The Man Machine

Listened to Die Mensch-Maschine, I just like this album just that little better in the original German, especially Das Model. I grew up with this music, my dad put this in my casette player when I was just 3 years old. And I enjoyed it back then and still do. Classic

Das hat mir sehr gut gefallen. schöne Techno-Hintergrundmusik. frühen Industrial, bevor es richtig heavy wurde. dies ist eine 3,5 und wird aufgerundet.

Honestly? Better than the last Kraftwerk album and much better than expected. Reminded me a lot of modern video game music, specifically Risk of Rain (which has an AMAZING soundtrack you should definitely look up). At less than 40 minutes, it does not overstay its welcome. 4 stars!

Wasn't a big fan of this when I first heard it (I still think they peaked on the previous album) but I appreciate it more these days. Although, having heard it in German this time, I think it probably works better in English.

3.5

I imagine this album would have been groundbreaking at the time with its use if synthesisers and drum machines. The music itself is pretty good too, you can hear the influences on the likes of Daft Punk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YCOT5LasKc That fucking skit is all I can think about while I was listening to this one. I liked it though.

A nice one! Better than I expected. This kind of genre is one that I appreciate but often have difficulty enjoying. However, the melodies here really worked for my ears.

I enjoyed it, got me going and lots of different sounds and that

Was fun to listen to, gets a bit repetitive though

Had to switch to the german version during The Model, just because it's too weird to hear it in english; but a classic album either way, far ahead of its time.

gud

This was weird, and I loved it. This music is very different from most things I have heard, and I really like it.

kind of like a daft punk precursor?

Great electronic album.

4.0

Original sparse synthwave. Maybe a little sparse but still hold up well against modern followers.

unexpected gem. Slightly dated, but still enjoy the sound.

Not only groundbreaking sound, at the time, but also music that's still very good today.

Kraftwerk has got some great beats. Awesome ride.

So influential, sounds like a score for a science fiction picture.

Big fan of the sound of this one. Atmospheric and slightly dystopian. Bring on more Kraftwerk!

WE ARE THE ROBOTS. This album is all angles and geometry. Metropolis sounds way ahead of its time. Goddamn that specific song has been copy pasted to a wide variety of success about a billion times. The album as a whole is a great showcase of this sound and style. The influence it has on electronic music is hard to overstate.

Musical pioneers! For todays standards it's a tad minimalistic and bare bones electronic music but for the time it released it's insane. Still a fantastic album. Fav tracks: The Robots, Spacelab, Neon Lights

Fun

big electronic fan, so hearing earlier stuff is fun, it's certainly more primitive but there's something kind of fun about that.

I enjoyed this one a lot - unique and true to itself. I can imagine how amazing it would have been when it was released in 1978, and still sounds fresh

Way, way better than Trans-Europe Express, which came out only a year earlier. Some of these tracks were one pounding baseline away from a Deadmou5 hit.

This was better than I expected. I really like the synthy instruments.

Yllättävän hyvää kamaa ollakseen näinkin pioneerikamaa. Kestänyt aikaa, vaikkakin kuulostaa kyllä retromenolta. Neon Lights oli vähän pitkäveteinen, mutta muuten vangitseva levy. Ekaa biisiä kuunnellessa meni hetken aikaa ihmetellessä, että mistä tää sävel on niin tuttu, että onko jossain myöhemmin samplattu vai muuten vain lainattu. Pähkäilyn jälkeen vastaus löytyi: We are the Robots -> Minä olen poro!

Levy lähti räväkästi liikkeelle coverilla Eläkeläisesten Humppaavasta Porosta. Myöhemmin levyllä tuli vastaan vielä Cardigans-coverikin. Kaikkea ne saksalaiset keksiikin. Onhan tämä kyllä todella klassisen tyylikästä menoa, jossa ehdottomasti less is more. Kraftwerk-tuntemukseni on aiemmin perustunut yksittäisiin biiseihin (joista toki merkittävä osa löytyi tältä levyltä), mutta hyvinhän tämä potkii myös albumimuodossa. Neljän tähden arvoinen iloinen jälleennäkeminen.

I couldn't name the title of any track by Kraftwerk, but I do like their music. This is my second Kraftwerk album to review on this list. The sounds that they were able to produce is interesting. I think that I can recognize when others are following Kraftwerk's style. "The Model" was my least favorite track, because of the vocals / spoken word. "Space Lab" and "Metropolis" were my favorite tracks. I'd probably listen to this album again (rounding up to 4 stars)

This album really surprised me. It's short, and I thought that Kraftwerk was a completely different type of music. I find this to be like a very downtempo Daft Punk sound.

We are the Robots!

Considering the year it was released, these tunes have a modern accessibility. Very enjoyable, repetitions and all

Vibey

gutted i didn't have to get on a train today as this is train music.

Sounds like it was recorded last year. Awesome.

The music is naive, and future is nothing like what they imagined, but still nice

We now know who Daft Punk learnt it off!

These guys are where it’s at. Pioneers of electronic music.

It's a wonderful album start to finish

Brilliant but wouldn’t listen to anything other than The Model again.

Werks for me

A little trippy but chill to listen to while working.

from the first second you can hear the typical kraftwerk sound for me its timeless

Really ahead of its time. You can see how contemporary artists were influenced by Kraftwerk just by listening.

Great. Can see it's influence everywhere.

Can definitely see the influence on a lot of modern music. Crazy it came out in 78. Not always a huge fan of the vocals though.

para ser del 78 es una pasada los mejores the model y neon lights y the man machine melodias chulas sonido chulo minimalista no se hace repetitivo la segunda mitad del disco mola mas uso del vocoder

- Cohesive album, a little slow to dance to. - synths are so clean they could have been made yesterday. Timeless. - Will listen to again but needs a specific mood.

