Ford Summer Season Opens with Krautrock

I was giving a talk recently about our upcoming summer season. When I got to our season opener, Krautrock Classics: An Evening of Cosmic German Music, I stopped to ask how many folks in the room knew what krautrock was. A brief moment of blank stares and nervous laughs was quickly dissipated when I pushed play on my iPod and Kraftwerk's seminal Computer World album filled the room with the experimental electronic sounds that define this music.

On krautrock.com, krautrock is described as
"A genre of electronic, psychedelic, progressive and avant garde music originating from West Germany in the late 1960s and 70s using electric guitars, primitive synthesizers and pre-recorded audiotape."
 

As I type this, I'm listening to Computer World, which was released in 1981 and is credited as being Kraftwerk's peak album. The group itself is perhaps the most influential and well known to come out of this musical era. I've been listening to electronic music for years and the link between krautrock and some of my favorite bands - Underworld, Meet Beat Manifesto, the Orb, etc. - is clearly obvious.
 

Because it's cool to stay local, Los Angeles singer/songwriter Nite Jewel and friends (Peanut Butter Wolf, Secret Circuit, Cole MGN & Nedelle Torrisi) will be performing Kraftwerk's Computer World in its entirety at the Ford on June 1. Want to hear more of the type of music you'll be experiencing that night ('cause you are coming, right?)? Check out Dublab Radio - one of the presenters/producers (with Goethe Institut Los Angeles) and live stream yourself some gold ole' electronica.

-Kim 

More stories on the 2012 summer season:

 J.A.M. sessions expand throughout L.A. County

Returning Ford favorites from our 2011 summer season: 

 Verbal Pyrotechnics @ the Ford