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In 2004, Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider, Fritz Hilpert and Henning Schmitz toured the world playing 69 shows that were unlike anything seen before. A truly unique audio / visual spectacular that prompted global headlines like this from the London Evening Standard, 'Is This the Greatest Show London Has Ever Seen?'. Now in 2005, EMI Records is proud to release a 2-CD live set entitled 'Minimum-Maximum' containing 23 tracks recorded throughout Europe, Japan and the US during the 2004 World Tour. Recorded and mixed with Kraftwerk's legendary precision, 'Minimum-Maximum' is a superb document of the Kraftwerk live experience, featuring virtually all of the band's classics in stunning live clarity.

The Godfathers of Glitch and the Kings of Kling-Klang come out of seclusion with a double live CD culled from various concerts on their 2004 tour. Minimum-Maximum is essentially a greatest-hits album with an audience applauding and occasionally shouting. Without them, of course, you'd never know the album was live, since Kraftwerk is the band that put the programming in pop music. Not much has changed with them since the 1980s. They're still wired to the same sonic circuitry as on Electric Café in 1986, sculpting glistening electro-soundscapes that pulse but never quite groove. And they still sing in that flat, German-accented English and French with Speak and Spell electro-voices. But rather than sound dated, this has a timeless charm, especially since Kraftwerk are among the few Kraut rock groups with a sense of humor. With only two studio albums in the last 20 years, you have to give them credit for not caving in to current electronica and techno trends--Kraftwerk remain resolutely electronic. Even their samples sound synthesized. But also give them credit for some of the most relentlessly glistening electronic music ever crafted, and a sound that remains surprisingly pure. All the hits are here, from "Autobahn" to "Tour de France," but nicely buffed to a high chrome finish.

“ 
For rock bands, hauling gear across countries and continents has not changed a great deal in the past several decades. The same can't be said for Kraftwerk. Grappling with sensitive cables and other technical gadgets in extreme climates has become a thing of the past. For them, everything has become easier to manage and transport, so it's natural that they'd become more enthusiastic about touring. Recorded during the group's 2004 journey through Europe, Japan, and the U.S., Minimum-Maximum is a two-disc representation of their revitalized live show. Visuals are such a crucial aspect of their performances that the set will naturally fall short of making you feel as if you are there -- whether it's Moscow, Warsaw, Budapest, or San Francisco -- while in your car or living room. More crucially, who really knows exactly how much live manipulation is going on with the elements of each track? Whatever the case, it all sounds good -- sharp, vibrant, alive. The original arrangements are often altered slightly, the tracks are tactfully sequenced, and the crowd noise is kept to a minimum (either near the close of a track or in recognition of one as it begins), so the release is sort of a glorified greatest-hits collection. Along with some wise selections from 2003's Tour de France Soundtracks, there's plenty of the expected classic material, all of which has given life to so much industrial, dance, and rap music. (You could, in fact, walk into the average techno club or turn on a mainstream radio station the week this was released and hear traces of Kraftwerk in one form or another.) "Radioactivity" and "The Robots," two of the more altered tracks, contain the greatest thrills; the former's permafrost placidity spirals into a frictionless dancefloor charge, while the latter is more muscular than ever, acknowledging advancements made by acolytes Model 500 and Underground Resistance. ” 


Tracklist:

CD1 #01. The Man Machine
CD1 #02. Planet Of Visions
CD1 #03. Tour De France Etape 1
CD1 #04. Chrono
CD1 #05. Tour De France Etape 2
CD1 #06. Vitamin
CD1 #07. Tour De France
CD1 #08. Autobahn
CD1 #09. The Model
CD1 #10. Neon Lights

CD2 #01. Radioactivity
CD2 #02. Trans Europe Express
CD2 #03. Metal On Metal
CD2 #04. Numbers
CD2 #05. Computer World
CD2 #06. Home Computer
CD2 #07. Pocket Calculator
CD2 #08. Dentaku
CD2 #09. The Robots
CD2 #10. Elektro Kardiogramm
CD2 #11. Aero Dynamic