aaamusic | On 06, Dec 2012

Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall to present Kraftwerk The Catalogue 12345678 live

Iconic electro legends to perform eight seminal albums with highly advanced 3D audiovisual shows

German electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk will play eight live performances in Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall from 6 – 14 February 2013, their first London dates since 2004. KRAFTWERK – THE CATALOGUE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 will be a chronological exploration of the group’s sonic and visual experiments and will present eight classic masterworks from across their celebrated repertoire with spectacular 3D visualisations and effects.

Combining sound and images, the performances will showcase nearly 40 years of musical and technical innovation, including new improvisations, 3D projections and animation. Commencing with Autobahn, each night will cover one of Kraftwerk’s groundbreaking studio albums in full and appear in order of their release — Autobahn (1974), Radio-Activity (1975), Trans Europe Express (1977), The Man-Machine (1978), Computer World (1981), Techno Pop (1986), The Mix (1991) and Tour de France (2003) — alongside additional compositions from their back-catalogue.

Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider began the Kraftwerk project in 1970 at their electronic Kling Klang Studio in Düsseldorf, Germany. Within a few years they had achieved international recognition for their revolutionary electro “sound paintings” and musical experimentation with tapes and synthesizers.  With their visions of the future they created the soundtrack for the digital age. Their compositions, using innovative looping techniques and computerised rhythms, have had a major international influence across a range of music genres. Their use of robotics and other technical innovations in live performance illustrates Kraftwerk’s belief in the respective contributions of both man and machine in creating art.

In recent years, Kraftwerk have played in the visual arts context at festivals and museums, starting with a performance at the Venice Biennale in 2005. Their first retrospective was held at The Museum of Modern Art, New York in 2012. This will be followed by a further presentation at Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen in Düsseldorf in January 2013.

The performances have been curated by Klaus Biesenbach, Chief Curator at Large, The Museum of Modern Art, Marion Ackermann, Artistic Director, Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen and Catherine Wood, Curator (Contemporary Art & Performance), Tate Modern.

This retrospective will be presented for the first time in the UK at Tate Modern.

Chris Dercon, Director, Tate Modern said:

“As a former power station, Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall is an ideal venue for Kraftwerk’s explorations of technology, energy and rhythm. Bringing together music, video and performance, these events will be true gesamtkunstwerk – a total work of art.”