Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Ralf and Florian (1973)

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Ralf and Florian is an album by the german band Kraftwerk. This album Gets it's name from the groups very minimal recording lineup at the time of just Ralf Hutter and Florian Schneider.

The album opens with the beautiful almost Pole Position soundtrack-y "Elektrisches Roulette" which only expands into mind numbing finish line hallucinations of other worldly space station fodder. "Tonebridge" comes in next and does just what the title implies , serves as a light bridge from the previous kraut-out and sends us headlong into the synth movement "Kristallo"

With "Heimatklange" we descend into an almost tragically somber ballad of piano and what sounds like it could be a clarinet borrowed from the bottom of the ocean blue. Strings and wind instruments continue to dominate the mix until the tiny insects that have nestled themselves into your subconscious recess, and side two takes us on a more poppy trip.

The second side opens with "Tanzmusik" an upbeat section , ever expanding, and the first time we get to hear the wordless vocal calls on Ralf and Florian. I can only imagine the influence this song has had on many young experimental artists, myself not excluded.

At last we arrive at the breathtaking finale "Ananas Symphonie" which marks the first use of the voccoder by Kraftwerk. This song in keeping with the refined theme of most the record takes you on a journey, but instead of twisting and turning these sounds are moving upward, it's ascension and descension that keeps the album's tone grounded. Waves wash over it all, letting the instrumentation become the ambience from time to time. This one ends similar to the lps beginning - Kraftwerk surfing the cosmos.

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