64. Dusseldorf are meine. Faltava-me estes esta gente maravilhosa, o meu grupo preferido. As lágrimas correm-me ppppela cara abaixo. Depois dos canos ao Mundusweit, do Faust, adorar este kraftrock. Hoje vi estes homens fabulosos. Isto é isto isto é uma lição ali para os DJs parolos de todo o mundo. Estes homens hoje TOCARAM. Hoje houve falhas. Ali o Ralph fantástico a cantar as canções. Estou enternecido. Le Tour de France... tiri tiriri eu embalei o meu filho, o António, ao som do Trans-Europa Express tiri tiriri tiriri. Isto é fantástico, isto é o futuro. E o chique deste Cascais nunca mais, nunca mais haverá sangue em Cascais mas haverá sim esta eletrónica. É uma noite perfeita, eu hoje... hoje só me falta dar-lhe um beijo de cada lado. Du mach bin ich bin ich bin eine Dusseldorfer. Isto era uma das minhas bandas preferidas desde sempre, desde miúdo. NUNCA hoje era hoje era nós uns e os outros, les uns et les autres, antes de morrer ver o Kraftwerk e eles são perfeitos na estética tá fantastica não é tá lindíssimo e realmente dá 10-0 à parolice dos DJs internacionais os homens TOCAM MESMO LÁ HOUVE FALHAS eu vi as válvulas tchiqchoot chucachoochoo é eletrónica e é humano e é fantástico eles são... Tinham uma coisa que era um bocadinho esquisita que era "Mais vale energia atómica que nenhuma energia", não mas hoje puseram ali um Chernobyl a dizer que a nossa energia é esta e é a SIC tão mais umas beijocas e COVINHAS MotA: Spacelab "We're charging our battery and now we're full of energy"

Pretty funky

the first track sounds like stereotypical 80s music, which is impressive considering the album is from 1978 track 2 sounds like a movie soundtrack track 3's harmonic synth transition into a dance beat feels straight off the stranger things soundtrack the alternation between German and English vocals on tracks 4 and 5 especially the last track is chill. this album was ahead of its time in my ears.

Kraftwerk walked so Daft Punk could fly. This album is really good. Lack of singles is a lack of 5 stars, but regardless I love this.

wish I could give it a 4.5; the only thing that knocks it down to 4 is the repetitiveness *which* I know is kind of Kraftwerk's thing. I do like Computer World a bit better too.

I like this more than the other electronic stuff we’ve had so far. It because it’s so simple and melodic.

This album reminds me of driving through the Oxfordshire countryside. Class.

No es mi vibra pero está ok

amazing that 40 years later, you could recreate this album in Garage Band for your indie game soundtrack.

Apesar de que medio comprendo la importancia de Kraftwerk en la música electrónica, no me he logrado convencer de mi apreciación por su música. En simples palabras, me aburre. Aun así las primeras canciones son agradables y disfruté The model porque Ramastein hizo un covee de ella en alemán, así que la identifiqué de inmediato. Mood: robotina goes viral

Awesome minimalist electronic pop record. 2/3 years ahead of its time.

Sin afán de poner en ridículo a pioneros tan reconocidos como Kraftwerk, quisiera decir que "The Robots" ahora suena un tanto risible, no estoy seguro de si en su momento también provocaba risa, y me parece que dentro del conjunto de las 6 canciones, desentona en una cierta forma que no puedo explicar del todo. En fin, que por lo demás, me suena muy bien, pero sobre todo porque amo los sintetizadores. Me gustó más de la 4 a la 6 que de la 1 a la 3. Todo es muy sampleable, yo digo y de repente se siente vibra darketona (?). Está padre. 8/10

Ekstremt sterk 4/5 her. Eneste som trekker ned er jo at det kan bli litt i overkant minimalistisk til tider. Tysk-versjon bedre enn engelsk, imo.

Cool and fun electronic dance music, very minimalistic

crazy this album was released in 1979. this is basically what Daft Punk is built on. i give it a 4/5 for sound and historical significance

Really quite liked this, should listen to more Kraftwerk

No sé, cómo que me gusta más de lo que quisiera que me gustara.

Forut for sin tid der altså...

Few lyrics, industrial, mechanical sounding. Reminds me of old school techno/ synth wave vibes, could be a soundtrack to a old video game.

Timeless classic

I liked it and I can see why Kraftwerk are considered The Godfather’s of this type of sound.

I really enjoyed this.

3.8

We are the robots- bloop, beep bop beep

Classic electronic album that you can feel the echoes of throughout modern music.

Welcome to Night City, 1977

Awesome.

Beautiful bass lows and soothing synths. Some songs went on a little too long. Favorite songs: The Robots, Spacelab

Best Kreftwerk album

Honestly, enjoyed it, but its not something I see myself wanting to listen to again. Appreciate the influence though and some really interesting sounds

Great background music!

I walked back into my room after smoking a bowl and thought I left a video game playing. This is dope! And for 1978? Man Machine is straight up a beat, and also a really niche Juicy J sample (among others I’m sure). Shabazz Palaces bit the melody for Quazarz Born On a Gangster Star from The Model lol. Big fan of this song and how it has lyrics about things besides being robots and machines… although maybe you could find a connection between a model (THE model…) and a machine. Metropolis is great. You kind of have to look past everything bordering on sounding like NES music. Wikipedia tells me that there’s an element of satire to the album, which I like hearing. I think if it was 4 dead serious German dudes accidentally laying the groundwork for techno then it would be too silly to take seriously… ironically enough. I watched a live performance of The Robots and these guys are just ridiculous. Neon Lights is a nice little song; feels more like a normal ass song than a robot experiment. I like the guitar-esque plucks from the synth, although the chords are a little silly. The synth breakdown in the middle started fun but 2 minutes in it gets a little grating; very loud… Update it’s been 3 minutes and I’m over it, way too repetitive and the vox synth that comes in doesn’t make it any more interesting. Outro isn’t bad Man Machine is awesome, the breakdown and its funky sounds is so fun (oooh the arp), the drums groove hard as fuck, and the synth isn't obnoxious! Probably my favorite. Metropolis is like... a foray into 90's VGM - thi is the track I thought was a video game. Sounds like System Shock 2, the swelling synths after the hook sound superb. I wrote more but it got deleted. Spacelab is ok but gets old. Favorite: The Man Machine Lest Favorite: Neon Lights Shoutout: The Model 7 very torn between 3 and 4 stars but i'm gonna lean to 3 because i just don't see myself going back to them a lot, playing it in the car, etc.

