Aloha
Magazine, the Netherlands, 2004
Translated from Dutch to English by twingo
Also published on kraftwerk.technopop.com.br
Scans
of the magazine on kraftwerk.technopop.com.br:
pages 1,
2,
3,
4
On the
cover:
Kraftwerk. the German gods of elektro are talking.
Kraftwerk
Ahead, because of technology.
Never before a blank act was so succesfull with a music style developed by
there own. That the German pioneers of techno of Kraftwerk are, after more
than 35 years, still dedicated and weird, was noticed by Willem Bemboom, during
an extraordinary long interview with Ralf Hütter. "We call ourselves
workers of music: everything with us is about music and we do not want to
be disturbed with that."
by Willem Bemboom.
"Reporter arrived"
"Taxi for Florian"
"Hotel or club"
"Club"
It's Monday evening in
Amsterdam, about 11 minutes before 23:00, The reporter is me, your reporter.
Your reporter is at the front door of the Heineken Music Hall, which is guarded
by an army of Kraftwerk fans, weaponed with album covers and felt-tipped pens.
The Florian of the walktie-talkie is Florian Schneider, one half of the main
duo of Kraftwerk. In about one minute the other half, Ralf Hütter, is
prepared to receive Aloha for one time. That is rather unique, because normally
Kraftwerk refrains themselves from any promotional activitities, in particular
interviews. But today, March 29th 2004, Easter and Whitsun fall on the same
day.
At the moment that Schneider steps into the elevator towards the ambush of
signature hunters, I am guided up via the staircase. The otherwise by VIP's
and security personal crowded corridor is tonight an empty, dead silent and
fully lighted corridor, with here and there green direction signs - text they
do not have, only dotted lines in the direction of the elevator and staircase.
Through the portophones of Kraftwerk's female roadmanager still sound the
terms "Reporter", "Florian" and "Club". Schneider
will go, as proper Kraftwerk habit, dancing in the city. Hütters dance
event is being postponed, but this won't be for long. For a moment I have
to think about a promotion lady, various persons from Mojo Concerts and a
dozen other people who know already: "Count on 10 minutes, if you get
15 minutes, you are lucky. If he stops talking after 5 minutes, be happy what
you have gotten." It's 10 minutes before eleven by now. I would not be
surprised if the daily schedule is followed with militairy precision and states
around 23:00: Leave of Ralf.
Again a person appears with a portophone. This time it is the tourmanager,
who greets me with full name and details. It is the kind of reception which
you also have in James Bond movies: remarkable friendly, correct, but distant
and not refrained from any sentiment of distrust. Kraftwerk is not fond of
any people who are just interested in looking. The serene tranquility and
almost unbearable silence in the sterile hall on the top floor, sometimes
alternated with some language text through the portophone, makes me even a
little nervous. What am I about to expect? Is he gonna open his mouth at all?
What if Hütter walks away after 5 minutes? Where is the trainstation?
In my mind I strike my openings joke away, something with don't mention the
war
Because of all the thinking I do not even notice that a man, dressed in black,
has arrived, standing next to me. He introduces himself as "Ralf".
He resembles a little to "Thé Lau" (twingo: Dutch musical
artist). He seems to me a kind person.
One hour ago the same
man was standing on the left of the stage, in a sold -out Heineken Music Hall,
singing about his Pocket Calculator. And fahren on the Autobahn. And about
the Tour de France. It's a strange experience, as was to be expected of the
first Dutch Kraftwerk convert in 12 years time. Four gentlemen with increasing
age, each behind a laptop, with on the background an immense projection screen.
Hütter and Schneider, left and right flanking their studio-engineers
Fritz Hilpert and Henning Schmitz. The four of them hardly looking towards
eachother. More than 2 hours you would be dazzled with elektro pop classics:
The Model, The Robots, Trans Europe Express, Radioactivity. Each track which
made the current dance scene what it is now. Because everywhere you are hearing
Kraftwerk in the modern pop music: Kylie has beats and bleeps, Daftpunk and
Air stole the little atmospheres, Rammstein is as much as mechanical and in
an even more grey past whole musical genras were created because of the creations
of Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Because without Kraftwerk no Depeche
Mode. No Zooropa (U2). No DJ Tiësto (twingo: most succesfull Dutch DJ).
