How to play Kraftwerk songs on a calculator
During their most artistically prolific and important phase in the 1970s, Kraftwerk were living in the future. The German ensemble brought synthesised sound to the masses with their early pioneering albums like Autobahn and Radioactivity before they reworked their formula for commercial consumption in 1978 with The Man Machine.
By 1978, Kraftwerk had established themselves as a vital cog in the musical machine, but if they were to remain relevant on a global scale, they needed to develop a bold artistic image. Suiting and booting in their striking red shirt and black tie uniforms, Kraftwerk began to see themselves as futuristic robots designed to bring music to the masses.
This commercial turn in the late 1970s sealed the band’s legacy and laid the final foundations for the 1980s synth wave, both in musical and fashion terms. David Bowie, OMD, Gary Numan and The Human League, among many others, took reels of inspiration from the German pioneers.
While Kraftwerk’s music covered a broad range of emotions and topics, their sturdy constant was a technological theme. As tech boffins who enjoyed tinkering with cutting-edge equipment, they kept their music on brand with mention of practically anything man-made, from autobahns to the Trans Europa Express.
In 1981, Kraftwerk raised the game to release their most patently conceptual album to date, Computer World. The album seemed to squeeze every last drop of blood from the band’s cyborg image to leave music that felt very much detached from humanity – music made by computers for computers. ‘Computer Love’ perhaps hinted towards the computer’s ability for procreation independent of human meddling, but ultimately served up a good melody for Coldplay to steal in ‘Talk’.
Today, I draw your attention to the album’s lead single, ‘Pocket Calculator’. By Kraftwerk’s standards, the single was a commercial success as it became their third-ever single to break into the German Top 100 chart.
The song’s robotic lyrics read: “I’m the operator with my pocket calculator / I am adding / And subtracting / I’m controlling / And composing / By pressing down a special key / It plays a little melody”
Some listeners at the time may have dismissed the lyrics as a silly lie, perhaps after punching all the keys of their standard-issue pocket calculator in various combinations. Perhaps that’s what you did when you read the title of this article. Alas, I maintain that you can indeed play a “little melody” on a pocket calculator, but it has to be the special one that Kraftwerk wangled in the promotion of Computer World in 1981.
In the early 1980s, Casio had tinkered with the wiring (ostensibly a little more than a tinker – I’m no expert) of their standard pocket calculator to allow synthesised sounds to be emitted when the different keys were pushed. The result was the Casio VL-80. In a shrewd marketing strategy, Kraftwerk commissioned Casio to create a special limited edition model.
Kraftwerk’s model, as seen below, came with the band’s name above the screen and on a leather sheath above the word “Taschenrechner,” which is “Pocket Calculator” in German, believe it or not.
The lucky owner of one of these taschenrechner-cum-synthesisers was also issued with a set of instructions and numerical sheet music corresponding to the keypad, allowing fans to play their favourite Kraftwerk tunes in boring maths lessons.
Casio released a very limited number of the Kraftwerk-branded VL-80 calculators. Those who have one would be wise to hold on to them, but you might come across a standard VL-80 (non-branded) on eBay. See one of these pocket synths in action in the video below.
