Minimum-Maximum

Last updated

Minimum-Maximum
Minimum-Maximum 2005.png
Live album by
Kraftwerk
Released6 June 2005
Recorded2004
Genre Electronic
Length120:39 (combined)
Label
Producer
Kraftwerk chronology
Tour de France Soundtracks
(2003)		Minimum-Maximum
(2005)		 The Catalogue
(2009)

Minimum-Maximum is the first official live album release by Kraftwerk, released in June 2005, almost 35 years after the group gave its first live performance. The album features two CDs of tracks recorded on the group's world tour during 2004, including concerts in Warsaw, Ljubljana, Moscow, Berlin, London, Budapest, Tallinn, Riga, Tokyo, and San Francisco.

Contents

Like many of its studio albums, Minimum-Maximum was released in two different language versions: the band's native German, and English for the international market, although of the 23 tracks on the album, only the recordings of "The Model", "Radioactivity", "Trans Europe Express"/"Metal on Metal", "Computer World", "Pocket Calculator" and "The Robots" are actually different between the releases. The album title, an excerpt from the lyrics of the song "Elektro-Kardiogramm" (which only exists in an English-language version), is the same for both German and English versions.

In an interview for Mojo , Ralf Hütter regretted the fact that they could not include recordings from their 2004 concert in Santiago de Chile:

"We have great recordings from Santiago, Chile, but couldn’t incorporate them into Minimum-Maximum because we'd already mixed the album," says Ralf. "The Chileans were the only audience in the world who clap in time, in perfect synchronisation." [1] [2]

The album was also released as a double live concert DVD with DTS 5.1 sound on 5 December 2005.

The track "Planet of Visions" is a reworked version of the song "Expo 2000", based on a 2001 remix by Underground Resistance. The vocoder text "Sellafield 2" at the start of "Radioactivity"/"Radioaktivität" is included for the first time on the CD and DVD set. The intro vocoder text before "The Man-Machine"/"Die Mensch-Maschine" is included only on the DVD release.

Minimum-Maximum was nominated for the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album. [3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 86/100 [4]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [5]
The A.V. Club (favourable) [6]
CD Times(7/10) [7]
Drowned in Sound (8/10) [8]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
NME (8/10) [10]
Pitchfork Media (9.0/10) [11]
Prefix Magazine(9.0/10) [12]
PopMatters (6/10) [13]
The Star (favourable) [14]

Minimum-Maximum received critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 86, based on 17 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".

Track listing

English version

Disc one

  1. "The Man-Machine" (Karl Bartos, Florian Schneider, Ralf Hütter) Warszawa, Sala Kongresowa - 27.05.04 – 7:55
  2. "Planet of Visions" (Fritz Hilpert, Hütter, Florian Schneider) Ljubljana, Križanke - 24.05.04 – 4:45
  3. "Tour de France (Étape 1)" (Hilpert, Hütter, Maxime Schmitt, Schneider) Riga, Olimpiska Hall - 29.05.04 – 4:22
  4. "Chrono" (Hilpert, Hütter, Schneider, Schmitt) Riga, Olimpiska Hall - 29.05.04 – 1:29
  5. "Tour de France (Étape 2)" (Hilpert, Hütter, Schmitt, Schneider) Riga, Olimpiska Hall - 29.05.04 – 4:48
  6. "Vitamin" (Hilpert, Hütter) Moscow, Lushniki - 03.06.04 – 6:41
  7. "Tour de France" (Bartos, Hütter, Schmitt, Schneider) Paris, Le Grand Rex - 22.03.04 – 6:18
  8. "Autobahn" (Hütter, Schneider, Emil Schult) Berlin, Tempodrom - 25.03.04 – 8:51
  9. "The Model" (Bartos, Hütter, Schult) London, Brixton Academy - 20.03.04 – 3:41
  10. "Neon Lights" (Bartos, Hütter, Schneider) London, Royal Festival Hall - 18.03.04 – 5:58