No House, dance or hiphop as we know it like now. Never before a white act
influenced so much without having stolen it first from black music.
The "Krautrock Beatles" they are called. Autobahn was their Revolver,
The Man Machine there Sergeant Pepper. But instead of a new Anthology a brand
new album was released last year, Tour de France Soundtracks. Which is about
the bands love for cycling. Next to Hütter and Schneider Kraftwerk consisted
for years as well of the percussionists Karl Bartos and Wolfgang Flür.
The first left in the nineties because of the extreme slow moving production
proces of the two higher gentlemen. Flür already quitted end of the eighties,
because he got more and more a stranger to the introverted Hütter and
Schneider. And the ones who quit were kind of right: after the album Electric
Cafe in 1986 Hütter and Schneider hided themselves in their mysterious
Kling Klang Studio in Düsseldorf, in order not to release any new material
for the next 15 years. Except the mix album The Mix ('91) and some little
tours Kraftwerk wouldn't show anything. Press, fans, recordcompanies, just
about everything which has got to do with the music business was banned out
of there electronic little world. Only after Kraftwerk composed the leader
of the World Expo 2000 in Hannover (a 4 second lasten vocoder voice saying
"Expo 2000") the group allowed some interfearance from the outside
world. And when the album Tour de France Soundtracks was released Hütter
even dared himself into some rare interviews. Just as this evening.
Because of all the thinking I do not even notice that a man, dressed in black, has arrived, standing next to me. He introduces himself as "Ralf". He resembles a little to "Thé Lau" (twingo: Dutch musical artist). He seems to me a kind person.
Ralf Hütter, from head to toe dressed in black, seats himself comfortably, with his black shoulderbag (ready for departure), in an evenly black one and a halve seat sofa, in an empty room. He agrees to perform the interview in English. And I have to say, his English is correct, although he has this typical "'Allo 'Allo" accent (twingo: English TV comedy which lots of germans speaking English with a strong German accent). Once in a while he cannot remember a word in English and then he uses the German version. And how about his Dutch? "Well, I just tried to speak Dutch. That was with the introduction speech of Trans Europe Express, because we played that track for the first live in Paradiso in 1976. Yeah Paradiso……" (twingo: Paradiso is a famous music-temple in Amsterdam, still exists). Hütter leans backwards, is looking towards the wall and suddenly starts to humm the melody of Trans Europe Express, his head shakes from left to right. This he would do more often during the interview, illustrating a sound with a humm or imitation. He also constantly keeps smiling and is knocking his head "yes" with every question to indicate he understands the question. Interviews in the past confronted him with curious and direct quotes. Questions about the past, private life and other mysteries in the Kraftwerk world were answered with cryptic responses. Many times he "sampled" literaly old quotes when certain topics were addressed. That would not be any different tonight. But the Aloha magazine we brought for him, he scans briefly, and he asks if he may keep it, since he likes the magazine. "Really reading I would not do, but I can understand the words and the sentences, May I ?". He opens his black bag and a quick look into the bag learns that the colorfull head of Jim Morrison ends up in a bunch of unclear other black things. Even the bag of the man is mysterious.
You are not known for
your openess towards the press and the fans. What was the reason that Aloha
was awarded with this interview?
"Mmmh. It belongs to our records, Tour de France Soundtracks. We are
currently busy with our Worldtour and a new live configuration for Kraftwerk.
We used to bring our whole Klng Klang studio during. Now all is inside laptops.
A totally new situation. It took us years to digitize all our material, because
of this also little new music was released during the past years. But now
we are ready and Klang Klang is all on a digital platform."
Since all fits into
a laptop now, I guess you have lots of space in your studio?
"No, not really. We have digitized the whole bunch in order to store
and keep it properly. Some of the oldest tapes had been touched by tie. Those
were already 30 years or more in the archives. We are constantly busy with
the latest equipment, but we never throw away the old ones. From all the models
and types of the synths and sequencers, which we have used during the various
Kraftwerk periodes, we have kept one prototype. The machine we used for Autobahn
is still there. Florian's first homemade drumpads. Some equipment has a personal
value, you understand?"
