Kraftwerk / Tokyo, Japan 09.07.1981 FM Broadcast Edition

This release captures the opening night—September 7, 1981, at Nakano Sunplaza in Tokyo—of their historic first tour of Japan following the release of *Computer World*. The recording spans one hour and thirty-five minutes and is derived from a high-quality audience master tape that has undergone state-of-the-art remastering. Starting with the taper’s original master cassette, the audio was meticulously restored—fixing tape-flip points and patching abrupt cut-offs in the closing sections of “Trans-Europe Express” and “Pocket Calculator”—and the sound balance was optimized using modern technology. The result is near-perfect audio quality, with the only omission being the final encore track, “It’s More Fun To Compute.” As this was the very first time Japanese audiences experienced the band live, the crowd—initially quiet and attentive—erupted in cheers and applause during “Pocket Calculator” and “The Robots.” The excitement was particularly palpable during “Pocket Calculator / Dentaku,” a song released as a single exclusively in Japan and performed here with the familiar Japanese lyrics. Unlike today’s fully computer-controlled shows, this performance features the four members playing live instruments; listeners can hear the organic fluctuations in rhythm and melody and subtle timing variations characteristic of analog performance. From the 14-minute medley of “Radioactivity / The Voice Of Energy / Ohm Sweet Ohm” to every other moment of the set, the entire recording is a compelling listen and an essential item for fans who remember that era. Live at Nakano Sunplaza, Tokyo, Japan – September 7, 1981 (from Original Masters). Disc 1: 1. Intro. 2. Numbers 3. Computer World 4. Computer Love 5. Home Computer 6. The Model 7. Neon Lights 8. Autobahn. Disc 2: 1. Radioactivity / The Voice Of Energy / Ohm Sweet Ohm 2. The Hall Of The Mirrors 3. Showroom Dummies 4. Trans-Europe Express 5. Pocket Calculator / Dentaku 6. The Robots. Ralf Hütter / Florian Schneider / Karl Bartos / Wolfgang Flür.