What are the odd of getting two Kraftwerk albums back to back - doesn’t seem very random! This one wasn’t as good as the other album - it was find but the whole robot, space theme grew old quickly.

The first ‘experimental’ piece I’ve heard so far and I don’t completely hate it! I mildly dislike it and I probably wouldn’t listen again, but I see what they were trying to do here and I respect the vision!! I read somewhere that these are performance pieces, so I might appreciate it more if I watched the music videos. That being said, I can definitely see some songs being part of movie soundtracks, I just don’t see the album as a standalone cohesive piece if that makes sense. It sounds like what would happen if you stuck the oompaloompas in a recording studio, and I adore the oompaloompas, so as I keep mentioning, this wasn’t a total blow, just not something I wouldn’t listen to again.

“Metropolis” was an interesting listen, I can see where people got the inspiration behind most 80s synth pop songs.

Nobody does weird like the Germans. I have to imagine this is on here because it invented these weird synths and electronic sounds. It’s really hard for me to gauge how unique it is, because much of this sound can be made in modern DAWs, but in the 70s I’m sure it was crazy to hear this. I’m going 3/5. I don’t really enjoy it, but it was interesting and weird.

Enjoyed this one, though it's probably good that it's short.

Nice to hear that they had much more to offer than the singles. It’s great to get drawn into an album full of their sound. Yeah, enjoyed this one

Это мой третий альбом на этом сайте. Я абсолютно не фанат этого жанра и слушать это было тяжело. Сама музыка хороша, но не по мне. Кажется я уже где-то слышал песню The Robots.

Beep boop...good old school electro-music noise

I think Kraftwerk are kind of an acquired taste--and one that I have not really acquired--but I found this OK to listen to, actually.

By no means is this a “bad album” at all. I understand the importance of it and the technicality of it all. Heck, I feel like modern-day synths are a whole complex language to learn, imagine analog synths back in the 70s? It is crazy, and really cool, that Kraftwerk managed to get all these sounds out of ‘em. The vocoder works great too, it gives everything a much more “sci-fi” feel and makes you go “wow, technology is so crazy!” even when this is considered outdated by today’s standards. My only reason for the relatively low rating is that I simply don’t really like this sort of music. I do like electronic music, and I did enjoy some tracks on here quite a bit, but The Man Machine just isn’t something I’d willingly listen to again. It’s not my cup of tea, but it does taste good. As a bonus, the album did give me some ideas for my own tracks, so, thanks, Kraftwerk!

Hard to hear now how innovative it was because it was so influential that it sounds became normal

Fine background noise to a sci fi based automation sim.

Not something I’d normally listen to, but it was fun.

Amazing what they did before the technology was really developed. The beginnings of the techno and 80s sound.

I did not mind this. Maybe the only electronic music so far.

Amazing this came out in the 70s but feel like its been surpassed now. Glad to have heard it as an artefact but not sure when I'd choose to listen to this otherwise

Déjà écouté avant. Qui aurait prédit que quatre mystérieux ermites fascinés par la technologie inventeraient presque à eux seuls le son de la synthpop des années 1980 dans un studio à Düsseldorf ? Minimaliste musicalement mais maximaliste dans son approche froide et calculatoire, effaçant toute imperfection humaine, et donc toute forme d'émotion, sous un masque de sonorités synthétiques et de textures futuristes. Conséquence logique, The Man-Machine finit par être très répétitif et, il faut bien le dire, carrément daté. Ca n'enlève rien à sa dimension révolutionnaire, mais en 2026, l'écoute n'est pas passionnante, en dehors de quelques morceaux. Top : The Model Flop : The Man Machine

Half of this album feels less like music and more like futuristic noises but I’m not saying I hate it

I liked it more than Autobahn but still not style of music.

The Germans have done so many amazing things, and electronic music is definitely something they have had a huge hand in developing. But, I just can't get into this. A bunch of awkward German guys acting like robots doesn't do it for me. Extra points for great production value though.

Verbal meme It’s the guy pushing the small domino leading to the really big domino. Small domino, some silly Germans in the 70s making some klang noises in Düsseldorf Big domino, hundreds of thousands of people having to suffer through an entire decade of shitty techno music based on this in the 90s. I’m at least happy I found the source of this bullshit. Some props for being the first to do it I guess.

Very listenable

I am machine

Kinda goofy, a great basis for further synth music, but I don't know if it's aware it's goofy. Just kinda aight.

If you’re into experimental electronic music, this is the album for you. It feels quintessentially 70s with its use of early synths and electronic sounds, and equally quintessentially German lol. It’s definitely a trail blazer, but not my favourite

I can’t really get into Kraftwerk. At least this album is better than Autobahn.

Not bad but probably won't listen to again.

Pioneers of techno music style.

You can definitely hear the influences, and cool to hear something like this from the 70s. Quirky and interesting. Rating: 6/10 Favorite Song: The Robots

Decent listen, quite similar to Autobahn. Can appreciate the early synth/electronic sound.

