Nite Jewel on Kraftwerk’s “Computer World” (1981) [redux]

Episode notes

In honor of Computer World’s 40th anniversary (!!!) we decided to rerun our episode with Nite Jewel discussing this classic album.

[show notes from the original post]

When we invited L.A.’s own Nite Jewel to join us, it probably shouldn’t have been a surprise that she picked Kraftwerk’s Computer World; after all, she’s toured the world performing the album. In sitting down with us, NJ (aka Ramona Gonzalez) broke down how she first became obsessed with the album, walking the streets of Berkeley, thinking about German philosophy (no, really!) and why the LP is such a masterpiece of fusing a variety of musical elements all colliding in the early 1980s.

More on Computer World

• How the album invented “computer funk” (Rolling Stone)
• The “sampling legacy” of the album (The Vinyl Factory)
• DJ Food’s appreciation (Clash Music)

More on Nite Jewel

• Nite Jewel on performing Computer World (Pitchfork)
• 2017 interview (Bandcamp)
• Interview with KALX (aka the best college radio station out there, according to O.W.)
• Website | Facebook | Twitter

Show Tracklisting (all songs from Computer World unless indicated otherwise):

• Computer World
• Nite Jewel: 2 Good 2 Be True
• Nite-Funk: Let Me Be Me
• Pocket Calculator
• Computer Love
• Zapp: Computer Love
• Home Computer
• Model 500: Future
• Cluster: Prothese
• It’s More Fun To Compute
• Gillette: Short Dick Man (Bass Mix)
• Afro-Rican: Give It All You Got
• Numbers
• Nite Jewel: Artificial Intelligence
• Home Computer
• Night Jewel: Numbers
• Numbers
• Home Computer
• Computer World 2

Here is the Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there

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