THE MIX (Germany, 1991)
EMI 1C 268-7 96650 4

Back to the homeland again, and a German edition!

Kraftwerk's 1991 album of re-recordings, The Mix, came in several variants in Germany, some nearly identical, so to present the release here, I'm displaying two cassette variants, that came in the same J-card.

Initially, I put "(Deutsche Version)" in the headline, since this is the German-language edition. However it doesn't actually say so on the front - unlike the previous release, Electric Cafe, which had "Deutsche Version" on the German-language editions. The Mix (English Version) did have the additional print on the front though, so they're still quite easy to distinguish I suppose.

 By 1991, I think cassettes were generally better than ever, both in terms of sound. Sound-wise, we got such features as XDR sound, Dolby B,  even new metal tape substituting the earlier spools, and also the clear shells, which allowed the J-cards to give a better presentation, with big backflaps across the whole back of the case, allowing for a readable tracklist on the back. Add to this a full 4.panel J-card, and I think you have a cassette of the kind that is released as a competitor to the CD, and not just something to listen to in your car...

As I say, I have two versions of this release, with identical J-cards; the only difference on the cassettes is that on one, there is a big XDR logo, absent on the other. (Expanded Dynamic Range; TLDR something they did to cassettes to make them sound better). Full disclosure: I can't hear the difference, it could well be they both actually use the XDR system, but that the logo just wasn't printed on one edition by some kind of error or something? 

The J-card has the German track listing, but the credits inside seem to have been internationalised to be used the same in German or English; "Music Data Mix" and "Photo" is understood in German as well as English, I suppose. The cover design is pretty much replicated for many international markets, including the US, UK, and the EU. Note the exclusive picture of the robots!'

 











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