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Kraftwerk

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Kraftwerk

Kraftwerk (IPA: [ˈkʁaftvɛɐk], German for "power plant") is a Grammy Award-nominated, German electronic music group from Düsseldorf.

The Kraftwerk sound combines a driving rhythm section with catchy, synthesized melodies and harmony; mainly following a Western classical style of arrangement, accompanied by simple lyrics that are sometimes sung through a vocoder or generated by computer-speech software. The Moog synthesizer is heavily present in the majority of the group's works, adding to its signature sound creations. In the mid to late 1970s and the early 1980s, the Kraftwerk sound was revolutionary for its time, and it has had a lasting impact across nearly all genres of modern popular music.[1][2][3][4][5]

History

Kraftwerk was founded in 1970 by Florian Schneider (flutes, synthesizers, electro-violin) and Ralf Hütter (electronic organ, synthesizers). The two had met as students at the Düsseldorf Conservatory in the late 1960s, participating in the German experimental music scene of the time, which the UK music press dubbed Krautrock. This term is said to be derogatory, although it has since become synonymous with most freeform German music of the period between the late 1960s to the early-mid 1970s.


It was never called Krautrock; the word was invented by the English press, and it was never used in Germany. In Germany, it was called kosmische musik (cosmic music). Kraftwerk was closer to some kind of industrial sound from the Rhein-Ruhr area. You can imagine, in the late '60s, we wouldn't even get a spot to perform. So we sneaked into the art world. Within the music world, there were all these rock bands, so we went into some of these happenings situations [sic] in the art world, and we would use light shows or projections. The idea was the German word, gesamtkunstwerk, which is like a combination or a fusion of all the arts. Right from the beginning of Kraftwerk, the imagination and the stimulation had always been with us. We were doing little drawings and comics and album covers; we were preparing projections; we worked on the lights; we worked on the tunes; we built speaker cabinets. Everything around Kraftwerk was part of our creative ideas.

— Ralf Hütter [6]


Although it is heavily downplayed, Hütter and Schneider were keen on helping to create a new and positive cultural identity in Germany. At this time, they were located in what was formerly West Germany. Since they were born after the reign of the Third Reich and World War II, they did not accept the dangerous and twisted ideas that the country fell prey to during this period. In the 1960s, most German musicians parroted British artists such as The Beatles and The Who; afraid to sing in their native tongue and embrace their heritage.


We were the first German post-war generation, the children of West-Germany. We were obliged to rediscover the sound of our everyday life, because it simply did not exist anymore. We had to redefine our musical culture. Not only our musical culture however: at the end of the sixties all German artists had the same problems. Writers, directors, painters … all of them had invent a new language. [7]

After the war, German entertainment was destroyed. The German people were robbed of their culture, putting an American head on it. I think we are the first generation born after the war to shake this off, and know where to feel American music and where to feel ourselves. We are the first German group to record in our own language, use our electronic background, and create a Central European identity for ourselves.

— Ralf Hütter [8]


The duo had originally performed together in a quintet known as Organisation. This ensemble released one album, titled Tone Float for RCA Records in the UK. The unit split shortly thereafter.

The two began setting up their own private studio in a rented loft in Dusseldorf, which later became known as Kling Klang. Early Kraftwerk line-ups (1970–1974) fluctuated, as Hütter and Schneider worked with around a half-dozen other musicians over the course of recording three albums and sporadic live appearances; most notably guitarist Michael Rother and drummer Klaus Dinger, who left to form Neu!

The input, expertise and influence of producer/engineer Konrad "Conny" Plank, was significant as well. Plank worked with many other leading German acts, including members of Can, Neu!, Cluster and Harmonia. As a result of his work with Kraftwerk, Plank's studio near Köln became one of the most sought-after studios in the late 1970s. Plank produced the first four Kraftwerk albums, but ceased working with the band after the commercial success of "Autobahn", apparently over a dispute about contracts.

Painter and graphic artist Emil Schult, became a regular collaborator with the band starting in 1973, playing bass-guitar and electro-violin. Schult then went on to design artwork, in addition to writing lyrics and accompanying the group on tour.

