The Sound of the Machine: My Life in Kraftwerk and Beyond

Karl Bartos, founding member of the seminal German band Kraftwerk, tells his story: a life intertwined with art, music, and culture.

“A full-blooded insider’s account of life inside the Kling Klang studio. This is a must read for the robots’ fans.” Prog Magazine

As a core member of Kraftwerk, some of the most beautiful, era-defining music has been co-composed by Karl Bartos. From “Computer Love” to “Autobahn,” “Tour de France” to Kraftwerk’s 1982 number one single “The Model,” Bartos’s deft musical hand has undoubtedly shaped the contemporary musical landscape we know today.

For the first time, in The Sound of the Machine Bartos speaks candidly about his life in Kraftwerk for the first time.  He vividly recalls his experiences in the Kling Klang studios during recording, describing the process and perfectly capturing the joy, passion and synergy of people composing and recording together. 

At once cerebral and witty, Bartos’s narrative journeys through his post-war childhood in Germany, his sense of wonder on first hearing The Beatles, his early musical ventures and his parallel career as a musician and teacher. Offering a fascinating insight into both a band and a man at the forefront of musical innovation over the last thirty years, Bartos also looks to the future, sharing his hopes and fears for today’s musical culture. 

Born in the German village of Berchtesgaden in 1952, sound, music and culture have been a lifelong fascination for Karl Bartos. He studied at the Robert Schumann Conservatory in Düsseldorf, played at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein and was in several experimental bands before he joined Kraftwerk for their American Autobahn tour in 1975. He co-composed tracks and performed with the band until 1990 and is featured on the seminal albumsRadio-Activity, Trans-Europe Express, The Man-Machine and Computer World. Later Karl worked on Electric Café (now known as Technopop) and The Mix. After leaving Kraftwerk, he first formed the band Elektric Music, releasing two albums, collaborated with Bernard Sumner (New Order), Johnny Marr (The Smiths) and Andy McCluskey (OMD), and released two critically acclaimed solo albums,Communication and Off the Record.