Back catalogue: Coldwave/Synth

Review: The story goes that, back when he was a core member of Kraftwerk, Karl Bartos helped create the band's own theme for Fritz Lang's often-soundtracked Metropolis. Bartos has an enduring fascination with the more daring artwork of the early 20th Century, and so he took on the challenge of creating a new score for Robert Weine's landmark silent movie The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari. Using an assortment of synths in his Hamburg studio, Bartos creates a symphonious soundtrack which shows his passion for the subject matter in stark detail. A must-check for fans of Bartos and the wider Kraftwerk phenomenon, as well as fans of Weine's pioneering psychological thriller.

Review: Musician and writer Karl Bartos has long been admirer of Weimar-era culture. During his time in Kraftwerk, he helped create the stunning track 'Metropolis', directly inspired by a band viewing of the classic 1927 Fritz Lang film of the same name. The original orchestral music composed for The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari by Giuseppe Becce had long been lost and in 2005, after watching the film, Bartos imagined what it would be like to create an entirely new one in the 21st Century in his home studios in Hamburg. Now with crystal clear images, digitally restored by the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Foundation, the film is visually the best quality it has ever been and now, with Bartos' soundtrack, there is impressive sound to go with the haunting vision. Narrative film music and sound design collide in Robert Wiene's classic 1920 psychological thriller, this latest auditory complement of which is now issued on a large 37-track CD and 48-page booklet.