Any news about new Kraftwerk?

[aquarius]

Florian Schneider, one of the founding members left in 2008, then there was supposedly new material in the pipeline for 2010. I must say there is probably no other group I look forward to more as pretty much everything they've ever made has been genius, and with years of thought behind it. How they manage to keep a level head a not loose the vision after all these years is astounding. If only metal could be this mature.

[Cargést]

When Metal is mature, this is what happens.

OH WAIT-

[Conservationist]

Tour De France Soundtracks is one of the best albums ever created.

I hope they follow it up with something equally impressive.

[Humanicide]

Tour De France Soundtracks is one of the best albums ever created.

I hope they follow it up with something equally impressive.

Is that album a good introduction to this band?

I've been curious about Kraftwerk but I am unsure where to start as their discography is vast.

[istaros]

I would say Computerwelt, as it is really accessible, very light compared to a lot of their other work without becoming drab. Tour de France Soundtrack could work for a starting point as well, but it's even more light-hearted and may not be a good indicator of the albums that precede it. Most people tout either Autobahn or Trans Europa Express as both their best starting point and their best work overall, but in both cases the albums are largely defined by their centerpiece tracks. Die Mensch Maschine is the most cohesive from start to finish, though; I think the DLA really nailed it by holding it above the rest of their albums.

[Jim Necroslaughter]

Tour De France Soundtracks is one of the best albums ever created.

I hope they follow it up with something equally impressive.

Is that album a good introduction to this band?

yes.  as Istaros said, it is light-hearted, and maybe even downright funny, but you'll love it.  Kraftwerk is not a hard band to get into if you ask me, no matter where you start.  It's all pretty intuitive and simple.

[Undermind]

Tour De France Soundtracks is one of the best albums ever created.

I hope they follow it up with something equally impressive.

Is that album a good introduction to this band?

yes.  as Istaros said, it is light-hearted, and maybe even downright funny, but you'll love it.  Kraftwerk is not a hard band to get into if you ask me, no matter where you start.  It's all pretty intuitive and simple.

I don't know if I would use the word simple to describe Kraftwerk's music.  Depending from what angle you are coming from, it can be hard to get the appeal of their music but almost everything post-autobahn is a good place to start.  Their earlier stuff is good in its own right but they were definitely going for something else that isn't found (at least as much) in their later works.

[Jim Necroslaughter]

Maybe you're right - let's go with "intuitive."  And I always forget they had albums before Autobahn.  Let me be a little more definitive:  Trans-Europe Express, Man-Machine, Computer World and Tour de France are all 5-stars, in my book, you can't go wrong with those 4.  Electric Cafe and The Mix (live studio/re-mix/compilation album) are also outstanding and fun as hell!

[wEEman33]

Just start at Radioactivity and keep moving forward.

[aquarius]

At its best, I find their music extremely enduring in that it mirrors the continuum of life from the smallest elements to a much larger process i.e. the theme on each album being a metaphore of the process. With perfectly rounded compositional structures that convey this process as a vessel for eternal truths. As musicians they have made this their primary concern and are therefore immune to the immediate or transient energy of youth (unlike even the best of metal) which is about the best reason I can think of for the longevity of their output. I have confidence in any new material they release.

[WAAAAAAGH!]

 I don't care much for toure de france. I find myself enjoying select songs from kraftwerk over full albums. The exception being man machine. The only weak track in my opinion is spacelab, but the utopian isolation vibe from that song is not to my liking. My interpretation of that album is satire of the modern human life, which may or may not be my own (I've never read any opinions of this website regarding krafterk's work). I'm confident that the new album will be of the utmost quality. To my mind, the only questionable reaction is my own.

[Ensittare]

Mr. Hütter said a new Kraftwerk album was under way. “We didn’t fall asleep,” he said. “The 168-hour week is still going on since the beginning, since 1970.” And when can listeners expect the new album? “Soon,” he said. He would not elaborate.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/16/arts/music/talking-to-ralf-hutter-of-kraftwerk.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

OK. "Soon."