I get how influential Kraftwerk were. New wave, dark wave, industrial metal, any genre that features synth is standing on the shoulders of Kraftwerk. However, their music just sounds dated at this point.

Sometimes I worry that I just don't get electronic music - and I think that is okay! I enjoyed this one and and can hear a lot of influences, but will probably never listen to this one again? I don't know! It sounds both ahead of it's time given the year it came out and incredibly dated in a way that I cannot separate.

Das ist beep boop musik

beep boop

Can appreciate it for its pioneering and groundbreaking place in rock history. But not something I’m going to listen to on the regular.

No. 202 I didn't mind this, surprisingly I listened to the whole album. Liked Neon lights.

Bastante bien, al menos para mí que no hay chance que escuche este tipo de música.

Beep boop Fave track: The Model

Beep boop. 3/5

I am shocked by how much I liked this album. It's more melodic and groovy than I anticipated. Good stuff

Electronic

Lo-fi synth-pop

Pioneers of electronic music?

Cool electro

cool sounds ! !

Iconic, influential, interesting. Not all to my taste, but some fantastic songs on here. Can't knock how massive this album really is. Overall a good listen, but some songs grated a little.

very futuristic and i like the idea of humans pretending to be robots

Good background music. The model is well known. The rest of it was fine but forgettable

Got me feeling like Mr Krabs listening to this. Boop bop? BEEP BOOP?

really sick and I think it would have blown my mind in 1978 but listening for the first time in 2026 it's definitely suffering from its own success - kept reminding me how badass it was the first time i heard daft punk. That being said, i feel like this might actually be killer on future listens.

En kalla krigets dystopi. Snyggt och stilbildande. Utan tvekan en oerhört viktig inspirationskälla för många band. Samtidigt blir det snabbt långtråkigt. KW är nog i större grad viktiga än bra. Musikaliskt en tvåa, men satt i sin kontext når de trean.

Inte alls lika bra som Trans Europe Express. I jämförelse är det simplare och barnsligare melodier. Låtarna pågår men saknar kraft och framåtrörelse. Det är först i slutet av Neonlicht som det verkligen tar fart. Tuffar i den tyska versionen.

It’d be more interesting if each song didn’t carry on for quite so long. Nonetheless, it’s a fine listen. Liked Neon Lights and Man Machine.

I didn't mind this, surprisingly I listened to the whole album. Though I prefer the synthesized electronics of Yes, the Who, and ELP. 3 stars

I'm not really in to electric music but I still got a decent bit out of this album

classic kraftwerk. it's got a mood to it, very life-under-machines, can hear vaporwave coming out of here for sure 💥the robots it's a vibe, 3

3/5

The robots did come for us all. Math rock for cool boys. I know it is important but it is still silly

no tengo idea que fue eso jjajjaja

piola para tipear familia

I’ve some old friends who have a Kraftwerk cover band. Noteworthy, I think. This was a good listen on a nice spring morning. I was robot-ing all around.

Interesting

Grand Daddy Daft Punk

okayish did not find english version in yt music

Interesting more like robotic instrumentals

By all rights I should hate this. Strangely I mostly don’t. I certainly wouldn’t choose to listen to it, and it has inspired a lot of music that I do hate but this was fine. I prefer the second half. I like Model, it has lyrics and everything! First few tracks tend towards the repetitive and the whole thing is just way to electronic for my tastes but it is definitely good. 6/10

I enjoyed my $1 used copy of Autobahn I purchased in the late 80s. So silly (fahn fahn fahn auf der autobahn ... whoosh ... beep beep ... ). Like robotic beach boys. I never went very deep into Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream, etc. This album kind of represents why. It's ok. It's not clear -- are we doing soundscapes? Song? What's the plan? I have a certain fondness for this band, but I can't take this seriously. Metropolis sounds like Mr X by Ultravox, and one could think of Vienna -- a very solid album -- as what would happen if you took this approach and then actually tried to write some songs. Went ahead and listened to Autobahn again ... that is still a fun song.

I like the first couple of songs and enjoyed reading about their immersive art concept. I had only heard one or two of the songs before. Seems like they were very much ahead of their time

Sounds like music that would play in the background of a factory building game

Kraft week are an odd one. So influential but I find them very dated. They have some good tracks, but ultimately I think this is a 3 for me.

It feels like heresy but Kraftwerk don't really do it for me. I've can't put my finger on why not. Everything thing I think about singling out is something that I like in other electronic acts. I don't dislike them but so many artists I love cite them as a huge influence that I feel like I should like them more 🙂 There are some great tracks on here though - the last one especially.

It sounds like an older video game soundtrack, with some occasional light German vocals. It is pretty cool and good, but it doesn't strike me as fantastic, I guess.

Enjoyed this quirky Teutonic robo adventure. Probably another album that sounds a little small by virtue of how much it influenced those that followed...

I can see why when this came out in 1978 people thought it was future music. Alotta beeps and boops, but suprisingly easy to listen to. Its aight to this day.

Robot communism. Really enjoyed listening to my overlords

Un poil trop lent mais pas mauvais… pas mon style

C'est assez original, mais pas trop ma came

Let’s try something new - pre- and post-listening notes. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a Kraftwerk album. One of my favorite artists of all time, Steven Wilson, holds them up as favorites of his, so I’m hopeful I’ll be intrigued by this… Love the opening of the record. Fewer vocals, please. “The Model”, for example, is a little ridiculous. “Neon Lights” isn’t helping things either. I think I was expecting more driving, repeated rhythms and less shimmering keyboards. Darker. The final track, “Man Machine” brought it back around to a moodier tone, one that I prefer. Overall, a little dated, but it does have me interested in exploring more of their catalog, unless the first track of the next one I listen to sounds like “The Model”.

