One record at a time: 18. Karl Bartos - Off The Record

The next LP on the shelf is the second (and seemingly final) album by Karl Bartos. I ordered both the CD and vinyl of this album when it was released in 2013 not realising the vinyl also had a CD included. So now I have two CDs of this album. Whilst the vinyl pressing was limited to one thousand numbered copies, it doesn't command a high value on the second hand market. The fact that this album isn't highly sought after gives you an indication as to why Karl doesn't seem to release any music any more: nobody buys it.

This album is a collection of tracks that were recorded over many years but never released. Some were written whilst Karl was a member of Kraftwerk, some whilst recording as Elektric Music and some with the group Electronic. Accompanying the discs is a large booklet which provides a wealth of information about each song in Karl's own words.

The single "Atomium" is an ode to the iconic building in Brussels and features the now familiar computer voice effects Karl employs. Next up is the fabulous "Nachtfahrt" which could have been culled from any Kraftwerk album circa 1979-1983. This track is the clearest indication that the sound of Kraftwerk in the early eighties was heavily influenced by Karl. The Mellotron infused "International Velvet" is a tribute to artist Isabelle Dufresne that derives its melody from a Kraftwerk soundcheck in 1981 (I told you the booklet was good). "Without a trace of emotion" sounds like an out-take from the Elektric Music album "Esperanto" - and that's a good thing. The next rack is a short piece called "The Binary Code" which was included on a cover disc of a magazine. One of my personal favourite tracks is "Musica Ex Machina" which is based on the initial idea for the Electronic track "Imitation of Life". Whilst there are some  similarities between the two songs, this is definitely a different composition from the one released by Messrs Sumner and Marr.

"The Tuning of the World" is melancholy, brittle and strangely affecting. The instrumental "Instant Bayreuth" continues with the slower pace of the proceeding track and is recognisable as being recorded on analogue equipment. I'm less enamoured with "Vox Humana" which is a series of drum patterns from an old beatbox with scattered electronic sounds and vocal snippets. The familiar Kraftwerk Polymoog organ is coupled with the rhythm pattern from "Numbers" to create "Rhythmus" - but it doesn't quite hit the mark. "Silence" is actually 6 seconds of very quiet ambient noise which is followed by the the final track "Hausmusik". Don't expect a 'hands in the air' piano tinged dance stomper, this a song about the music people make at home and it wouldn't have sounded out of place on the Depeche Mode album "A Broken Frame". A good album that is highly recommended for Kraftwerk aficionados who will find the music, and the accompanying booklet, both fascinating and entertaining. 4/5