Kraftwerk-Trans-Europe Express (1977)

Often considered a cornerstone of electronic music, Kraftwerk's sixth album is a masterpiece that has decisively influenced everything that followed, from pop and dance music to industrial sounds and new wave. "Trans-Europe Express" stands as the perfect counterpoint to the nascent technology of "Radio-Activity" (1975) and the joyful dynamism of "The Man-Machine" (1978). Composed of two distinct facets, the music here oscillates between warm, melancholic sounds and the cold, mechanical sound of electronic instruments. Although composed of a series of relatively simple pieces, it is nonetheless unforgettable, with synthesizers as the driving force and repetitive electronic rhythms reminiscent of motorik. With austere, minimalist and tremendously captivating sounds, close to gothic electronica, in this record we find wonderful compositions such as "The Hall of Mirrors", "Showroom Dummies", "Europe Endlos" or "Metal On Metal", all of them under futuristic cloaks and magnificent robotically processed voices.