Kraftwerk - Metropolis (Live 1981)

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

Early 80s Kraftwerk was definitely where they peaked and where they were in their prime. Everything was perfect. The machine-sound, the rythms, the instrument arsenal and especially their live performances.

[@cc-hl9yo]

in terms of popularity, sure they peaked

[@joelsimon8644]

From 1977 to 1983 more precisely.. It was their creative peak

[@pankaburek59]

@@joelsimon8644 eletric cafe was ok but it broke band And they stooped using analog stuff

[@huppithai]

The Man Machine was definitely their best album and the later digitally remastered songs like the robots were their best .. and of course the live double album minimum maximum

[@DerClouder]

Definitely the best version of Metropolis i have ever heard. Awesome beat.

[@Fardeus]

yes

[@Tigershark_3082]

Easily Kraftwerk's best rendition of metropolis. Sounds kinda dark, too. Metropolis was, in my opinion, one of the more brooding/heavier songs Kraftwerk made. It always felt like walking through a jungle of steel, glass, and concrete. This version sounds almost as if you're running, trying to escape. That's the reason why Metropolis is my favorite Kraftwerk song.

[@kaizarcantu8240]

I love how the first "Metropolis" is so stretched and distorted that it doesn't sound like a word anymore.

[@rickjansen3823]

This was in Utrecht, december 1981, I was there. Ralf used a mouth tube here (talk box?). The electronic flute was not used in this concert, as far as I remember. This Metropolis is my all time fav live experience. Absolutely stunning, almost 40 years later I still remember.

[@robertoferrigato1998]

lucky boy

[@rickjansen3823]

@@robertoferrigato1998 I wish there was a video of this concert, It would be so much better than all the silly Katalog and 3D... This stage set was amazing. It was so disappointing to see them with laptops later, and the current live set does not come close either. Just my opinion, of course.

[@robertoferrigato1998]

@@rickjansen3823 Totally agree with you, regards

[@pankaburek59]

@@rickjansen3823 there's a 1:53 long utrecht pocket calculator video Now let's wish there's a 1 hour video too

[@rickjansen3823]

@@pankaburek59 I have seen that video clip too, don't know if they recorded the full concert. There were tv cameras there, of the NL broadcasting VPRO. It would be a lot better than all the videos of "modern" concerts.

[@hansihinterseher9156]

The best version of METROPOLIS ever!

[@Fardeus]

yes

[@goredoll]

Agree 100%

[@baronmeduse]

No it isn't. It's just different. If someone heard this x-times on an album and then heard the actual album version they'd declare that one the 'best ever'.

[@espresso5512]

Rest In Peace Florian. Thank you for the music ❤️

[@ilpaperonedepresso4645]

@Andreas Kutz No

[@ΣωτοςΣοφιας]

RIP my beloved Florian.Thanks for the feelings and the memories of my 20 years...

[@SaintCharlos]

_Florian_ ❤ _Rest in peace_

[@illegalquantity]

They were best in the early eighties in music and style. (red-black suits and the equipments) The stage was like an interior of a huge alien ship with extraterrestrials in uniform. The music was also it's like from another world.

[@neils8443]

They somehow tapped into a wavelenght from another dimension.. how lucky are we ❤

[@lellyparker]

This live sound is amazing, it's really _imperative._

[@eduardorivera4343]

I have always admired KRAFTWERK'S Timeless minimalist style look & sound.

[@hunterbeatbilly9836]

Now this song sounds like it should be in a 10/10 action shooter game. One of the best versions of metropolis I ever heard

[@isabelaalcantaraa]

Wow! This machine is so Good! Rest in peace Florian ❤

[@Zeah_01]

This is by far the best Metropolis version

[@ozantabakofficial]

THE FATHER OF electronic music!

[@neils8443]

Awesome! Must have been so cool hearing these guys for the first time back n the day ❤

[@klaskatt]

Yeah it was, I was 12 years of age 1978 when I bought Kraftwerk - The Mensch Machine. For me it was something very hard to explain, some sort of wow, this kind of sounds and music is definitely for me ;). It ended up in the late 80s (1989) with me and my best friend owning one of the greatest collection of Kraftwerk material ( different record pressings , very rare bootlegs , autographs, posters, Kraftwerk books, and super rare recordings, and other memorial stuff.When my friend died, I held on to my share of our collection a few years. Then I sold it to a foreign collector around 1995. Sold it for around 6000 euro. Some of the stuff I sold, I never seen again out on different collectors internet community's. Im very pleased and glad that the collection got in the hands of this Englishman ;).

[@littlebritain64]

Love them in that age, love their stage!!

