---
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title: "The Sound of the Machine: My Life in Kraftwerk and Beyond"
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# The Sound of the Machine: My Life in Kraftwerk and Beyond

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desertcart.in - Buy The Sound of the Machine: My Life in Kraftwerk and Beyond book online at best prices in India on desertcart.in. Read The Sound of the Machine: My Life in Kraftwerk and Beyond book reviews & author details and more at desertcart.in. Free delivery on qualified orders.

Review: Well worth your time. Well worth your time. Well worth your time. Well worth your time. Well worth your time. Unique word here.
Review: The first thing that will strike you about this book is just how large and bulky it is - at 611 pages, you know immediately you're going to be getting the real deal with regards to Herr Bartos' life story, and not some sanitized version abridged to the point of resembling fiction, as can sadly be the case with a lot of music autobiographies. Sure enough, this book does not disappoint - Bartos writes with an engaging, compelling and humane style and there is never a boring moment throughout all 611 pages - each page had me completely enthralled. I can say for certain that this is one of the best music autobiographies I have ever read. Karl Bartos gives an amazing insight not only into the inner workings of one of the most influential bands of all time, but into the art of music in general, into the wider society as a whole, and into the very nature of life and existence. The best autobiographies provide the reader with not only an insight into the life and mind of the writer, but inspiration to carry forward into the reader's own life - and in my case, Bartos' autobiography has definitely had that effect on me. I have read two other books on the subject of Kraftwerk (Man Machine and Music by Pascal Bussy, and Publikation by David Buckley) and though naturally this is the story of Karl Bartos and not Kraftwerk, it is nonetheless possibly the most important book on the subject of Kraftwerk that has been written to date. Karl Bartos provides a long-awaited and much needed insight into the inner workings of the band, the human process behind the compositions of the man machine, the social network and the sense of brotherhood uniting the band back in its heyday, and the psychology behind the group's philosophy and unique approach to music making and production. In doing so, he deconstructs the mythos behind the group's legend, and gives a profound insight into how Kraftwerk metamorphosed from just another experimental Krautrock act into the most influential band of the emerging wave of electronic music who changed the course of music history, and the reasons behind their sudden and unfortunate stagnation in the 80s, which culminated in Bartos' departure and from which the band (or should I say, the company - which is what Kraftwerk had become by this time) never recovered. Above all, it is clear throughout that Bartos is not a musician driven by ego, image fixation or pop/rock star aspiration. From the start, his love of music and desire to make it has come from the heart, and has been guided by a firm intellectual curiosity. From his early days playing with covers bands in the 60s to his studies of classical music at the Robert Schumann Hochschule, to his career with Kraftwerk and beyond and his own university professorship, Bartos has been a true musical professional, exploring the vast and unlimited potentials of sound and the ability of music to connect with the human spirit, expressing what cannot be conveyed via words. Ego, self-glorification and acceptance as part of a scene could never have been further from his mind, and as such he is humble about his achievements despite how remarkable and significant they