"Musique Non Stop" is a 1986 single by German

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempos being in the range from 120 to 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time ( ) and often ...

group

Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, ) is a Germany, German Electronic music, electronic band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk was among the first successful a ...

, which was featured on the album ''

Electric Café ''Electric Café'' is the ninth studio album by German Electronic music, electronic band Kraftwerk, released on 27 October 1986. The initial 1986 release came in versions sung in English and German, as well as a limited ''Edición Española'' ...

''. It was re-released as a remix on their 1991 album '' The Mix''. The single was their first number one on ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Play and was one of two songs to make it to number one there.

Background and composition

"Musique Non Stop"s lyrics comprise the title of the song being repeatedly chanted by a female voice, which is the voice of the music video's animation artist Rebecca Allen, in English and a computerized male voice in French. The single is traditionally the final act during Kraftwerk concerts. In the early 1990s, a completely different version of "Musique Non-Stop" – slower and more melodic – was used extensively as a jingle on

MTV Europe MTV Global (formerly MTV Europe) is the international version of the American TV channel MTV as 24-hour music video and entertainment pay television network officially launched on 1 August 1987 as part of the worldwide MTV network. Initia ...

. Earlier, MTV Europe had already included elements from the original song and the video in the title graphics for '' MTV's Greatest Hits''. This version was later released in December 2020 as "Non Stop" on ''Remixes'', a compilation released by Parlophone. Unlike the original this version is credited to be composed by Hütter and

Fritz Hilpert Friedrich "Fritz" Hilpert (born 31 May 1956) is a German musician who is best known for his work as a member of the electropop group Kraftwerk. Background Fritz Hilpert studied trumpet and percussion at the Musisches Max-Reger-Gymnasium, Germa ...

with lyrics credited to Hütter, Schneider and

Emil Schult Emil Schult (born 10 October 1946) is a German painter, poet and audio-visual artist. Biography After studying Sinology in Münster, Schult joined the Academy of Art in Düsseldorf in 1969 to study Fine Arts in the printmaking class of Diet ...

Live performances

After

Florian Schneider Florian Schneider-Esleben (7 April 194721 April 2020) was a German musician. He is best known as one of the founding members and leaders of the electronic band Kraftwerk, performing his role with the band until his departure in 2008. Early li ...

left the group in 2008, the song was altered to accommodate video technician Stefan Pfaffe during performances. The song is basically the same, except shorter and the percussive/harmonic sequence that occupied Schneider's solo is operated by the other band members. '' The Mix'' version (which was used in ''

Minimum-Maximum ''Minimum-Maximum'' is the first official live album release by Kraftwerk, released in June 2005, almost 35 years after the group gave its first live performance. The album features two CDs of tracks recorded on the group's world tour during 200 ...

'') incorporates elements from fellow ''Electric Café'' songs "Boing Boom Tschak" and "Techno Pop". This was also done in Musique Non Stop's single version and music video.

Music video

The video for "Musique Non-Stop" is notable in itself for showcasing a computer-animated representation of the band. Created in 1983, it sat dormant for three years before finally being incorporated as the video for the song. The animation, which was complex for its time, was created by Rebecca Allen, using state-of-the-art

facial animation Computer facial animation is primarily an area of computer graphics that encapsulates methods and techniques for generating and animating images or models of a character face. The character can be a human, a humanoid, an animal, a legendary creatu ...

software developed by the

New York Institute of Technology The New York Institute of Technology (NYIT or New York Tech) is a Private university, private research university, research university founded in 1955. It has two main campuses in New York (state), New York—one in Old Westbury, on Long I ...

. The slow rate of the album's progress, combined with rapid changes in software animation, meant that Allen had to archive the animation program developed at the Institute of Technology until Hütter and Schneider were ready in 1986, to travel to New York to edit the images to the final version of "Musique Non-Stop".

Track listing

7-inch single

12-inch single

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{authority control 1986 singles Kraftwerk songs Songs written by Ralf Hütter Songs written by Florian Schneider Songs written by Karl Bartos 1986 songs EMI Records singles