A more accessible Kraftwerk.

Enjoyable and different. And it gave me an excuse to listen to Tour de France.

favs: spacelab neon lights rating 2.7/5

This may be the first German entry on the list. Kraftwerk made the scene with their 1974 hit “Autobahn”, but they seemed to fade into obscurity after that, at least where I was. This album is more of the same synth-pop music. It’s pleasant enough to hear; it makes for good background music.

Me estoy quedando sin cosas para dexir

Oddly good!

Not the worst I guess

I almost had to do a double-take when I saw the date of this recording. I imagine discovering this in the 70s felt like a glimpse into the future. That being said, the tracks in here are mostly just fine. Maybe it's an indicator of it's pioneering of a genre, allowing other synth-pop bands to fully bloom later in the 80s. That being said, when they do bust out their lyrical moments and songs I didn't mind them one bit. Something about their German accents fits the vibe of this genre so much, and is worth a listen at least to a couple songs. Highlight: The Model Lowlight: The Robots Highlight #2: Neon Lights

Listened while playing some battlefield. Not really my thing but i got like a 3kd so

We are the robots 🕺🤖

I now want to go to Tomorrowland at Epcot and listen to this all day.

So fun, I really enjoyed this one

Definitely a relc of it's time. However, while it is long and dense, it is also creative and atmospheric. You can easily see why this group has such an impact. Not really my thing, but I respect the work.

It was.... "historically intereseting" 😂 and actually an okay listen. But overall too repetitive and the clean voice was annoying (robot voice yessss)

Honestly enjoyed this a lot more than I thought

잘 못 들엇내요.. 흠 와닿진 않음

Not bad, but kinda feels like it needs more time to cook which makes sense.

It's solid. Hugely influential. 3 1/2 really. A pleasant groove.

Insane. I feel like I am inside a film.

Too much synthesizers make it so stereotypical. I can feel it is trying something new and fun, and it’s really sounds fun. I want it can give me more feelings, like some imagination for future or fear or excitement or confusion… anything. Maybe I’ll try more electronic music. 3/5

Some of the tracks on the album were catchy, but it gets outweighed by the repetitiveness that unfortunately makes it stale quick. After only listening to the first song, we know how the rest of the album will sound. 3/5

Interesting listen, but did get a little monotonous. Metropolis and The Model were favourite tracks.

Important and ahead of its time, but not something I'm gonna listen to twice.

Not my first time with Kraftwerk, though I think getting this right after The United States of America is mean haha. The Model is such a classic. Beep boop 🤖

This was a very interesting album. Nice for working.

Not a fan per se but they did revolutionize the genre...

I like Kraftwerk and everything but I’m just not that into them. That’s my lukewarm take

I really want to love this but I just can’t get into it really. Maybe I’m just not in the right mood because it feels like I should like it more. Metropolis works for me. But this just feels like a worse version of R.A.M, which isn’t a good comparison for a lot of reasons, but oh well

Strange and very European. Feels ahead of its time. Not bad.

No meaningful opinion here. Honestly more of a fun inclusion than anything. Certainly not going to line up for tickets to a live show, but kind of fun to see an early iteration of bands like Daft Punk and Nine Inch Nails

This was nice but not as good as the Trans-Europe Express

German robots and Pac-Man because why the hell not

Interesting for its time, but too basic nowadays for my tastes

at least its not AI! i love das model!

Great song. Oh, that was the whole album? Oops. I guess I liked the sound and the vibe and "The Model" was really good, but the rest was just fun, but not in a way that would make me want to listen to this again.

It's like listening to Flight of the Conchords but for real. It was a lot of fun to revisit this old "new" music from the 80s.

I've never really listened to Kraftwerk, but this album was surprisingly good. It has this certain electronic vibe, but still has cool lyrics. Also, this came out in 1978, what?! But for me it might not quite be a 4-star-album, 'cause im always to critical. But it's close to being one.

The original computer-generated music! Today it's commonplace, but Kraftwerk broke ground before it was a thing, and it was really cool!

Better than I expected, but still electronic music like this doesn't really impress me. Listenable though. Strange, but I enjoyed songs with robotic voice more than with real voice.

if you fear the robot, give him a smooch

Oh, to have the optimism now of Kraftwerk in the middle of the Cold War. To be able to look on humanity and to look at the future and see the Spacelab and neon lights. Anthems in celebration of mankind's slender successes. Songs in English, German, and Russian - an internationalist fantasy that seems very silly at the moment. And all in the vocabulary of 18th and 19th Century European music. It all speaks to Englightenment. It becomes obvious, when, on The Robots, the robots sing: "We are programmed just to do/Anything you want us to." Difficult not to put this in stark contrast to the women of the ACDC record we listened to a week or so back. They would do anything Bon Scott wanted or so he says. Regardless, it is all in service to domination, to one will subjugated to another. Whereas Kraftwerk's robots offer up their service to humanity, a fully-automated communist utopia. Kraftwerk reach their Utopia via Autobahn, whereas ACDC and their rockmates take the highway elsewhere. Angus Young's clear, narrow riffs sound a lot more automated than Kraftwerk's synthetic transposition of melodic hooks. There may be sequencers and drum machines at play, but it all sounds oddly human: the hesitations, the mortal mistakes, the warmth of analogue. Even if they are robots or man-machines, even if the harmonic movement is programmatic, their music is more humane than the anti-human, anti-social indulgence of ACDC. Of course, Kraftwerk throws it to the wind with The Model, a song as objectifying as anything on Highway to Hell. It happens to lack much of the warmth and gentleness of the rest of the record. Its beat martial. No gloop vocoder on the vocal. Naturally it is Kraftwerk's biggest hit. We are not deserving of Kraftwerk or their utopian aspirations. 3 Omg they actually sound like robots! or something like that; I gather that’s how we are expected to receive and celebrate this seminal work of electronic music. I was struck on this listen though, that the alienating quality that The Man-Machine undeniably possesses might have less to do with Kraftwerk’s success in successfully knitting technology and artistic concept than is traditionally supposed. It doesn’t sound to me like an alien future so much as an alien past. The preponderance of minor keys, stately (or is it merely stiff?) musical themes, the neat, rather simple decoration and development, and the mechanical repetition - which can as well allude to pre- as post-‘expression’ in musical terms - made me think of baroque overtures and dances. If you take Handel’s Sarabande from the Suite in D or even the overture to Messiah and played slow and stiff on just synths - I could drive down the motorway at night listening to that and feel like I was on my way to Blade Runner’s L.A. (2019) just as well as I can listening to Metropolis. Were Kraftwerk visionaries or merely just German? If you feed a child enough Telemann perhaps they too will intuit the alien 18th Century and mistake it for visions of robots in the 21st. Additionally - Germans say English words slightly funny and Ralf is not a good singer. Could this lot really do much less than sound like robots? 3/5