Disc two

  1. "Radioactivity" (Hütter, Schneider, Schult) Warszawa, Sala Kongresowa - 27.05.04 – 7:41
  2. "Trans-Europe Express" (Hütter, Schult) Budapest, Sportaréna - 25.05.04 – 5:01
  3. "Metal on Metal" (Hütter) Budapest, Sportaréna - 25.05.04 – 4:28
  4. "Numbers" (Bartos, Hütter, Schneider) San Francisco, The Warfield - 28.04.04 – 4:27
  5. "Computer World" (Bartos, Hütter, Schneider) Moscow, Lushniki - 03.06.04 – 2:55
  6. "Home Computer" (Bartos, Hütter, Schneider) Warszawa, Sala Kongresowa - 27.05.04 – 5:55
  7. "Pocket Calculator" (Bartos, Hütter, Schneider) Moscow, Lushniki - 03.06.04 – 2:58
  8. "Dentaku" (Bartos, Hütter, Schneider) Tokyo, Shibuya Ax - 04.03.04 – 3:15
  9. "The Robots" (Bartos, Hütter, Schneider) Moscow, Lushniki - 03.06.04 – 7:23
  10. "Elektro Kardiogramm" (Hilpert, Hütter) Tallinn, Exhibition Hall - 30.05.04 – 4:41
  11. "Aéro Dynamik" (Hilpert, Hütter, Schneider, Schmitt) Riga, Olimpiska Hall - 29.05.04 – 7:14
  12. "Musique Non-Stop" (Bartos, Hütter, Schneider) Moscow, Lushniki - 03.06.04 – 9:51

German version

Disc one

  1. "Die Mensch-Maschine" (Karl Bartos, Florian Schneider, Ralf Hütter) Warszawa, Sala Kongresowa – 7:55
  2. "Planet der Visionen" (Fritz Hilpert, Hütter, Florian Schneider) Ljubljana, Križanke – 4:45
  3. "Tour de France (Étape 1)" (Hilpert, Hütter, Maxime Schmitt, Schneider) Riga, Olimpiska Hall – 4:22
  4. "Chrono" (Hilpert, Hütter, Schneider, Schmitt) Riga, Olimpiska Hall – 1:29
  5. "Tour de France (Étape 2)" (Hilpert, Hütter, Schmitt, Schneider) Riga, Olimpiska Hall – 4:48
  6. "Vitamin" (Hilpert, Hütter) Moscow, Lushniki – 6:41
  7. "Tour de France" (Bartos, Hütter, Schmitt, Schneider) Paris, Le Grand Rex – 6:18
  8. "Autobahn" (Hütter, Schneider, Emil Schult) Berlin, Tempodrom – 8:51
  9. "Das Model" (Bartos, Hütter, Schult) Berlin, Tempodrom – 3:41
  10. "Neonlicht" (Bartos, Hütter, Schneider) London, Royal Festival Hall – 5:58

Disc two

  1. "Radioaktivität" (Hütter, Schneider, Schult) Tallinn, Exhibition Hall – 7:41
  2. "Trans-Europa Express" (Hütter, Schult) Riga, Olimpiska Hall – 3:21
  3. "Abzug" (Hütter) Riga, Olimpiska Hall – 1:40
  4. "Metall auf Metall" (Hütter) Riga, Olimpiska Hall – 4:28
  5. "Nummern" (Bartos, Hütter, Schneider) San Francisco, The Warfield – 4:27
  6. "Computerwelt" (Bartos, Hütter, Schneider, Schult) Riga, Olimpiska Hall – 2:55
  7. "Heimcomputer" (Bartos, Hütter, Schneider) Warszawa, Sala Kongresowa – 5:55
  8. "Taschenrechner" (Bartos, Hütter, Schneider) Berlin, Tempodrom – 2:58
  9. "Dentaku" (Bartos, Hütter, Schneider) Tokyo, Shibuya Ax – 3:15
  10. "Die Roboter" (Bartos, Hütter, Schneider) Berlin, Tempodrom – 7:23
  11. "Elektro-Kardiogramm" (Hilpert, Hütter) Tallinn, Exhibition Hall – 4:41
  12. "Aero Dynamik" (Hilpert, Hütter, Schneider, Schmitt) Riga, Olimpiska Hall – 7:14
  13. "Music Non-Stop" (Bartos, Hütter, Schneider) Moscow, Lushniki – 9:51

In the German version of the track listing (as on The Mix album) after "Trans-Europa Express" is an extra title, "Abzug", followed by "Metall auf Metall". For the international version of the album the title "Abzug" was dropped and the music incorporated as part of "Trans-Europe Express", thus making the disc appear to be one track shorter. The original 1977 German album has these track titles in a different order, though the music is basically the same arrangement.

