This desirable release brings together ex-Kraftwerk member Wolfgang Flür’s solo work from 2002 to the present day. Interestingly Flür states that he only really discovered his melodic side after leaving the group, which may explain why these pieces have an endearing freshness, free of the more rigid processes of his former group. There is a real warmth to the music too, the velvety synths behind ‘I Was A Robot’ and the sax on ‘Golden Light’ making tracks that would be much more suited to the Balearics than the autobahn. Clearly Flür is enjoying his musical independence, and on ‘Axis Of Envy’, a collaboration with Nitzer Ebb’s Bon Harris, the drums are beefy and the synths pack an unexpected punch. As a bonus we get several versions of ‘Cover Girl’ and ‘On The Beam’, with a Japanese version of the later sung by Pizzicato Five’s Nomiya Maki. It’s a treat – and caps a compilation that will satisfy both curious listeners and Kraftwerk completists.
5 out of 5
Reviewed by Ben Hogwood