Like their sound just wish the beat had more of a variety across each song.

Ok

bzzzzz beep boop robot

I previously heard Kraftwerk's Autobahn and I felt that effort was a perfect introduction to the ensemble. I've grown to love that effort, it's gotten some repeated plays, and I've recommended it because it does fit a particular vibe. That vibe is easier to get into than the one on this project. This effort is nice, if not a little undercooked. It works better accompanied. Like, I could see myself rummaging through a thrift shop with this stuff on in the background, or ordering a cocktail at a bar with neon lights, or on the credits for a retro spy sitcom. But listening to it just because of its sound makes it slow, and the emptiness in between the notes can grind on the nerves if you're sensitive to music in that way. I find it tolerable and I can understand its importance, the foundation of the sound it's laying is solid, and electronica benefits deeply for it. I found it sounded better on my ear buds, I think sound quality is important to appreciate this one. Be wary of cheap ineffective sound systems when listening to this record. Historically, I'd take this up to a 4/5 album, something I might recommend a true music nerd. This isn't getting many replays, though. 3.2/5

The first song is so fire

Well ahead of its time. Good album. Particularly liked The Model and Neon Lights.

Not my type of music, but this group with it's pop themes hit the button. Quite enjoyed it. Liked The Model.

Kinda good for work. Weird. All futuristic rave.

An intriguing album. Clearly a precursor to a lot of music that came after both electronic and otherwise. I think it suffers a bit from the fact that so much good stuff has come after it that has sort of canabalized it but still good to listen to.

I respect Kraftwerk as pioneers of electronic music, but I still don’t love their output. It’s all a bit twee and awkward, particularly whenever vocals are involved. I don’t actively dislike their stuff though. This is just a middle of the road album for me.

leukkk, heel experimenteel met de synths

Not a massive fan of their full discography but I like this album as it seems to be the one where they decided to be a bit tuneful and groovy, as much as Kraftwerk can be such things. I think you can hear the influence of Georgio Moroder / Donna Summer I feel Love which was released the year prior in this album and it’s all the better for it. 3.4

what the fuckkkkk

Really impressive that this came out in the 70s. Clearly very influential and parts sound like the soundtrack to an 80s sci-fi movie. A few tracks are a bit weaker than others, particularly some of the ones with vocals, but overall I enjoyed listening to this and I’m glad to have come across it.

Cool concept but not music that I would seek out myself

Ok it was quite weird and I have no compulsion to relisten, but I was also kinda feeling it

Certainly Influential and different at the time, but I don’t like it much.

Kraftwerk – The Man-Machine (1978) On Day 76, I returned to the world of Kraftwerk, and unlike my experience with Autobahn, this one actually had a vibe to it. It’s much more refined and rhythmic, moving away from the "snooze fest" territory and into something that feels like it has a purpose. While it’s still very mechanical, the melodies are cleaner and the shorter runtime makes it much easier to digest. It shows the evolution from their earlier, more "ass" experiments into a body of work that actually has some atmosphere. It’s not a masterpiece for me, but it earns a solid 3/5 for actually keeping me engaged.

I’ll go 3.4…. Early electronic sounds that are fun for a moment, but no sticking power FOR ME (I capitalized “for me,” so don’t “at” me). I really want it to be cooler…

Got a little monotonous - Overall good

Best Song: The Robots. Wouldn't it be nice if the inevitable robot invasion was announced by them simply repeating "We are the robots"? Worst Song: Neon Lights. Too upper register, not enough bassy sounds. Overall: An album that is both so futuristic and so old. It feels like retrofuturism because of how dated its presentation of "the future" feels. That said, it's relatively fun, short, and inoffensive.

I was excited to get a Kraftwerk album, I’ve been looking forward to it for while because so many bands I love count Kraftwerk as a major influence. This album didn’t click with me unfortunately. Maybe not enough pop sensibility for me? Notable tracks include Spacelab and Neon Lights.

I am giving this a 3 based on it being groundbreaking for its time, it's extremely rough and not really all that enjoyable to me.

It's good and very enjoyable. I think it may be a 4 it the vocals weren't so shocking.

Very atmospheric music; specifically science fiction. Such a vibe and I appreciate what it provides. Metropolis is my favourite.

I still don’t get kraftwerk

There are some proper earworms in here but the repetition does get to be too much. This was probably quite an interesting proposition in the late 70s and I enjoy the headspace the high energy sounds can put you in for a while, but the endless repeats get to you eventually. Nice but not quite.

this one was fucking awesome. i love electronic music. i loved the robots, the model and neon lights. the rest of it kinda dragged unfortunately. i wanted to give it higher but it was honestly perfectly split between really really good tracks and stuff i wasn’t really into.

