Connect 2008 Episode XI: Karl Bartos

Despite seeing the very good Camera Obscura and We Were Promised Jetpacks since my last post, I simply have to finish tonight with a shout-out for Kraftwerk man Karl Bartos. There could only have been about a hundred people in the Unknown Pleasures tent when he took the stage two hours ago, which meant there were less bodies than expected to soak up the huge volume. But, unlike the full Kraftwerk, who a few of us Skinny scribes were lucky enough to see live at Coachella this past April, Bartos actually makes it obvious he is performing live.

Tonight, Bartos - accompanied by a Meatloaf-alike friend on voice box duties - DJ'd a mix of Kraftwerk tunes, similar electro-retro deutsche-dance, and even threw in The Beatles' Tomorrow Never Knows - arguably one of the most futuristic pop songs of the 20th Century. But Bartos' Kraftwerk tunes are remixes, mostly new but for the occassional recognisable melody or rhythm, which keeps everybody on their toes. He and Meatloaf are using laptops, and they don't make much of an effort to mix, but that allows them more freedom to vary the pace as the overall atmosphere dictates. It's much more like a live show than Kraftwerk currently do, and so much easier to engage with. I was dancing like a right numpty. So were a few others. It never filled totally, but those who made it were given a treat.