"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 tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often ch ...

group

Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, "power station") is a German band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk were among the first successful acts to popularize the ...

, which was featured on the album ''

Electric Café ''Electric Café'' is the ninth studio album by German Electronic music, electronic band Kraftwerk, originally released in 1986. In October 2009 it was re-released under its original working title, ''Techno Pop''. The initial 1986 ''Electric C ...

''. 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 as MTV Europe) is the international version of the American TV channel MTV, a 24-hour music and entertainment TV channel that began broadcasting on August 1, 1987, as part of the worldwide MTV network. Initially, MTV serve ...

. 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.

Live performances

After Florian Schneider left the band 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 Rebecca Allen may refer to: *Rebecca Allen (artist) (born 1954), American international artist *Rebecca Allen (basketball) (born 1992), Australian basketball player {{Hndis, Allen, Rebecca ...

, 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 research university founded in 1955. It has two main campuses in New York—one in Old Westbury, on Long Island, and one in Manhattan. Additionally, it has a cybersecu ...

. 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