As
Kraftwerk grew to be perfectionists, their release schedule became quite slow, a byproduct that frustrated member
Karl Bartos enough to leave the group and launch a solo career. Born in Berchtesgaden, Germany,
Bartos studied at the Rhineland State Conservatory of Music, Robert Schumann Institute, in Düsseldorf, earning an advanced performer's degree in percussion. He joined
Kraftwerk as an electronic percussionist in 1975, first touring with the group in support of the album
Autobahn. He became a full-time member of the band for their 1975 album
Radio-Activity, played the distinct, influential beat of "Trans-Europe Express" on the 1977 album of the same name, and composed for the group beginning with their 1978 effort
The Man-Machine. He left the group in 1990, although
Kraftwerk's 1991 remix album
The Mix featured his work.
In 1992, he formed his own project named
Elektric Music, debuting with the 1992 single "Crosstalk." An
Elektric Music remix of
Afrika Bambaataa's "Planet Rock" appeared that same year, completing the circle as the
Bambaataa original 1982 hip-hop track interpolated
Bartos' "Trans-Europe Express" beat.
Elektric Music's debut album, Esperanto, arrived in 1993, and featured the singles "TV" and "Lifestyle." Working with
Johnny Marr (
the Smiths) and
Bernard Sumner (
New Order),
Bartos contributed to the duo's group
Electronic and their 1996 album
Raise the Pressure.
Elektric Music's sophomore release, Electric Music, appeared in 1998, although the album was a surprisingly guitar-driven affair, featuring
Smiths-like alternative pop.
In 2003, he returned to synth pop and released the album
Communication under his own name. Soundtracks, art projects, lectures, and even a mobile phone app (Mini-composer) would keep
Bartos busy until 2012 when he was contacted by the techno label Bureau B, who were in search of archival material.
Bartos plundered his archive, but rather than release rough mixes and demos, he completed the tracks and added new material. Bureau B issued the results in 2013 on the album
Off the Record. ~ David Jeffries