[@pikachucetthesecond4296]

This and the 3D version of Metropolis really sound like Cyberpunk music and I love it

[@Tigershark_3082]

I wholeheartedly agree! One of the biggest reasons I even got into making music was because of this song

[@SuperEgido]

Tema de 1981 en directo. Han pasado más de cuarenta años y sigue siendo una de mis mayores inspiraciones.

[@poemeetsludwig2410]

Best version ever

[@klingklangwerk3319]

Fantastic version. For info...The lead synth is played by Florian on his electronic flute

[@raspberry144mb3]

He must've found a way to route the flute's pitch into the vocoder's synthesis' pitch and keyboard control gates.

[@hariputter]

Awesome info. Do You have more details on how it all works? And the voices? Is Florian singing this through the vocoder? And what is Ralf doing?

[@klingklangwerk3319]

@@hariputter the E-Flute was designed by Florian and built by Peter Bollig. It had it's own electronics unit behind Florians Keyboard in the 81 stage configuration. He is also using the vocoder through his headset. The electronics are also behind him on the back consoles. Ralf is playing backing or filler chords on a Polymoog and its sound is organ-like. This version was only played live in the dec 81 mini tour in Holland, Austria and Germany. They had also remixed and redis some of the drums and songs for this mini tour and their uniform was red shirt and black tie, again, ONLY for this mini tour. Metropolis was given over to Florian as his solo song you could say. As his role in the 81 tour had bored him and almost led to him leaving the tour. This song was an attempt to show what Florian can do live. It is their best version of Metropolis from any era

[@hariputter]

klingklang werk awesome. Thanks for the details bro. Love it. Do you know any other magical examples from Florian on stage? Other songs for example?

[@klingklangwerk3319]

@@hariputter yes indeed. In the 81 tour, Florian also did a solo vocoder song which was unreleased. Die mun, die sterne. It segued into Ohm sweet Ohm and Florian plays the e flute on this as well. The only other song that flute is used is on Autobahn. The original working name of the epads were "drusks". Because of the white noise sound. They decided to keep it with electronic percussion. Karl only occasionally played them live; during a small segment of Autobahn and also on the speeded up ending of the live version of Schauffensterpuppen. Karl played a customised Korg base synth with wooden amps. Bass sounds need wooden amps as they give best woofer sounds. They blew these almost every concert and the supply company pulled out of supplying them any more. Some whimsical info

[@WrvrUgoThrUR]

Saw Kraftwerk a couple of years ago. Wish I could have seen them. back in the days when they brought their whole studio on tour. It was all tablets and midi keyboards on their podiums. Still cool, but they are about the machinery and man as one.

[@j.maxell3030]

El sonido NRG de Giorgio Moroder y sus bases electronicas a EDM que inicia en 1977

[@HennieVredeveldt]

Recording from vredenburg utrecht 1981.....6 tracks are played on vpro Radio station holland.......released on many kraftwerk bootleg vinyl and cd versions😊

[@jean-paulsabiche9653]

Vangelis must have heard that song when He was creating Blade Runner's music

[@wendywilkins6841]

This is fantastic i do nt think i have this particular live version before

[@waltergarcia3295]

Genios innovadores los padres del techno pop

[@littlebritain64]

Oh, and the new rythmic arrangment! Fresh! Close to british synthpop.

[@Florars3g]

Um dia eu não conhecia esta banda eu amei ela e muitos anos de tudo.

[@The_monspubis_is_my_mother]

This version has a nice rhythm pattern.

[@revjimbob]

I saw them in Glasgow on this tour

[@lordtherapeutics]

Saw them at Southampton, aged 14. What memories!

[@EP65]

Got the cassette recording from radio. Broadcasted on VPRO. Old days....great stuff

[@ronaldrebulanan7327]

Im grow up in the 80's many new wave sounds is similar to them later i found out they were the pioneer of synthesizer sounds. Nice sounds those sound become similar to remix, trance, dance, hiphop sound nowaday. Many of which created thru software based instruments like midi keyboard, dj mixer controller, drum module machine all of which rooted in synthesizer

[@kamalify]

eargasm

[@satyros2]

THX!!

[@silverwheel]

1138!

[@IotahasT]

Did you intend at 1:06, petridis?

[@Florars3g]

O disco de vinil do Kraftwerk é um dos melhores que eu já gosto❤ Sinto muita falta do Florian Schneider❤

[@lucascarioli]

It's my impression, or in the 1981 tour the songs got more rhythm?

[@Blank_Frank]

During the last few shows of the "Computerwelt Tour", Kraftwerk intentionally sped up the tempo for all the songs in order to complete the show much faster, because they were tired of touring (the tour started in march) and eager to go home. You can thank Wolfgang Flur for that info, since he wrote it down in his awesome autobiograhpy, "I Was A Robot". I do like very much the Munich & Utrecht 1981 shows for these sped up versions. "Metropolis" was added very late in the setlist, sometime during the last leg of the tour, in december 1981. This version is just stunning...

