KARL BARTOS
SHORT BIOGRAPHY: KARL BARTOS
Born in the beautiful German village of Berchtesgaden in 1952, sound, music and culture have been a lifelong fascination for Karl. He studied at the Robert Schumann Conservatory in Düsseldorf, played at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein and was in several experimental bands before he joined Kraftwerk for their Autobahn tour of the United States in 1975. He co-composed tracks and performed with the band until 1990 and is featured on the seminal albums Radio-Activity (1975), Trans-Europe Express (1977), The Man-Machine (1978), Computer World (1981), Electric Café (1986) and The Mix (1991). After leaving Kraftwerk, he first formed the band Elektric Music releasing two albums, Esperanto (1993) and Electric Music (1998), collaborated with Bernard Sumner (New Order), Johnny Marr (The Smiths) for their Electronic band project and with Andy McCluskey (OMD), and released two well-regarded solo albums Communication 2003 and Off the Record 2013. Showing his versatility as a thinker and communicator, Bartos was also guest professor in Auditory Media Design at the University of the Arts Berlin from 2004 to 2009. In 2021, Karl Bartos was awarded the Early Influence Award / Kraftwerk as a member of the ‘classic line-up’ and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His autobiography The Sound of the Machine – My Life in Kraftwerk and Beyond was published in the UK and USA 2022 by Omnibus Press, and in paperback in November 2023. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is his first piece of film music and sound design.
-
KURZBIOGRAFIE KARL BARTOS
Karl Bartos studierte an der Robert-Schumann-Hochschule in Düsseldorf, spielte an der Deutschen Oper am Rhein und in mehreren experimentellen Ensembles, bevor er 1974 von Kraftwerk zu deren Autobahn-U.S. Tournee (1975) eingeladen wurde. Zwischen 1974 und 1990 war er Mitglied und Co-Autor der Band und wirkte an folgenden Plattenveröffentlichungen mit: Radio-Aktivität, Trans Europa Express, Die Mensch-Maschine, Computerwelt, Tour de France, Techno Pop, The Mix. Nachdem er die Gruppe verlassen hatte, komponierte er unter anderem mit Bernard Sumner (New Order), Johnny Marr (The Smiths) und Andy McCluskey (OMD) neue Popmusik und lehrte von 2004 bis 2009 als Gastprofessor Auditive Mediengestaltung an der Universität der Künste Berlin. Seit den neunziger Jahren veröffentlichte Karl Bartos auch Soloplatten u.a.: Esperanto 1993, Electric Music 1998, Communication 2003 und Off the Record 2013. 2021 wurde Karl Bartos als Mitglied des Classic line-up mit dem Early Influence Award / Kraftwerk ausgezeichnet und in die Rock‘n‘Roll Hall of Fame aufgenommen. Seine Autobiografie „Der Klang der Maschine“ (Eichborn) erschien 2017 in Deutschland und wurde in der Übersetzung „The Sound of the Machine – My Life in Kraftwerk and Beyond“ 2022 in Großbritannien und den USA von Omnibus Press veröffentlicht, im November 2023 als Taschenbuch.
COMMUNICATION - out November 21, 2025
Karl Bartos: Communication – A timeless statement on media, culture, and music
Karl Bartos, renowned as an essential member and songwriter of Kraftwerk during their most innovative years, is reissuing his solo album Communication on Hamburg’s Bureau B. First released in 2003, 13 years after leaving the legendary electronic group, the re-release arrives at a moment when its central theme, the transformation of culture through electronic media, feels more relevant than ever.
When Bartos departed Kraftwerk in 1990, he left behind a catalogue that had redefined electronic music: “The Model”, “The Robots”, “Numbers”, “Pocket Calculator” and many more bear his imprint as co-writer and melody-maker.
2021 Kraftwerk’s classic line-up was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for their innovative work – the first German band ever to be honored.
With the sharp witted electro-pop of Communication, the Kraftwerk legend extended that legacy, turning his focus toward a rapidly evolving media landscape at the turn of the millennium. At the time, the album’s exploration of celebrity culture, digital imagery, and the early internet felt like a glimpse into the future. Today, it reads as sharp cultural analysis of a reality that has since become ordinary.
Two decades later, this reissue allows Communication to be reconsidered on its own terms. The questions Bartos posed, about image saturation, reality fragmentation, and identity commodification, resonate more strongly in the age of smartphones, social media, and streaming platforms than they did in the early 2000s.
Karl Bartos: „We are living in an age of huge behavioural mannipulation. Cybernetics, artificial intelligence – this is a major challenge for humanity.“
Bartos’s role in shaping Kraftwerk’s defining sound is undisputed, yet Communication also asserts his independent artistic voice: one that critiques media while celebrating the joy of electronic sound. Its re-release is less a nostalgic act than a reminder that Bartos’s work continues to speak directly to the cultural present. With this reissue on Bureau B, Communication endures as both a document of its time and a timeless statement on media, culture, and music.