From all the models and types of the synths and sequencers, which we have used during the various Kraftwerk periodes, we have kept one prototype. The machine we used for Autobahn is still there. Florian's first homemade drumpads. Some equipment has a personal value, you understand?"
That is typical for
Kraftwerk, to attach an emotional value towards an instrument.
"I do mean a collection value. We have old synthesizers, not so much
because a certain sound or track was created with it, but also to create certain
sounds, which are nowadays impossible to create with other instruments."
Describe how Kling
Klang looks like inside?
"A bunch of old taperecorders, echo rooms, computers. It's an electronic
garden. We like to perform some electronic gardening."
The location of the
building is a well kept secret. Are you frequently "located"?
"Sometimes somebody comes all the way from Japan. But the doors are tightly
closed and we are never inside on a regular basis. We concentrate ourselves
onto the music and not on what's happening outside. We call ourselves "Musikarbeiter".
Everything with us is about the music and we do not want to be disturbed with
that.
And if people do knock
on the door?
"There is no door to knock on. So that's easy, hahaha."
Many fans you won't
meet in this way, because according to me you have very little contact with
the outside world, during this tour.
"Ah, I do meet people sometimes. And we have friends."
To whom you refer to
for any feedback?
"The audience. Since they give us vibes during the concert. On the basis
of that you can judge if you are correct or not."
Are you never afraid
that the enormous mask of secrecy will have a negative effect to the performance?
"Oh, we do not care about this. We just do our job, nothing more than
that. We are musical professors which are maintaining there music. And as
we have said before: we play the machines and the machines play us."
What was your first
encounter with the phenomenom called synthesizer?
"My first synthesizer was a Mini Moog. I did not knew upfront how it
would sound, but I had seen photos and had read about it. But a thing like
that was beginning 70's difficult to obtain in Germany. Unreachable for us.
I bought my import one through a studio connection and it was as expensive
as my Volkswagen. Ah, my old grey Volkswagen…. That one you also see
on the cover of Autobahn."
Are you and Florian
after 34 years of corperation stills the same friends?
"Sure, it's even 36 years, since I met Florian 2 years before we builded
the Kling Klang Studio and founded Kraftwerk. That must have been in '68.
We are still very good friends. It's an electronic marriage between mister
Kling and mister Klang."
That quote you use
more often in interviews.
[Smiles and knocks his head] "…."
What would you say
about: "electronic Mick and Keith"?
"Well, I don't know so sure"
In the meantime its past eleven hours and the tourmanager runs in for the third time during 15 minutes. His demanding look indicates that the schedule is rather messy again. He first looks me at me, then to Ralf, but he just give a smile and then again to me. Is that the sign to finish? "No, a little more." We now go for the full 20 minutes!
Your work has always
been inspired by travel?
"Movement.
Motion and Emotion."
I mean the themes:
Autobahn, the train Trans Europe Express, the bicycle in Tour de France. How
did you guys arrive today?
"We flew in from Hamburg."
What is, outside cycling,
your favourite way of transport?
"We do not like to fly. Maar sometime it is unavoidable. Florian does
a lot of routes by train, I travelled by train through the canal tunnel from
England to Belgium. But the absolute favourite remains the bicycle."
What is it with this
fascination for bicycles?
"Well, in the part of Germany where we live its kind of part of culture,
just like here in the Netherlands. We once participated in the Amstel Gold
Race (twingo: Dutch version of French Tour de France). Not the real race,
but just the route. The touristic route. And all the mountain routes of the
Tour.
Last year you have
been visiting there, isn't it?
