point. Particularly in this case.

It's not that I'm a big KW fan and I decided to give this CD a whirl just because of that, I am not new to Bartos's music, I have his previous album under his 'Elektric Music' alter-ego. On that album there was vocoder too, but not on nearly every song and also I thought he should have grown out of using it by this album anyway. Not so! About 'Communication', on the music side of things, it's fairly standard electro but with some nice Bartos touches, so reminicent of his KW days. So the music itself is more than average, it's the vocal side of things that lets the album down. '15 Minutes of Fame' though, is a good song. He can sing, so why doesn't he? Who needs to hide behind a machine, that's for your pop-idol idiots.



**** The return of Karl Bartos; music by Karl Bartos, 30 Sep 2003
By Kasper Saustrup Hansen ”ulle_dk” (Denmark)

Brilliant casing! It took me a couple of minutes to figure out how to open it.
It doesn't take you long to discover who the big force in Kraftwerk was. Karl has always been a percussion-genius, and his rhythmic-style is intact on this album. What the new KW album lack this CD's got, and vice versa.

If you liked ”Esperanto” (EM), ”Man Machine” (KW), ”Computer World” (KW), and ”Electric Cafe” (KW), you'll certainly like this as well. Nice that ”15 Minutes Of Fame” is included, eventhough it's 3 years old. All in all, it's Karl Bartos - the rhythem-genius. It's a bit short though, there's only 41:40 of new material. But the quality of the 41:40 is well worth it, or so I think. And what's your claim to fame?



***** Well worth The Wait!, 28 Sep 2003
By Mr R Maddison (south shields, tyne and wear United Kingdom)

What a fantastic album! This hits you straight between the eyes with from the start with catchy eletro beats and melodies that were evident many moons ago in KW. You can tell where the influence of the ”pop” songs came from when he was part of Ralf and Florian's group.

Hard to say which are the best tracks as they are all great. The Camera , Electronic Apeman, 15 Minutes of Fame, they all grab you from the off. The others take a little while longer (not much!) to get you hooked but all the tracks are full of melodies that I have found it hard to stop listeneing to.

Karl Bartos has carried on the flag of Electro Pop forward and done what KW were expected to do. Yes it does sound very ”KW” like with the Vocoders, but then he was evidently one of the core members of the band. Anyone who likes KW or Electronic music of any kind must add it to their collection. Excellent stuff Mr Bartos! We are not worthy!!



***** kraftwerk no more!!!!!!!, 20 Sep 2003
By A Customer

A brilliant album from Karl Bartos former member of the group KW. Not as brit pop as his previous work with Electrik music. A return to the sound of Kraftwerk but with a new millenium twist. In comparison with the recent release from KW ”Tour De France” this is far better and more grander sounding. All the tracks are uptempo some with normal vocals or robot sounding ones. If you are lucky enough to purchase the limited edition version you have access to Bartos's web page which contains additional dance tracks. This record is an important addition to any collector of synth records and KW. But it, listen to it and enjoy!!!!



***** How KW should sound, 16 Sep 2003
By Mr. David H. Arnold ”londondave” (London)

Well, this album is a real surprise. It's bouncy, tuneful, full of melodies and bright breezy electro-pop. It's great. Yet it makes me slightly sad because this is how Atelier should still sound - yet the last KW release ”Tour De France” is plain dull and boring. (Karl left KW in the early 90s, getting fed up with the lack of output and slow work rate.) Best tracks on here are ”The Camera”, ”15 Minutes of Fame” and ”Life”. It sounds like a proper KW album! The familiar KW electronic sounds and noises that we all love are all here. The only faults are the tendency to sound a little too much like Depeche Mode at times and that, only slightly, irritating robotic voice. But overall a great CD.