Back catalogue: Leftfield

Review: This release, which was recorded for Bremen Radio in 1971, features four extended tracks showcasing German pioneers Kraftwerk in a very different light from their later work. The short-lived lineup of Schneider, Rother and Dinger fused electric guitar with their then-signature electronic sounds and it gives rise to unusual, exciting and innovative music. Half of the tracks here, as hardcore fans will recognise, are drawn from their debut album, Kraftwerk 1, and the recording quality is excellent. This release also includes full recording details along with extensive sleeve notes that help offer a fascinating glimpse into Kraftwerk's early, experimental sound before their more iconic and pioneering electronic phase.

Review: Few albums have reshaped the landscape of electronic music quite like Autobahn. Originally released in 1974, Kraftwerk's groundbreaking fusion of synthesisers, sequencers and minimalist structure redefined what pop music could be. The title track, stretching over 22 minutes, was an ambitious journey through hypnotic rhythms, vocoder-treated vocals and shimmering electronic textures, concentrating on the feel of a never-ending highway ride. This anniversary edition brings a fresh dimension to the experience. Revisiting the original 16-track master tapes, Ralf Hutter and engineer Fritz Hilpert have crafted a Dolby Atmos Mix that expands the album's depth and spatiality like never before. This Blu-ray includes a 5.1 mix, a high-resolution stereo version and two newly edited 2024 single versions, plus a video of the 'Autobahn' edit featuring Kraftwerk's signature visual aesthetic. Packaged in a region-free Blu-ray with a 12-page booklet and an SDE-exclusive slipcase, this edition ensures that Autobahn can be experienced in a format worthy of its legacy.

Review: The 50th anniversary edition of Kraftwerk's Autobahn finally completes its decennial German interstate journey and lands in our drool-covered laps. With founding Kraftwerk member Ralf Hutter revisiting the record's original 16-track master tapes with engineer Fritz Hilpert, the group not only made a brand new Dolby Atmos mix for the CD edition, but have also reissued the original record in the never-seen-before picture disc form you see here. A cosmic pop overland journey, the vinyl remaster also lends the record an extra-dimensionality we didn't know possible; recumbent across it, and brought out to swelling prominence, are its tweezed, filter-cutoff sine chords, evoking the continual movement of rustic landscapes streaming past our eyes. Though at first received only to mixed acclaim, Kraftwerk's fourth LP was rightly hailed in hindsight for its simple automotive theme and change in sound, away from the Robots' emergent kosmische and into self-reflexive electropop. All this emboldened Kraftwerk as a band that could somehow cruise in the fast lane, accelerating with ease through the shifting stylistic sands of the mid 1970s.