7/10

It’s sounds really weird but it’s cool

cuando era chica pensaba en el futuro sonaba asi. pienso en el futuro ahora y no lo puedo musicalizar, no lo pienso mucho la verdad. gran álbum, me haria la Interesante recomendandolo

It aint Daft Punk, (these are their fathers lowkey) but its alright. 3/5 Favs: The Model, Neon Lights

Gotta appreciate their inventiveness and dedication to style even if it gets old after a while

I’ve always enjoyed The Model and this is the right length for a Kraftwerk album

I appreciate the innovation but don’t enjoy the music 2.5

You know the contrast between the original NES game Legend of Zelda and the more modern game Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild? This is basically the 8-bit version of modern EDM. I enjoy the minimalist soundscape that it transports you to. Simple hopes about technology. Too bad it didn’t turn out quite like this. 3.2/5.0

3.5

This was a funky lil album and I enjoyed giving it a shot!

Funky instrumentals

High 3. I really liked it, but I couldn't find myself saving songs or wanting to really revisit it much. Ended up listening to it a few times through and just kind of got lost in the sauce a bit.

It's cool. Probably would play again by accident.

Pretty good overall, I quite liked it.

Legalzinho, não é muito meu estilo de ouvir, mas a música se encaixa muito no contexto do álbum.

A pleasant way to spend 36 minutes, with The Model as the standout track.

The Man Machine is one of the albums that makes my vinyl collecting so worth it. Such an atmospheric, punchy, moody masterpiece from beginning to end. Sadly, no space in my regular rotation, but a high 3 rating

Music made to be mixed Model = most getmanic track of all time Nice sounds, ultimately boring. Probs will revisit 1 TA: The Model

Techno is not my jam. But I have to acknowledge that these guys are extremely influential to bands from Depeche Mode to Daft Punk. Unbelievable that this came out in 1978! Very crisp sound some catchy melodies. Great background music for me, but no one song really stood out.

Enjoyed the most popular track- the model- and recognize it’s role in music history but not a huge fan of industrial or electronic music.

I think the first track off this album really did it a disservice. Maybe they were the first ones to do it, I don't know, but singing the lyrics "we are robots" with a robot voice effect over electronic music has to be one of the corniest tropes in modern music. That opening track made me expect to find the rest of the album just as cheesy, but I do think it found its groove eventually. I still didn't really come around to liking this, but at times I felt like I understood why so many people talk about Kraftwerk.

3.5 Ya know, I think this crew has come around on me a bit over the course of this list. I once referred to their music as “cold”, “industrial”, and “emotionally devoid”, and yet, I’ve found myself returning to tracks like Trans-Europe Express and Autobahn more often than I ever thought I would upon initial listen. The fact of the matter is, these guys were really on to something, and I feel like it’s especially noticeable here - like, this is borderline a Daft Punk album, and it predates the group by 15 years. It’s a little less industrial than before and a little more danceable, and yet it still does some cool, catchy stuff without being too in your face about it. I can’t really say that I had a favorite or least favorite track, but overall, I just thought this was a nice, proto-electronic six-pack of songs that didn’t outstay its welcome. There was something about Spacelab that made me think of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas every time I heard it for some reason (“as in olden days/happy golden days”), but I can’t say that it detracted from the song in any meaningful way - hell, how could thoughts of Judy Garland and home have that effect? I digress, I found this to be pretty good as someone who normally considers electronic music out of their wheelhouse - though my recent developing fandom of LCD Soundsystem has likely done a lot to expand my interest. It took a live show to fully sell me on that group, so maybe the same can be said about Kraftwerk as well. I’ll keep my eyes open for any shows happening around me in the near future, though, considering our shitty public transit system, I certainly ain’t taking any kind of Trans-Los Angeles Express to get there anytime soon. Finally, given that this may very well be our last time seeing the group on this list - I’m not a fan of the updated album covers found on streaming. I get it’s modernly minimalist or whatever, but give me the originals - I want to see my guys looking like the final bosses of The Church of Latter-day Saints. Also, if you haven’t seen it, the Always Sunny crew did a neat homage to the cover of this album in particular for a promotional still.

Rv

It’s definitely not an album for everybody. I was unsure how to feel initially but it grew on me during my second listen. From my knowledge, it seems that electronic music as a genre was in its infancy during this time and makes an album like this innovative. There’s little to go off lyrically but the primary theme consists of robots and machines, from the delivery of the lyrics (The Robots) to the effects. Sonically, Neon Lights was the most interesting and differed from the other tracks. I won’t lie, some of the melodies are pretty catchy. Listen again?: Maybe

Robot music isn't something I go back to but I can appreciate the originality and influence that the band had. It's very creative

Kraftwerk! I didn't listen to this when it came out. 1978 seems early for "electro-pop". It's got the repetition and inoffensiveness of pop, but I did not perceive the zing and zip I associate with electro (thinking Street Sounds compilation albums). Is there something bad about this album? No. But will I play it again? No. It's OKAY. 5/10.

Fun listen, but nothing remarkable to me.

On the one hand this sounds so dated and yet I know it was well ahead of it's time. Do I like it? Well... it has a certain feel about it which is hard to ignore, The Model is a slightly odd but rather good pop song (though I actually love Big Black's version). Overall it's perhaps a more ambient album than I was expecting and I quite like that. Would I want to listen to it a lot? Probably not.

Really cool parks Standout songs: Metropolis Neon Lights

Techno, catchy, fun

This was neat.

