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KRAFTWERK Minimum-Maximum Kling-Klang/EMI ***

In light of Kraftwerk's reputation for spending an awful lot of time doing very little, the last two years must have involved something close to permanent overtime behind the Kling-Klang doors. A brand new album, a lengthy world tour and now a double album (albeit recorded on last year's tour) means Kraftwerk have done more in the past 18 months than in the previous 18 years. Once you get past the contradictory idea of these electronic perfectionists dabbling with a live album, you'll find Minimum-Maximum to be a pretty insightful and occasionally thrilling history lesson, taking in their various stops along the way. It's not unlike a previous collection, The Mix, in that there's probably more here for newcomers than those who've tracked their flight from initial 1970s bleeps and beeps. Yet Minimum-Maximum does show just how the laptop-dancing Kraftwerkers have kept pace with changing times.

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Jim Carroll