Keeping it current with a former Man-Machine: An interview with Wolfgang Flür

I interviewed Wolfgang Flür for the latest edition of Electronic Sound magazine.

Flür’s new album Times features Boris Blank out of Yellow, Thomas Vangarde out of Daft Punk, Peter Hook out of New Order, Juan Atkins out of, er, Juan Atkins, and more besides.

We talked about German mythology, the passing of time, songwriting inspiration during his Kraftwerk days, and his partnership with the brilliant Peter Duggal, who joined us for the interview. I was chuffed that Peter was with us: it gave an interesting spin to the piece.

Wolfgang is, of course, most famous for being a member of Kraftwerk, a group I think are better than sliced bread AND bees knees. This is the first time I've interviewed someone inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. A lot of pressure, I guess, although I'm not the type of person to be starstruck.

While researching for the interview, I saw a video of Wolfgang gently complaining about a previous Electronic Sound interview in which they led with him being a member of Kraftwerk. This is the most famous thing about him, but it got me wondering. Could you really get away with not mentioning the K word?

So I took a risk. He may not have noticed, but I deliberately didn't mention Kraftwerk for the entire interview. The name did not pass my lips. It felt like a dereliction of journalistic duty, disrespectful even, but my reasoning was calculated:

(a) The theme of the album is "times" and I wanted our conversation to be rooted in the here-and-now and his latest work.

(b) There is probably nothing more to say about his involvement with a band he departed nearly four decades ago.

(c) He was going to mention the K word anyway, which he did to beautiful effect as you can see in the article.

I salute you, Wolfgang and Peter. Times well spent. The article can be read in issue 124 of Electronic Sound available at all good retailers, or, via subscription, on the Electronic Sound website.

Further Fats: Chosen Words: J is for Juan Atkins (2010)

Further Fats: Breaking – Kraftwerk legend has important message about Electronic Sound (2010)

When monks dropped the hottest track of 1991

When Enigma' Sadeness (Part 1) topped the singles chart in early 1991, it was confusing and weird. Like ravioli, which are pillows you can eat.

The song was sexy and sinful, which left the religious 17-year-old Fats quaking in my cassock. Even more transgressively, they spelled 'sadness' wrong, which was enough to make my communion wafers crumble.

The devil did try to stop Enigma. A week before Sadeness topped the charts, Iron Maiden scored an unlikely number one with Bring Your Daughter... To The Slaughter. Lead singer Bruce Dickenson said he wrote the song to "scare the living daylights out of Cliff Richard". Sadeness knocked Slaughter off its perch, but it was then in turn knocked off the top spot by Queen's bombastic Innuendo, although whether Mercury's lot were on the side of God or the Devil remains a mystery.

It's tempting to write off Sadeness as a novelty song, like Mr Blobby, the Crazy Frog or anything by Phil Collins. It had Latin and sadism and foghorns and the Bible. One reviewer called it "easy listening sex music" – which sounds either brilliant or awful, I'm not quite sure which. But it far outstretched novelty songwriting, and the parent album MCMXC a.D. was a brilliant piece of experimental weirdness. 

The monks are, of course, the most memorable thing about the track. Listen to them, carping on about angels and heaven and stuff. At least, I think that was the subject matter– it was all in Latin. This is not as unique as you might think – even Little Mix have had a middle-eight in Latin.

Sadeness also sampled James Brown and Soul II Soul for its beats. Sampling was rife when Enigma charted at the tail end of 1990. Technology was super limited back then, so producing any kind of sample of note was an achievement. And they were monks so they probably didn't even have plug sockets.

The "Part One" of Sadeness has always intrigued me, as it suggested that a Part Two would follow. This didn't happen until 2016, when Enigma finally released Sadeness (Part II), based around Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, and featured on their eighth studio album The Fall Of A Rebel Angel. At this rate, there will be a third part in 2049.

My track Sophie's Faves, recorded with Fritz von Runte and featured on the Sleeve Notes album, includes Enigma as one of its various musical flavours. Its inclusion is very deliberate: I'm no longer religious, but those monks still make my halo wibble.

Further Fats: Chosen Words: Q is for Queen (2010)

Further Fats: Dance music: it's all so wrong (2019)