Kraftwerk: Autobahn Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		4.0

Kraftwerk: Autobahn Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman March 4, 2025

Autobahn was probably inarguably the biggest global hit of Kraftwerk's career, getting to Number 5 on the Billboard album chart in the United States, and rather high numbers elsewhere around the planet. Kind of interestingly, at least for certain chart geeks (ahem), the album apparently didn't chart at all in France, though the next two albums from the band, Radio Activity and Trans Europe Express, actually got to Number 1 and Number 2 on France's album chart, delivering the highest charting performance for the band until its native Germany gave it a Number 1 album with 2003's Tour de France Soundtracks. It's not hard to understand Autobahn's appeal, as it mixes some, yes, admittedly goofy synth effects with rather basic melodies and harmonies, but all given a really inviting production sheen and in the two surround options on this really fun Blu-ray disc, some amazingly immersive listening.

The album's track list can be seen in screenshot 8, and screenshot 9 shows a list of what I'm terming the supplements on this disc, two single edits. The bulk of the album is the long form title tune, which was rather heavily redacted to become an unexpected hit around the world as a single (somewhat hilariously, not in France that I've been able to glean). The album is notable for some ping ponging sound effects and use of drum machines that may remind lovers of vintage audio of some of the kind of comically wide separation offered on Enoch Light's Command label, or followers like RCA's Stereo Action series. Do I wish the songs had more sophistication? Yes, probably, though I have to say in revisiting this album after a good, long while, and especially in experiencing it in the Atmos and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mixes in particular, the simplicity of so much of the music actually tended to counterbalance some of the patently gonzo surround activity and especially the more out there sound effects, which at times border on musique concrète.

Kraftwerk: Autobahn Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kraftwerk: Autobahn is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Parlophone, and unlike many an ostensible "audio Blu-ray", this does have a video component, with AVC encoded 1080p animations in 1.78:1 (including a white border) accompanying each tune. The illustrations may not be especially, um, baroque, but they're kind of charming. Not much admittedly happens, but Autobahn is long enough in its album form that several images loop through repeatedly, while some of the shorter tunes offer somewhat whimsical moments where the main blue menu attempts to push the track's illustration out of the way.

Kraftwerk: Autobahn Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Kraftwerk: Autobahn features Dolby Atmos, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 audio options. Both of the surround tracks are veritable whirlwinds of immersive listening, but this really a pretty "showy" Atmos track, and I'd easily recommend any audiophiles with the appropriate setup to opt for it. From the opening moments of a car being started in the front rear channel, which then clearly pans leftward to the center and then left channels before whipping around to the rear channels, it is pretty much immediately obvious that all of the surround channels are going to be utilized. The most audacious activity is probably (probably) most noticeable with regard to the crazy quilt of sound effects that can accompany certain songs. The weird, almost insect like, high frequency buzz that is part of Morgenspaziergang, which almost reminds me of some of the sound effects in the iconic opening of The Outer Limits ("we control the audio") clearly pulses between channels. Fidelity is top notch throughout (some may quibble that audio isn't 96/24, but I frankly didn't notice anything that would indicate a problem with sampling rate).

Kraftwerk: Autobahn Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Single Edits

  Autobahn (HD; 4:36) features different animation than the longer version.

  
  

  Kometmelodie 2 (HD; 4:19)

Additionally, an insert booklet repeats some of the illustrations from Autobahn, while offering the song's quasi-lyric beneath each illustration. The sleeve has an inner illustration documenting a drive on the Autobahn.

Kraftwerk: Autobahn Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In the perhaps slightly (?) un-PC department, my brother-in-law, who lived with my sister in Germany for many years, used to joke that he had determined in years of driving in that country that German men needed to pass at least ten people on the Autobahn before they were ready for intimacy. That joking assessment aside, there is a pulsing, throbbing quality to many of the tracks on this album which may not exactly be "Barry White material" in terms of providing libidinal "support", but which are just a ton of fun to listen to, especially in the Dolby Atmos and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 options on this disc. The whimsical illustrations add some visual fun as well. Highly recommended.