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Kraftwerk Bringing Eight Full-Album Shows to NYC

In the wake of the Grammys’ weirdo mashup salute to electronic music, Kraftwerk have returned to remind EDM-ers from whence they came: The Museum of Modern Art in New York has commissioned an eight-night retrospective, "cleverly" titled "Kraftwerk-Retrospective 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8," celebrating the German electronica pioneers’ legacy. Taking place April 10-17, each night will feature a tribute performance for one of the eight Kraftwerk albums, in chronological order, including songs from the album and works that that album inspired or influenced. Naturally, projections (some 3D!) will accompany the evenings’ music.

Some performances we’d put money on: The New Order song that was referred to as "that Kraftwerk one" before becoming "Your Silent Face" (thanks to influence from former Joy Division bandmate and Kraftwerk fan Ian Curtis); Coldplay’s "Talk," for which Chris Martin pretty much ripped off the entire song progression of Computer World‘s "Computer Love" (1987, Elektra); and possibly U2’s "Vertigo," which shared a 7" with their 2004 cover of "Neon Lights" (off Kraft’s 1978 The Man-Machine).

Unfortunately, frontman Ralf Hütter is the only member of the original 1970s Kraftwerk lineup who’ll perform in April (his co-founder Florian Schneider quit the band in 2009; current members include Fritz Hilpert, Henning Schmitz, and visuals technician Stefan Pfaffe), but tickets are only 25 bucks, though (compared to the $35-70 range asked of another recent MoMA popular musical commission, Antony’s Swanlights show), so celebrating the band’s historical significance without the rest of them will no doubt still be worth it, especially if you’re still smarting about not being able to go to either Coachella weekend, which will be happening simultaneously.