Notebook

A special edition box set entitled Notebook, comprising both the DVDs and audio CDs plus a commemorative hardback book of tour photos, was also issued, in both German- and English-language versions. The box is designed to resemble a laptop computer, with the front cover of the book being the keyboard (with German keyboard layout).

Personnel

Equipment

The performances were created using 10 Sony VAIO laptops containing Mobile Intel Pentium 4 M processors. Four were used for audio, running Steinberg Cubase SX, the remaining 6 provided the video system.

Since 2002, all sounds were created using virtual technology (i.e., software replicating and replacing original analogue or digital equipment). According to an interview in 2009 with Fritz Hilpert, "the mobility of music technology and the reliability of the notebooks and software have greatly simplified the realization of complex touring setups: we generate all sounds on the laptops in real time and manipulate them with controller maps. It takes almost no time to get our compact stage system set up for performance. […] This way, we can bring our Kling-Klang Studio with us on stage. The physical light weight of our equipment also translates into an enormous ease of use when working with software synthesizers and sound processors. Every tool imaginable is within immediate reach or just a few mouse clicks away on the Internet." [15]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2005)Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [16] 33
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [17] 20
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [18] 45
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [19] 93
French Albums (SNEP) [20] 123
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [21] 26
Italian Albums (FIMI) [22] 44
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [23] 29
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [24] 58
UK Albums (OCC) [25] 29
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard) [26] 4

Release history

RegionDateLabelFormatCatalog numberLyrics
Germany6 June 2005 EMI CD 3 12046 2German
Germany6 June 2005EMI4 x vinyl 3 11828 1German
EU except Germany6 June 2005EMICD560 6112English
EU except Germany6 June 2005EMI4 x vinyl560 6111English
EU except Germany24 April 2006EMI SACD 3 34996 2English
United States7 June 2005 Astralwerks CDASW 60611English
Japan10 August 2005EMICDTOCP-66427German
Japan10 August 2005EMICDTOCP-66425English
Australasia 18 July 2005EMICD7243 5 60616 2 0 (Australian 2 CD release)English
EU except Germany ?EMI2 DVD336 2949English

[27] [28]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kraftwerk</span> German electronic music band

Kraftwerk are a German electronic band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk were among the first successful acts to popularize the genre. The group began as part of West Germany's experimental krautrock scene in the early 1970s before fully embracing electronic instrumentation, including synthesizers, drum machines, and vocoders. Wolfgang Flür joined the band in 1973 and Karl Bartos in 1975, expanding the band to a quartet. Since the band's formation, it has seen numerous lineup changes, with Hütter as its only constant member.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ralf Hütter</span> German musician and composer (born 1946)

Ralf Hütter is a German musician and composer best known as the lead singer and keyboardist of Kraftwerk, which he founded with Florian Schneider in 1969. On 12 May 2021, Kraftwerk was announced as one of the inductees of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

<i>Autobahn</i> (album) 1974 studio album by Kraftwerk

Autobahn is the fourth studio album by German electronic music band Kraftwerk, released in November 1974 by Philips Records. The album marked several personnel changes in the band, which was initially a duo consisting of Florian Schneider and Ralf Hütter; later, the group added Klaus Röder on guitar and flute, and Wolfgang Flür on percussion. The album also completed the group's transition from the experimental krautrock style of their earlier work to an electronic pop sound consisting mostly of synthesizers and drum machines. Recording started at the group's own Kling Klang facility, but was predominantly made at Conny Plank's studio. Autobahn also includes lyrics and a new look for the group that was suggested by Emil Schult, an associate of Schneider and Hütter.