[@damirhlobik6488]

Great one

[@alexxandredub1]

❤️1981❤

[@frenchbulldog3748]

I came here because of Millennial Woes (videos on the Netherlands, March 2017).

[@alexxandredub1]

1. Metropolis Live 1981 2. Computer Liebe Live 1981 3. Computer World Live 1981 4. The Robots Live 1981 5. Is More Fun To Compute Live 1981 Kraftwerk É Minha Favorita Banda!

[@HennieVredeveldt]

Kling klang disco with karl and wolfgang.....better than i feel love and blue monday❤😅

[@alexxandredub1]

Die Mensch Maschine

[@alexxandredub1]

Man Machine

[@pvkosmos5548]

What is going on with that photo of the dolls kissing each other at 5:13...?

[@Blank_Frank]

You have to read Wolfgang Flur's "I Was A Robot" book to understand that picture... ;-)

[@pankaburek59]

@@Blank_Frank i really intereseted what happends here I think it's kind of joke

[@femme-mirage]

@@pankaburek59 it was a joke made by W. F. ;)

[@alexxandredub1]

❤2000❤

[@alexxandredub1]

❤1999❤

[@alexxandredub1]

❤❤❤

[@alexxandredub1]

Minha mãe nasceu nesse mês

[@Reckno64]

5:13 WTF

[@HistoricFinance]

+Reckno64 I don't like it, either. The former band member Wolfgang Flür did that with the Kraftwerk mannequins while the others were not watching, and put the picture inside of his book, "I Was a Robot." From what I've heard, the others did not like the photograph.

[@Reckno64]

The Man-Machine Really? That was him? Wow, I'm not surprised the others didn't like it. Did he take the picture secretly if you know?

[@HistoricFinance]

Yes, from what I've read, Wolfgang took the picture secretly. That was one kind of "joke" photo Kraftwerk (the other memebers) did not want to have released to the public.

[@Reckno64]

The Man-Machine He took more similar photos that were released to the public?

[@HistoricFinance]

I don't remember seeing any other photos like that one in the book. Thankfully, in that book I think we were spared from seeing something a bit more graphic, like in this recent picture below, but without her: 2.bp.blogspot.com/-09x2kkbO0es/UiEd9KIxIAI/AAAAAAAALjw/hjfLIxoxzks/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-08-30+at+3.33.51+PM.png

[@taniacamposlopes9264]

10:60 pm robot mix Florian Schneider

[@alexxandredub1]

Florian x Ralf = Rlorian

[@femme-mirage]

Ralfian ;)

[@robvanhouten]

I was there, sorry jealous friends!

[@NEON80]

for real? (hablas espanol?) man I am a mtf huuuge kraftwerk fan..... I die for 1 concert of them with the original music and band team !

[@robvanhouten]

Mack The Producer for real

[@nordlys4703]

I Die too....

[@sofarsogood8352]

Not jealous, envy but in a good & positive way. You lucky bstrd...

[@espresso5512]

You were lucky af damn

[@ERK2023]

Tickte der Wolfi genauso schmutzig wie Ralf 1991, oder watt?

[@NigelFoster1969]

Their finest moment?

[@emilianopampana2849]

pazzesca

[@shark67000]

Anbe sivam

[@antdrag4754]

sad depressive song about the life of megacities ((((( greetings from Moscow

[@alexxandredub1]

3D machine voices robotics

[@TM-bg8dn]

Chernobyl?

[@TM-bg8dn]

Naja,wenn schon mit Atomkraftwerken. ^^

[@TM-bg8dn]

Hören net,aber ich schaue oft Dokus von Atomkraftwerken. ^^

[@Pedro1745]

Harrisburg... Sellafield... Hiroshima...

[@josejones7025]

No accompanying video only still photos👎

[@AnyBarth-tu6qi]

le Prix Nobel de la Paix a été attribué ces der.iers jours à l association des survivants victimes de 2 bombardements nucléaires du Japon en 1945 pour l engagement pour la PAIX sur toute la Terre et abolitiion définitive de fabrication d armes nucléaires ❤❤❤❤

[@clivesmith9377]

This sounds a bit childish to me, and the operatic vocals are misguided. I guess that this version done in the studio, would have been better.

[@j.maxell3030]

Spacelab, Metropolis...The Sound NRG & Synthpop of Giorgio Moroder 1977, pionner of EDM.

[@pankaburek59]

Hey you are wrong they made that song in studio Because they taked it on all tour

[@jamestuff5240]

Heavily disagree im afraid. I think this is one of the best live performance improvisations theyve done

[@bellopes5260]

Eu amo essa música @sunmicron502

[@isabelaalcantaraa]

Florian ❤ Rest in peace