Hella Coachella

Next up was the German quartet Kraftwerk. The experimental group, part of a movement dubbed “Krautrock,” actually got their start back in 1970, and have had nearly two dozen members cycle through the quartet. They were some of the original pioneers of electronic music, and some of the earliest artists to give a voice to post-war Germany. Their show is an extremely powerful mix of aural and visual sensations as they perform their progressive electronica beats in front of a massive LED screen on Saturday night. Opening with “The Man Machine,” and continuing with “Tour de France” and their psychedelic “Vitamins,” the only way I could express it to someone who wasn’t there is that it was like the music reached inside your mind and wouldn’t let you turn away!

Being at these live music venues is an entirely different experience from any other music listening experience I’ve had, and I think it opened my eyes to the fact that with electronic music in particular, while many people don’t seem to “get” it at first, it is something that you fall in love with when you hear it live. Whether it’s because of the extreme volume, the energy of the crowd, or the intense audio-visual experience, needless to say this set the mood for the weekend.