"Yes, we were busy with the the last remixing of the Tour de France when
wer were invited. Late in the evening we departed from Kling Klang, flew to
Paris, stepped into a helicopter and the next day we were in the car of oud-professional
cyclist Duclos-Lasalle. We drove right behind Leblan [director of Tour de
France]. Towards the Alpe d'Huez, which we had cycled as well a few years
earlier. I once was a spectator of the Tour, but never experienced it from
so close as this time. The concept of the Tour de France originates from '83
when we made our single. We ever wanted to make a movie on this, but the project
got rather forgotten due to other things. When the Tour had its 100 year celebration
we picked up where we had left. IN the single we saw the Tour as from a Satellite,
Tour de France, Les Alpes, Les Pyrenes. Now we were right to the core: Tour
de France, Radio Tour-information. This gave us just the right dimension for
our new songs."
The people at the Tour
knew who you were?
"No, and we did not promot that too much either"
Did you speak to Jan
Ullrich?
"He was too busy with cycling."
Did you ever speak
to him?
"No, neither did that."
They do call him the
Man Machine, like your musical track?
"Yes, but in a different way, 'a Kraftwerk on two wheels'. Because he
has so much energy in his legs. I liked to read that. He is indeed the Man
Machine in full format. Cycling is very close to Kraftwerk. Time, movement,
clear thinking. Exactly the same balance we use for our music. On the bicycle
you listen to the wind and the rhythm of your breathing. Recharging our battery/And
now we are full of energy. That piece of text is reality when we are cycling."
As a cyclist , it must
be enormous tiring to watch for 2 hours to a (laptop) screen during a concert?
"No, that is not so much tiring. It's more all the things around a concert
which makes you tired. The travelling, for instance. You do not get into a
right rhythm due to all the timezones. You fly to Tokyo, play a full week
every night and just when you get adjusted, you are already flying back, and
then you can start again. You have to pay attention to your energy. Often
this is very difficult."
Is it possible to cycle
from Düsseldorf to the Netherlands?
"Yes, within one hour, about 30km."
So the chance is very
high that in the neighbourhood of Nijmegen or Arnhem I am going to be passed
by a high speeding bicycle?
"Venlo, mostly we end up in Venlo. Then we cycle alongside the river
Maas to the south and from there we return to Düsseldorf. It's a rather
windy part alongside the river Maas."
What do you know about
the Dutch music scene. To what music you are going to dance tonight?
"I do not know yet, we still have to figure that yet. Make us a suggestion."
The name Tiësto
rings a bell?
"mmh, not really, not that I know of."
During the concerts its kind of "blind contact" between us. Telepathy. Sometimes I use a subtle code with the fingertops. More we do not need.
I am so much a dancer.
But the Supperclub (twingo: dance/lounge club in Amsterdam) is a place to
have been to.
"Ah, that's a lounge eh? And until late I guess?, maybe, perhaps. Early
tomorrow morning we will fly to Barcelona."
You are living in the
world of Kraftwerk and cycling. But last year you were of of a sudden part
of the pop world during the MTV Awards. What did you think of that?
"We tried to stay a little in the background, but we did speak to Kylie
Minoque. She has a very good electronic vibe in her music. On what we did
speak? Just nothing, just a little small talk, chit-chat."
Half an hour has passed already and the tourmanager is already for the seventh time next to the sofa. "Packing, would not be a bad idea", he suggests silently. I am allowed to ask one more question, but sneaky I managed to ask two. It's all ok to Hütter.
After 34 years of Kraftwerk
, what are you most proud of?
"That we are still here and that we are moving forward. We have digitized
all of our succesfull records and they wil be released under the name "The
Catalogue". The music is still the same, however we have changed the
artwork. The old covers always had something wrong: photos printed in mirror,
bad looking innersleeves. In one stroke we did correct this all. Furthermore
we will release a new album and a lot of concerts will come. That should be
a nice thing to look out for."
One more time back
to the concert. You were only looking towards your screens, not towards eachother.
How did you guys communicate during the show? Email? Messenger?
"No, during the concerts its kind of "blind contact" between
us. Telepathy. Sometimes I use a subtle code with the fingertops. More we
do not need."
Really?
"Ok, ok, ofcourse we also have our microphones and screens. But if it
really goes wrong, only one quick look is sufficient."
In two minutes it's 23:30 and then Ralf Hütter, 58 years, can finally go to his disco.