frequently are. He remarks on how his one memory of the first night of his first solo UK tour in Manchester in 2003 is that 'nobody turned up' - well, I was among the small number of people who did and I can certainly say his solo show made a strong impression on me. While I have seen Kraftwerk live several times and would not for a moment underplay the mesmerising nature of their shows, it would be wrong to compare the two - the warmth and humanity of Bartos' live set was striking, as was the vitality of his solo material. Karl Bartos may not be a household name and may not have aspired to be so, but he is among the most influential and significant musicians in popular music history and his autobiography more than demonstrates why he deserves such recognition. In the closing chapters, Bartos' musings on the detriment wrought on music by technological advances and the internet, and on society as a whole by technology, transhumanist philosophy and the consequences of climate change are likewise profound. He is not exactly optimistic about the direction we are headed in and I certainly do not blame him, but the final message we can take from his book is the importance of not losing sight of our humanity, our human connections to one another, and how many of the world's problems could have been avoided by an approach in which we worked in harmony with technology as opposed to elevating it to a neo-religious position of grandiosity to the point it has dwarfed humanity, its acceleration being so rapid that it is hard to see any consequence other than the eventual downfall of civilization. The stagnation and sanitization of Kraftwerk, whose creativity Bartos is quick to point out was not enhanced by digital technology but rather stifled to the point of near-non-existence, is a perfect parallel to the stifling of humanity occurring culturally at a global level. Anyone, musically inclined or not, would do good to read this book and realize the importance of applying the brakes, looking back and regaining some of that which we have lost if we are to move forward in any non-destructive sense. Ultimately, what Karl Bartos has given us with this publication is far more than just his personal life story. The book is a profound insight into the true nature and power of music, the existential problems of modern society, the consequences of a world preoccupied with the material and the superficial, and the relationship on a fundamental level between humanity, technology and music. I thoroughly recommend this book not only to Kraftwerk fans but anyone interested in music in a general sense (certainly to any musician, aspiring or accomplished), or in the advances of technology and the rationale behind the strange and troubling times we are currently living in. As I said before, the best autobiographies give the reader insight and inspiration to take forward into their own life. This book will give any reader a substantial share of inspiration and even empowerment to take forward - and as a songwriter and musician myself, this book's influence will undoubtedly reverberate substantially in my own work and life practices. Danke schön Herr Bartos.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #3,544 in Music Textbooks #11,322 in Music Books #55,940 in Biographies & Autobiographies (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars (178) |
| Dimensions  | 12.95 x 4.83 x 19.81 cm |
| ISBN-10  | 1915841194 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-1915841193 |
| Importer  | Bookswagon, 2/13 Ansari Road, Daryaganj, New Delhi 110002, Sales@bookswagon.com , 01140159253 |
| Item Weight  | 1 kg 50 g |
| Language  | English |
| Packer  | Bookswagon, 2/13 Ansari Road, Daryaganj, New Delhi 110002, Sales@bookswagon.com , 01140159253 |
| Paperback  | 640 pages |
| Publisher  | Omnibus Press; 2nd ed. edition (2 November 2023) |

