Kling Klang

[River Don]

I've just settled down with a good strong coffe, Aldi of course and watched this.

Kraftwerk fans will enjoy it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b050rbzb/kraftwerk-pop-art

I particularly like how Derrick May struggles to articulate the impact of hearing Kraftwerk for the first time. "Man, what is that weird shit? That is the shit."

[BillyStubbsTears]

I had a massive argument that nearly came to blows at my wedding, with my Best Man over whether Kraftwerk or James Brown were the more influential in modern dance music.

Watching last night, I realised that every thought I've ever had about music originated inside the head of Paul Morley. It was quite uncanny.

I've been thinking for years that history will judge Kraftwerk to be as influential in music as JS Bach and that was pretty much the theme of the programme.

The dad of my little un's best mate at school is the lead singer/rapper in an amateur techno band. His "time to die now" moment was 20 years ago, going for a pint in the Hallamshire on West Street in Sheffield, bumping into Stephen Mallinder from the Cabs and Ralf Hutter and spending the night talking about music with them. It's strange that the Ruhr and Detroit have this reputation as the birthplaces of modern electronic music, but few people outside the cognoscenti realise that Sheffield is the third point on the global triangle.

Anyway: nearest I got to that was seeing Hooky from New Order in there and being told to f*** off when I offered to buy him a pint.

[River Don]

The best electronic music night I ever experienced was in A Sheffield multi-storey car park. An infamous little club called Occasions. Unfortunately the bass was so deep and so loud I'm sure weeks of going there gave me hearing damage.

This was their anthem. They played all kinds of Warp, Network records, Detroit and European stuff of the time.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=m3owC4lV6cE