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10 items by Mike Rubin

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  Singer-Songwriter Rodriguez on New Documentary About His Secret Success | ARTICLE

  "So you wanna know the secret of life?" the singer-songwriter Rodriguez asked a captivated audience at Joe's Pub in New York in April. "All you gotta do is just keep breathing in and out. That's the important...

  July 26, 2012 9:00 AM ET
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  TV on the Radio, Mavis Staples, Sinead O'Connor and Questlove Gather to Honor Curtis Mayfield | ARTICLE

  Excuse the potential blasphemy, but if God has a singing voice, He would probably sound like Curtis Mayfield. The late Chicago soul singer and songwriter possessed a gospel-trained falsetto that was one of pop music’s most...

  July 21, 2012 3:02 PM ET
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  Kraftwerk Diary Day Eight: Retrospective Rides Out on 2003's 'Tour De France' | ARTICLE

  For the final festive evening of the eight nights of Elektronukkah, a holiday otherwise known as "Kraftwerk – Retrospective 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8," the focus was on 2003’s Tour De France, which had...

  April 18, 2012 6:05 PM ET
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  Kraftwerk Diary Day Seven: A 3D Boost for 1991's Greatest Hits Album 'The Mix' | ARTICLE

  Despite the seventh night of "Kraftwerk – Retrospective 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8" being scheduled to spotlight The Mix, 1991's re-recorded greatest-hits collection, I was unsure exactly what to expect. After all, the band...

  April 17, 2012 6:10 PM ET
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  Kraftwerk Diary Day Six: Group Wades Into 1986's 'Techno Pop' | ARTICLE

  Kraftwerk’s 1986 album Techno Pop – originally released under the title Electric Café – is mostly remembered as the record that proved the German ubermenschen were actually mere mortals after all. After almost five years futzing around with the recordings, reportedly...

  April 16, 2012 7:40 PM ET
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  Kraftwerk Diary Day Five: 1981's 'Computer World' Invents Electronic Funk | ARTICLE

  Before "Kraftwerk – Retrospective 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8" began, if I was forced to choose only one night of the series to attend, my selection would have been night five, 1981’s Computer World....

  April 16, 2012 8:45 AM ET
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  Kraftwerk Diary Day Four: 1978's 'The Man-Machine' Is Most Thrilling Kraftweek Performance Yet | ARTICLE

  In a 2009 interview, Kraftwerk leader Ralf Hutter revealed the source of his careerlong obsession with the fusion of man and technology. "This rhythm, industrial rhythm, that’s what inspires me," he told me. "It’s in the nature...

  April 14, 2012 4:20 PM ET
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  Kraftwerk Diary Day Three: 1977's Influential 'Trans-Europe Express' | ARTICLE

  Night three of "Kraftwerk – Retrospective 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8"  was devoted (or at least it was supposed to be; more later) to the influential group's album that might have made the most...

  April 13, 2012 11:50 AM ET
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  Kraftwerk Diary Day Two: Band Plays Tweaked Version of 1975 Concept Album 'Radio-Activity' | ARTICLE

  The second night of "Kraftwerk – Retrospective 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8" included a particular challenge of presentation. The band’s fifth record, 1975’s Radio-Activity, is a relatively quiet affair, long on sound-effects sketches ("Geiger...

  April 12, 2012 3:25 PM ET
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  Kraftwerk Diary Day One: Electronic Pioneers Play 1974's 'Autobahn' | ARTICLE

  Though it was opening night, the first evening of the Museum of Modern Art’s much anticipated "Kraftwerk – Retrospective 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8" (henceforth to be referred to as "Kraftweek") actually honored the...

  April 11, 2012 12:15 PM ET