Automaten

"automaten"
Single by mittageisen
A-side "automaten"
B-side "neues china"
Released January 14, 1985 (1985-01-14) / April 16, 2016 (2016-04-16)
Format 12-inch single, 7-inch single
Recorded 1984, Cologne
Length 12-inch: 6:25, 7-Inch: 4:23
Label LUNA-MB-MUSIK (mital-U)
Producer(s) Bruno W

automaten (German for robots) is a 1985 "cult" song[1] composed by the Swiss band mittageisen.[2]

Background and writing

The 12-inch single (LUNA-MB 8501) was released on 14 January 1985 with a for that time new electro sound. The songs were recorded in a studio in Switzerland in the autumn of 1984. but, as Bruno W said in an interview,[3] the band wasn't satisfied with the first studio-version of "automaten" and he travelled to Cologne to mix the final-version in collaboration with Detlev Kühne (Die Hornissen) and Tom Dokoupil (The Wirtschaftswunder) at their on line studios.

Just after the publication was "automaten" selected for Record of the Week by the radio show "Sounds!" of the Swiss Radio DRS3.[4]

The 12-inch single found also the way into the legendary John Peel show on BBC Radio 1 and became an 'indie disco' hit. Because of the success of the 12-inch version a 2 minutes shorter 7-inch version was released four months later, so the song could be played not only on specialised alternative radio-shows.

The two, in relation to the length, different versions are still available on the 2008 released double CD mittageisen 1983-1986 remastered.[5]

For Record Store Day on April 16, 2016 the label mital-U re-released the maxi-single "automaten" as limited and numbered 12" vinyl record (U-7C0-V1).[6]

Content

The for mittageisen typical ambiguous text[7] is explained by the chorus line "work - only for robots". What are meant, according to author Bruno W,[8] with "robots" are not primarily machines, but also robot-like functioning people.

Music video

The music video for "automaten"[9] was produced in 1995 in relation to the release of a compilation CD with songs of mittageisen. The 4 minute long video shows color distorted scenes from the everyday life of working people such as way to work, car rides, telecasts, up to exploding TVs. With the re-release of the 12" in 2016, a remastered and new edited version of the video was published.[10]

Track listing

12-inch (LUNA-MB 8501)
  1. "automaten" - 6:25
  2. "neues china" - 5:50
7-inch (LUNA-MB 8505)
  1. "automaten" - 4:23
  2. "neues china" - 5:50
12-inch (U-7C0-V1)
  1. "automaten" - 6:23
  2. "neues china" - 5:48
  3. "automaten (radio edit)" - 3:19

Personnel

Additional personnel

References

  1. ↑ CSR Records (1999). "Swiss Kult Hits Vol.1". CSR Records. Retrieved 2014-01-31.
  2. ↑ Discogs (1999). "automaten". Discogs. Retrieved 2014-01-31.
  3. ↑ Radio 3fach (18 January 2009). "mittageisen @ GAFFA". Radio 3fach.
  4. ↑ Tony Lauber (1985). "Interview with Bruno W". Luzerner Neueste Nachrichten. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
  5. ↑ mital-U (1985). "mittageisen 1983-1986 remastered". mital-U. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
  6. ↑ "News". mital-U. 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-17.
  7. ↑ mital-U (1985). "lyrics to "automaten"". mital-U. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
  8. ↑ Marco Liembd (2010). "Bruno W zum Text von "automaten"". DRS 3. Retrieved 2012-11-24.
  9. ↑ YouTube (1995). "Music video "automaten"". mital-U. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
  10. ↑ Vimeo (2016). "Music video „automaten (radio edit 2015)“". mital-U. Retrieved 2016-08-11.
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