The Mix

Product Information

The Sleeve When we describe the sleeve we are describing the printed paper cover or booklet that is included inside the case. A newly remastered edition of the album was released by EMI Records, Mute Records and Astralwerks Records on CD, digital download and heavyweight vinyl in October/November 2009. The intro and other sound effects are redone to match up with the beat, which is another welcome change. The idea of recreating a bunch of hits from across your catalogue with new equipment is very interesting on paper but considering Kraftwerk’s track record with digital music, I was not looking forward to this on the account of that and also on the account of the fact that I didn’t want to listen to a bunch of songs I had already heard before that were essentially the exact same but worse.

Fernando Abrantes is shown as fourth member in one the booklet photographs while being actually recruited for touring. Probably the weirdest entry into their discography, and that includes their more unfocused early material, The Mix has Kraftwerk beef up some of their old classics with new arrangements and more pumping rhythms. This is a completely different song from the original, transforming a haunting atmospheric track designed to immerse you in a world of industrial technology, into an anthem against nuclear energy. Trans-Europe Express: Also much shorter and more fast-moving than the original, but otherwise just sounds like Trans-Europe Express redone with digital instruments. However, he singled out elements of "Autobahn" as what the album "could have been if Kraftwerk had elected to really work these tracks over in a radical way, rather than essentially updating them to dance music's early- Nineties industry standard".

The best remakes included in The Mix are, rather, novel takes on Kraftwerk’s music, bringing a cold, digital sound and peppy, danceable rhythms. Please consider supporting us by giving monthly PayPal donations and help keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.

I find that the original strikes a better balance of energy, but this is still an enjoyable variation. No problems here because these songs have far weaker bass than "Die Roboter" which has (I think) the strongest bass of all songs on the album. For a more seamless playlist, I could have gone with this album’s shortened version of “Autobahn,” but I find it sorely lacking the warmth that makes the original such a treasured classic. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice.Abrantes, while uncredited in the liner notes, appeared in the artwork and other promotional material. The only one I liked even a little bit was ‘Computer Love’ and even then, that was more of just a ‘wow this song is good’ instead of a ‘wow they really recreated this track with such nuanced changes that I can definitively say I’d relisten to this version’.