<i>Trans-Europe Express</i> (album) 1977 studio album by Kraftwerk

Trans-Europe Express is the sixth studio album by German band Kraftwerk. Recorded in 1976 in Düsseldorf, Germany, the album was released in March 1977 on Kling Klang Records. It saw the group refine their melodic electronic style, with a focus on sequenced rhythms, minimalism, and occasionally manipulated vocals. The themes include celebrations of the titular European railway service and Europe as a whole, and meditations on the disparities between reality and appearance.

<i>Tour de France Soundtracks</i> 2003 studio album by Kraftwerk

Tour de France Soundtracks is the eleventh studio album by German electronic music band Kraftwerk. It was first released on 4 August 2003, through Kling Klang and EMI in Europe and Astralwerks in North America. The album was recorded for the 100th anniversary of the first Tour de France bicycle race, although it missed its intended release date for the actual tour. It includes a new recording of their 1983 song of the same name, the cover artwork of both releases being nearly identical. The announcement of the release caused much anticipation, as it had been 17 years since the group had put out a full album of new studio material. It is also the last studio album to feature Florian Schneider before his departure from the band in 2008 and his death on 21 April 2020.

<i>Ralf und Florian</i> 1973 studio album by Kraftwerk

Ralf und Florian is the third studio album by the German electronic band Kraftwerk. It was released in October 1973 on Philips. It saw the group moving toward their signature electronic sound. It reached #160 on the US Top 200 Albums Chart in 1975.

<i>Radio-Activity</i> 1975 studio album by Kraftwerk

Radio-Activity is the fifth studio album by German electronic music band Kraftwerk, released in October 1975. The band's first entirely electronic album is also a concept album organized around the themes of radioactive decay and radio communication. All releases of the album were bilingual, with lyrics in both English and German. The album was accompanied by single release of the title track, which was successful in France and Belgium.

<i>The Man-Machine</i> 1978 studio album by Kraftwerk

The Man-Machine is the seventh studio album by German electronic music band Kraftwerk. It was released in May 1978 by Kling Klang in Germany and by Capitol Records elsewhere. A further refinement of their mechanical style, the album saw the group incorporate more danceable rhythms. The album has a satirical bent to it. It is thought to address a wide-range of themes from the Cold War, Germany's fascination with manufacturing, and humankind's increasingly symbiotic relationship with machines. It includes the singles "The Model" and "The Robots".

<i>Computer World</i> 1981 studio album by Kraftwerk

Computer World is the eighth studio album by German electronic band Kraftwerk, released on 11 May 1981. It was accompanied by four singles, including a double A-side UK no. 1 featuring "Computer Love."

<i>Electric Café</i> 1986 studio album by Kraftwerk

Electric Café is the ninth studio album by German electronic band Kraftwerk, released on 10 November 1986. The initial 1986 release came in versions sung in English and German, as well as a limited Edición Española release, featuring versions of "Techno Pop" and "Sex Object" with only Spanish lyrics. It was the first Kraftwerk LP to be created using predominantly digital musical instruments, although the finished product was still recorded onto analog master tapes.

<i>The Mix</i> (Kraftwerk album) 1991 studio album by Kraftwerk

The Mix is the tenth studio album by the German electronic music band Kraftwerk. It was released on 11 June 1991 by Kling Klang and EMI in Europe and by Elektra Records in North America. It has entirely re-arranged and re-recorded versions of a selection of songs which had originally appeared on Kraftwerk's albums Autobahn (1974) to Electric Café (1986). Some of the songs, such as "The Robots" and "Radioactivity", have new additional melodies and/or lyrics.

Emil Schult is a German painter, poet and audio-visual artist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wolfgang Flür</span> German musician

Wolfgang Flür is a German musician, best known for playing percussion in the electronic group Kraftwerk from 1973 to 1987. Flür claims that he invented the electric drums the group used throughout the 1970s. However, patent records dispute this, citing Florian Schneider and Ralf Hütter as the creators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karl Bartos</span> German musician and composer

Karl Bartos is a German musician and composer known for his contributions to the electronic band Kraftwerk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tour de France (song)</span>

"Tour de France" is a song by German electronic band Kraftwerk. It was first issued in early August 1983, peaking at number 22 in the United Kingdom singles chart on 6 August.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Das Model</span> 1978 song by Kraftwerk

"Das Model" is a song recorded by the German group Kraftwerk in 1978, written by musicians Ralf Hütter and Karl Bartos, with artist Emil Schult collaborating on the lyrics. It is featured on the album, Die Mensch-Maschine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radioactivity (song)</span> 1976 single by Kraftwerk

"Radioactivity" is a song by the German electronic music band Kraftwerk. It was released in May 1976 as the only single from their fifth studio album, Radio-Activity (1975). It sold 500,000 units in France.

