This is a fascinating album, a document that will be of great interest to Kraftwerk fans, as the album’s roots are in some secret diaries Bartos kept when he was in the band. ‘Off The Record’ goes back to that time, which ended in 1990, and plunders all sorts of sounds and music from the Bartos archive, the fruits of a long look at his collection of old ideas. It all sounds really fresh, but also has an emotional warmth that frequently comes to the surface. ‘International Velvet’ is a graceful track, keeping impeccable poise, while ‘Without A Trace Of Emotion’ ups the tempo and punches that bit harder. Likewise ‘Rhythmus’ has a strong beat, while ‘The Tuning Of The World’ is a warm hearted, richly coloured piece of work. It’s good to hear Bartos’ vocals on a couple of tracks, too, introducing a strong element of identity and emotion. Bartos’ album will complement any Kraftwerk in your record collection, but manages to stop short of being a parody and instead becomes an album well worth having on its own terms.
