Kraftwerk’s Radioactivity (1975) turns 50, tracing its evolution from electronic art track to anti-nuclear protest anthem at Chernobyl and Fukushima-era concerts.
Key Takeaways
The Radio-Activity album debuted Kraftwerk’s classic quartet: Hütter, Schneider, Bartos, and Flür, recording at Kling Klang studio in Düsseldorf using Minimoog and Vako Orchestron.
The 1991 remix on The Mix transformed the track, adding a vocoder roll-call of nuclear disasters: Chernobyl, Harrisburg, Sellafield, Hiroshima, Fukushima added in 2012.
Kraftwerk performed the anti-nuclear version at Greenpeace’s 1992 Stop Sellafield concert and Tokyo’s 2012 No Nukes show, with lyrics translated into Japanese with Ryuichi Sakamoto’s help.
New Order’s Blue Monday, The Chemical Brothers, and Miley Cyrus have sampled the album; YMO, Fatboy Slim, and Haruomi Hosono have covered Radioactivity directly.
The 50th anniversary reissue drops May 15; Kraftwerk are currently on a world tour.
Hacker News Comment Review
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