## Images

![The Sound of the Machine: My Life in Kraftwerk and Beyond - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41-axYgZZFL.jpg)
![The Sound of the Machine: My Life in Kraftwerk and Beyond - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41IxHDyDzoL.jpg)
![The Sound of the Machine: My Life in Kraftwerk and Beyond - Image 3](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41Ma0tInNaL.jpg)
![The Sound of the Machine: My Life in Kraftwerk and Beyond - Image 4](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61r1wSbDQ0L.jpg)
![The Sound of the Machine: My Life in Kraftwerk and Beyond - Image 5](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81-rowTTkeL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review
*by M***M on 6 September 2023*

Well worth your time. Well worth your time. Well worth your time. Well worth your time. Well worth your time. Unique word here.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review
*by A***S on 2 October 2022*

The first thing that will strike you about this book is just how large and bulky it is - at 611 pages, you know immediately you're going to be getting the real deal with regards to Herr Bartos' life story, and not some sanitized version abridged to the point of resembling fiction, as can sadly be the case with a lot of music autobiographies. Sure enough, this book does not disappoint - Bartos writes with an engaging, compelling and humane style and there is never a boring moment throughout all 611 pages - each page had me completely enthralled. I can say for certain that this is one of the best music autobiographies I have ever read. Karl Bartos gives an amazing insight not only into the inner workings of one of the most influential bands of all time, but into the art of music in general, into the wider society as a whole, and into the very nature of life and existence. The best autobiographies provide the reader with not only an insight into the life and mind of the writer, but inspiration to carry forward into the reader's own life - and in my case, Bartos' autobiography has definitely had that effect on me. I have read two other books on the subject of Kraftwerk (Man Machine and Music by Pascal Bussy, and Publikation by David Buckley) and though naturally this is the story of Karl Bartos and not Kraftwerk, it is nonetheless possibly the most important book on the subject of Kraftwerk that has been written to date. Karl Bartos provides a long-awaited and much needed insight into the inner workings of the band, the human process behind the compositions of the man machine, the social network and the sense of brotherhood uniting the band back in its heyday, and the psychology behind the group's philosophy and unique approach to music making and production. In doing so, he deconstructs the mythos behind the group's legend, and gives a profound insight into how Kraftwerk metamorphosed from just another experimental Krautrock act into the most influential band of the emerging wave of electronic music who changed the course of music history, and the reasons behind their sudden and unfortunate stagnation in the 80s, which culminated in Bartos' departure and from which the band (or should I say, the company - which is what Kraftwerk had become by this time) never recovered. Above all, it is clear throughout that Bartos is not a musician driven by ego, image fixation or pop/rock star aspiration. From the start, his love of music and desire to make it has come from the heart, and has been guided by a firm intellectual curiosity. From his early days playing with covers bands in the 60s to his studies of classical music at the Robert Schumann Hochschule, to his career with Kraftwerk and beyond and his own university professorship, Bartos has been a true musical professional, exploring the vast and unlimited potentials of sound and the ability of music to connect with the human spirit, expressing what cannot be conveyed via words. Ego, self-glorification and acceptance as part of a scene could never have been further from his mind, and as such he is humble about his achievements despite how remarkable and significant they frequently are. He remarks on how his one memory of the first night of his first solo UK tour in Manchester in 2003 is that 'nobody turned up' - well, I was among the small number of people who did and I can certainly say his solo show made a strong impression on me. While I have seen Kraftwerk live several times and would not for a moment underplay the mesmerising nature of their shows, it would be wrong to compare the two - the warmth and humanity of Bartos' live set was striking, as was the vitality of his solo material. Karl Bartos may not be a household name and may not have aspired to be so, but he is among the most influential and significant musicians in popular music history and his autobiography more than demonstrates why he deserves such recognition. In the closing chapters, Bartos' musings on the detriment wrought on music by technological advances and the internet, and on society as a whole by technology, transhumanist philosophy and the consequences of climate change are likewise profound. He is not exactly optimistic about the direction we are headed in and I certainly do not blame him, but the final message we can take from his book is the importance of not losing sight of our humanity, our human connections to one another, and how many of the world's problems could have been avoided by an approach in which we worked in harmony with technology as opposed to elevating it to a neo-religious position of grandiosity to the point it has dwarfed humanity, its acceleration being so rapid that it is hard to see any consequence other than the eventual downfall of civilization. The stagnation and sanitization of Kraftwerk, whose creativity Bartos is quick to point out was not enhanced by digital technology but rather stifled to the point of near-non-existence, is a perfect parallel to the stifling of humanity occurring culturally at a global level. Anyone, musically inclined or not, would do good to read this book and realize the importance of applying the brakes, looking back and regaining some of that which we have lost if we are to move forward in any non-destructive sense. Ultimately, what Karl Bartos has given us with this publication is far more than just his personal life story. The book is a profound insight into the true nature and power of music, the existential problems of modern society, the consequences of a world preoccupied with the material and the superficial, and the relationship on a fundamental level between humanity, technology and music. I thoroughly recommend this book not only to Kraftwerk fans but anyone interested in music in a general sense (certainly to any musician, aspiring or accomplished), or in the advances of technology and the rationale behind the strange and troubling times we are currently living in. As I said before, the best autobiographies give the reader insight and inspiration to take forward into their own life. This book will give any reader a substantial share of inspiration and even empowerment to take forward - and as a songwriter and musician myself, this book's influence will undoubtedly reverberate substantially in my own work and life practices. Danke schön Herr Bartos.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review
*by K***E on 27 September 2022*

Super

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*Last updated: 2026-01-28*