This album made me feel like a god damn robot. I guess thats why they call it Man Machine. Makes you want to do the robot. In fact it had me doing the robot while making lunch. Impressive for the year of release, this was uncharted territory of Electronic music, mad props. Kraftwerk crawled so groups like Justice and and Daft Punk could run (Is that the saying?) With all that being said, this lacked polish and the vocals & drums sounded dated. Favorites were The Robots, and Metropolis. 6.5/10

Very important album in the history of electronic music. This one still has the krautrock feel but a bit more pop, seems they were trying to be more commercial with this effort. It still has some experimental moments but much more accessible than the last Kraftwerk album I reviewed.

I had no idea what to expect when throwing this album on. But the second the beat kicks in I thought oh i like this. Then the lyrics came in and i thought wtf this is silly, but i enjoyed the first song anyway. The problem I had was as the album went on it started to lose my interest and started feeling like background music. I thought it was a fine album. There are some songs i would seek out and add to a playlist and others that i wouldn’t think twice about

An instantly recognisable, unique sound. Some lovely textures, especially in the vocal sounds and swelling scapes. Not necessarily an every day listen but one can definitely appreciate the influence it had on modern electro music and pop, and how ground-breaking it must have been in the '70s. 'The Model' is a classic track, for good reason, but 'Neon Lights' is my favourite.

I enjoyed it. The vocals are often corny, but some fantastic synth riffs and melodies. Interesting to hear some similarities to the work of Giorgio Moroder.

listened to this album on the way home from stafford springs! i got some beautiful wintery views of the trees all snowcapped while listening to some futuristic techno tunes. felt like i was in snowspace world. super charming but i took the highway and things got a little scary cos my tires r bald and there was construction.

This is a low 4. I like the songs that are more normal a lot but the more experimental stuff is a bit annoying at times

Bubble bobble music, liked this a lot better than the previous stuff I've heard from them. Reminds me of the future.

I don't know why I bothered asking "How much meh electronica really needs to be on this list?"

Enjoyed a lot than I expected.

Purt deec driving music

Pretty good background music

A little weird but definitely experimental.

This feels so ahead of its time.

This had to be so unique in 1978

It's super different to anything I've heard before, but I'm slowly liking it. fave song - neon lights Super impressive album 3/5

My second time hearing this album fully through. It’s decent and I can understand the genius that goes into putting warmth into synthesizers. They gave them a feel. It wasn’t as robotic as it came off. Kraftwerk would be instrumental in early hip hop especially for Plant Rock. Afrika Bambaata found their music sampled and created an anthem that would be a staple in the electro genre. But on this album as I got to the Man-Machine. I was sitting racking my brain because I knew another hip hop group had used it in a very early song and turns out it was Rockin’ It from the Fearless Four. Kraftwerk are an important group. This album though was decent. I did not find it mind-blowing. But Kraftwerk and hip hop go hand in hand.

Very ingeniously constructed. Kraftwerk built an universe and a vision of a future automated, indifferent yet dazzling. Technology amazes us as it makes us less human and more robotic. Some hear a melody, others hear whips. In reality, it's the whips form a melody, the melody of the urban. It both dooms and enchants us.

fun to listen to while working; definitely can see the influence on artists such as daft punk, pharrell, etc.

3.5

good but can't listen twice in a row

Очень странно , не советовал бы

I'm in the middle about it. I get it. It's not my thing. But I can appreciate it. It's video-gamey. Kinda fun.

A fun, easy to listen to electronic soundscape

Now over 100 albums into this journey it’s interesting to see some familiar artists I was only exposed to via this process (Trans-Europe Express). I remember finding the other album a bit repetitive, and can’t say I got much more out of this one, but did note The Model as their top track on Spotify and one I had explored during my initial review of the band.

Funky and techno. Kinda cool.

Ok so I expected to hate this after the first track repeated its lame self for the 100th time but this ended up being way good. Maybe a 4? Not sure 🤷‍♂️

I liked this. Could be a 4 someday.

Very futuristic sound -> ahead of their time in the 70s with this sound. Standouts are the Model and the Robots. It feels very much like a soundtrack to a movie set in the future where the main protagonist is from the present and so is experiencing this wild robotic world through our eyes.

Very electronic, synth heavy mixes.

DNF, listened to about 1/2

Some really beautiful sounds. That bass sound is so good - I think later electronic music just overcomplicated things and made it worse. Some of the more trance moments are really beautiful. I can't see myself returning often to listen through though - some parts kind of grate on me

Pleasant enough

pas mal du tout j'ai kiffé l'electro

I don't quite know how to describe how I feel about Kraftwerk. They were a hugely influential band that basically single-handedly pioneered electronic music, with Die Mensch-Maschine often being considered the starting point of Synthpop's popularity. Personally, I have never been able to get into the mechanical sound that they are going for (and achieving very well). It's a game of tug of war between the respect I have for the band as innovators and my inability to get into the art that they're producing. The concept of the album purposely leaning into the robotic themes of electronica is brilliant and everything about this album is executed to perfectly portray that theme. The use of synths to create these landscapes of sound is fascinating, especially considering the primitive technology they were working with. I just can't stop myself from thinking "I would so much rather be listening to an Eno record right now." The cold, mechanical side of electronica has never really appealed to me, and although Die Mensch-Maschine is probably their most pop-oriented record, I still struggle getting interested in it. Maybe someday I'll be enlightened and be able to appreciate everything about Kraftwerk's genius, but for now I appreciate them as pioneers but don't really see the appeal of this in a modern world where electronic music has evolved so much.

Chilly, sleek electronica/disco from these German masters of precision. The first half felt rather soulless but the second half actually sounds like it was made by human beings with songs like "The Model" and "Neon Lights." This is the sound of a cold, clinical, engineered world devoid of much humanity.

not my vibe at all, i really need lyrics. metropolis was enjoyable tho, and i like the model (not shocking, was the only one with lyrics)

Music for fans of space mountain

estranho mas vibes mister roboto