Reel to Reel Review – Ballfinger #0001 Trans Europa Express, 15 ips Tape
Where were you in 1977? Personally, I was enjoying my toddler years, no doubt oblivious to what was happening in Germany in that same year. The event was nothing short of genre-defining – Techno, or at least foundational electronic music, was being birthed (among some other pioneers, of course) by a band known as Kraftwerk.
That progeny? Trans Europe Express, the driving, rolling, robotic and vocoded masterpiece that has fans enthralled to this day and is a staple in many music fans’ and HiFi enthusiasts’ vaults (choose your own format). It was an album that somehow, at the same time, celebrated a future borderless Europe and the joy of travel by train, thumbed its nose at critics who claimed Kraftwerk were like shop dummies, and ruminated over the pitfalls of celebrity. It came after the seminal Autobahn and before Man Machine but, for many, set the standard for the sound and set up the minimal electronic template.
Fast-forward to 2021 and enter stage right (or is it left? I never remember which is the hero and which is the villain): German keyboardist, electronic artist, composer and educator Hans-Peter Fassbender, already an established name on the avant-garde and ambient/electronic circuit in Düsseldorf. What Fassbender set out to do with #0001 was, in his words, to forensically recreate Trans Europe Express for high fidelity and the modern age. His approach was to enshrine the constructs of the album, dissecting each part, synth patch and sequence with meticulous precision, but then elevate it in a hybrid analogue and digital chain, bringing warmth, presence and a human connection to it. A risky and challenging feat, if ever there was one.
Alongside Fassbender, Thomas Kruesselmann, a multi-disciplinary German artist, musician, writer and director, provided the key vocal elements for the project, as well as guiding the artistic aspects of the work. His aim was to bring the vocals closer to the listener and bring more texture to them, without discarding what made them so powerful and “Kraftwerk”.
The catalyst for the work? Ballfinger. No, not a villain in a James Bond movie, but instead the manufacturer of high-end, minimal-design open-reel tape machines. Ballfinger was founded in 2005 by industrial designer Roland Schneider; its current flagship, the M 063, is a simply stunning piece of engineering and style – and subsequently not for the faint of pocket. So… we have a seminal piece of music, 2 German artistic polymaths and high-end tape recording. Sounds like a plan to me!
This is no “homage” to Trans Europe Express, no simple “cover”, but rather an absolute deconstruction and reassembly of the work in a modern domain, using modern sequencing and equipment, mastered entirely in the analogue domain and then carefully recorded via a Ballfinger recording chain. Every beat, synth line and vocal was analysed and re-recorded from scratch. The goal was to maintain the original’s soul while replacing its 1970s technical limitations with modern audiophile “presence.” #0001 was released in 2022 on CD, but at the tail end of last year, Ballfinger’s social media started to hint that #0001 would be available for release on 15 ips tape… It was like catnip for me, so once it was ready, a copy arrived (in a very Bond-like fashion, being passed to me at HiFi Deluxe, across a table in a hotel, after travelling in luggage from France), was carefully unpacked, and then loaded onto my Studer A807 for a listen.
Shipped in a very stylish black and monochrome case with the TEE train graphic on the front and simple track info on the rear, I opened the pack to find LPR90 stock tape from RTM, a beautiful photographic inlay and some further information (although not much). It all feels very intriguing and somehow fitting for what plays out like an underground music project.
From the first few seconds of play, it’s clear the production and recording quality is simply exceptional. Fassbender’s use of modern creative technology, clever microphone implementation and Ballfinger’s recording capability add up to a clean, fine, detailed album with a superb bass “gravity” and enough warmth that your ears never feel fatigued or attacked by what could have been an uncomfortable and lengthy synth-stab onslaught if not done well.
The vocals, in German, are courtesy of Thomas Krueselmann and were recorded via large-diaphragm mics and valve amps, bringing a texture and humanisation that the original eschewed in favour of vocoded robotic dryness and a little “distance”. This is one aspect of #0001 that gives the game away: that this is a fresh new recording, in case you were fooled!
A “forensic” deconstruction, then meticulous recreation, of the original work is the aim; it’s different, yes, subtly so, but not in any way a pastiche. The original, while truly superb, can be, for me, a little cold and dry. Fassbender, while staying faithful where it matters, in particular to the German language, has added, I believe, a welcome richness, sharpness of image and presentation, and power, especially in the bass. Not oodles, but enough that I personally find it a more attractive listen. Kraftwerk fans, of course, may feel some reticence here, and I understand that; however, they may be happier to know that a local “audiophile” friend who is a massive fan and who had just attended Kraftwerk live a few days prior enjoyed it thoroughly. Sonically – it’s incredible.
Fassbender balances his performance career with a long-standing position at the Mönchengladbach Music School, where he teaches piano and serves as a coach for emerging artists, so this is no amateur “side project” – he’s too busy for that! It’s clear this is a work of passion, effort and, above all, skill. And it’s not available to stream, so if you want to hear it, it’s all about physical media.
At times, it’s hard to tell the difference; at times, it’s a wonderful, fascinating – if subtle – recreation. If you enjoy Kraftwerk, electronic music or just great music recorded to the highest quality in general, I cannot sing the praises of #0001 enough – this is a must for reel-to-reel owners. The album was originally recorded in 2021 for the CD release and mastered in Ballfinger Music’s new in-house studio in Krefeld, near Düsseldorf, but in 2025 it was remixed and remastered for tape release, and Ballfinger say it features greater dynamics and spatial representation – while I don’t have the CD to compare, having listened repeatedly to the tape, I can believe it!
Alan McIntosh
Track List:
1. Europa Endlos 9:29
2. Spiegelsaal 8:05
3. Schaufensterpuppen 6:10
4. Trans Europa Express 6:36
5. Metall auf Metall 2:11
6. Abzug 4:51
7. Franz Schubert 4:24
8. Endlos Endlos 0:54
Total length: 41:41
#0001 Trans Europa Express on 15 ips 2-track format with IEC/CCIR is available on the Ballfinger website. For now, it is only available for purchase in the EU, and 2 options are available: the 1-reel, long-play RTM LPR90 version (reviewed here) for €229; or the 2-reel version, on RTM SM900, for €449 (all tracks are included on both versions).
Associated review equipment – Studer A807, Lab12 Integre 4 MkII Toroid Edition Amplifier, Amphion Xenon Mk2 speakers, Chord Epic XLR Interconnects, Tellurium Q Black II speaker cabling. Power conditioning by Puritan Audio. Quadraspire X Reference racking.