"Metal on Metal" is an instrumental by Kraftwerk from their 1977 album Trans-Europe Express. This track, combined with "Abzug", the track immediately succeeding it, forms an extended coda to "Trans-Europe Express".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Musique Non-Stop</span> 1986 single by Kraftwerk

"Musique Non Stop" is a 1986 single by German techno group Kraftwerk, which was featured on the album Electric Café. It was re-released as a remix on their 1991 album The Mix. The single was their first number one on Billboard Hot Dance Club Play and was one of two songs to make it to number one there.

<i>Radioland: Radio-Activity Revisited</i> 2015 studio album by Matthew Bourne and Franck Vigroux

Radioland: Radio-Activity Revisited is a studio album by English improvising pianist and synthesiser player Matthew Bourne (musician) and French electronic composer Franck Vigroux, created to mark the 40th anniversary of Kraftwerk's seminal album Radio-Activity. It was released digitally by The Leaf Label on 4 December 2015, with physical copies following in early 2016.

References

  1. ↑ Dante de Conti & Marcelo Duarte (28 January 2011). "DATA - INTERVIEWS - MOJO MAGAZINE - RALF HÜTTER - AUGUST 2005 - 2012-MAR-1 ::::". Kraftwerk.Technopop.Com.Br. Archived from the original on 28 March 2007. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  2. ↑ ":::: KRAFTWERK.TECHNOPOP.COM.BR - DATA - INTERVIEWS - MOJO MAGAZINE -…". 9 July 2012. Archived from the original on 9 July 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  3. ↑ "BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Grammy Awards 2006: Key winners". BBC News . 9 February 2006. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  4. ↑ "Minimum-Maximum [Live] by Kraftwerk". Metacritic . Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  5. ↑ Allmusic review
  6. ↑ Battaglia, Andy (11 July 2005). "Kraftwerk: Minimum-Maximum". The A.V. Club . Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  7. ↑ "CD Times review". Archived from the original on 23 November 2005. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  8. ↑ "Album Review: Kraftwerk - Minimum-Maximum". Archived from the original on 8 October 2017. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  9. ↑ Sweeting, Adam (14 July 2005). "CD: Kraftwerk, Minimum-Maximum". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 October 2017– via www.theguardian.com.
  10. ↑ "Kraftwerk : Minimum-Maximum Live - NME". NME. 12 September 2005. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  11. ↑ "Kraftwerk: Minimum-Maximum Album Review - Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  12. ↑ arichter. "Kraftwerk - Minimum-Maximum Album Review - Prefixmag.com" . Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  13. ↑ "Kraftwerk: Minimum-Maximum". 23 June 2005. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  14. ↑ "Star Ecentral". star-ecentral.com. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  15. ↑ Interview: The Future Is Virtual – Music Tech Talk With Fritz Hilpert, Sounds & Performance magazine, 2009
  16. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Kraftwerk – Minimum-Maximum" (in German). Hung Medien.
  17. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Kraftwerk – Minimum-Maximum" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  18. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Kraftwerk – Minimum-Maximum" (in French). Hung Medien.
  19. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Kraftwerk – Minimum-Maximum" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  20. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Kraftwerk – Minimum-Maximum". Hung Medien.
  21. ↑ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH.
  22. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Kraftwerk – Minimum-Maximum". Hung Medien.
  23. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Kraftwerk – Minimum-Maximum". Hung Medien.
  24. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Kraftwerk – Minimum-Maximum". Hung Medien.
  25. ↑ June 2005/7502/ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  26. ↑ "Kraftwerk Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard.
  27. ↑ "Kraftwerk International Discography". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  28. ↑ "Kraftwerk - Minimum-Maximum". Discogs. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.