What is generally regarded as the classic Kraftwerk line-up formed in 1975, for the Autobahn tour. During this time, the band was presented as a quartet, with Hütter and Schneider joined by Wolfgang Flür and Karl Bartos as electronic percussionists. This quartet would be the band's public persona for its renowned output of the latter 1970s and early 1980s. Flür had joined the band in 1973, in preparation for a television appearance to promote its third album. The group's striking custom-made electronic percussion pads, played by Flür, made their debut as well. Bartos and Flür also helped to write many of the band’s most memorable songs.

The band is notoriously reclusive, as they reject to accept mail and allow no visitors at the Kling Klang Studio. It is rumored that their label partner, EMI, does not even have the members’ phone numbers.


We are working on new music every day from nine to five, so there is not so much time left to do other things. We never outsource anything, and we are collaborating on every aspects [sic] of a band like Kraftwerk. Florian and I, we are putting a lot of energy in the creation of videos, decoration and record sleeves. That is all a vital part of our music.

— Ralf Hütter [9]


Another notable example of this eccentric behavior was reported to Johnny Marr of The Smiths by Karl Bartos, who explained that anyone trying to contact the band for collaboration would be told the studio telephone did not have a ringer, since during recording, the band did not like to hear any kind of noise pollution. Instead, callers were instructed to phone the studio precisely at a certain time, whereupon the phone would be answered by Ralf Hütter, despite never hearing the phone ring.


The telephone is an antiquity—you never know who is calling, there is no image, it is an outmoded product that constantly disrupts work.

— Ralf Hütter [10]


In 1990, after years of withdrawal from live performance, Kraftwerk began to tour Europe again regularly. In 1998, the group made their first appearances in the US and Japan, since the completion of the Computer World tour in 1981. Hütter had wanted to play more shows over the years, but the cost and time involved in shipping all of the group's huge, analog equipment hindered world tours and travel outside of Europe. The band also ran into problems with customs officials in the Eastern Bloc region, with some of them fearing that the group's older computers at the time would trigger nuclear devices by mistake. During this decade, the band often stated that it was working on new material—though speculation about release dates fell through several times. The growing time between recordings, the rarity of live performances, Hütter and Schneider's alleged obsession with cycling, and the increasingly exacting and protracted nature of the recording process were the major reasons behind the departure of Flür and soon after Bartos, whose improvisations and songwriting capabilities were an essential part of Kraftwerk's later recordings. Following the departure of Flür and Bartos, Kling Klang studio personnel Fritz Hilpert and Henning Schmitz have appeared in what some have called the second classic line-up of Kraftwerk, which has been active from 1992 to the present.


Someone asked me recently how much time we are spending on music. Well, we still spend one hundred sixty hours a week in the studio. And even when we are on our bikes, we are thinking about our music. In fact, I do not do anything else except making music and thinking about music.

— Ralf Hütter [11]


A Web site, www.kraftwerk.com appeared in November 1996, with further development work occurring since 1999 and the resumption of audio releases by the group. Like the parallel releases of both German- and English-language recordings, the Web site now is accessible with either international (.com) or German (.de) suffixes. There also has been a separate merchandise site called www.klingklang.com since Kraftwerk gained control of that domain name from a prior owner.

In July 1999, the single "Tour de France" was reissued in Europe after it had been out of print for several years. As most fans had wished, it was released for the first time on CD in addition to a repressing of the twelve inch vinyl single. Both versions feature slightly altered artwork that removed the faces of Flür and Bartos from the four man cycling peloton as depicted on the original cover. Also at this time, the group signed a new contract with Sony-ATV Music Publishing.

The single "Expo 2000", the group's first new song in 13 years, was released in December 1999 and was subsequently remixed by contemporary techno musicians such as Underground Resistance and Orbital. This version was released as "Expo Remix" in November 2000. Before this time, the only artists allowed to remix the band’s recordings were François Kevorkian and William Orbit.

In 2000, ex-member Flür published his autobiography in Germany, Ich war ein Roboter. Later English-language editions of the book were titled Kraftwerk: I Was a Robot. The text revealed many previously unreported details about life in the band. This book met with hostility and litigation from Hütter and Schneider, who disputed several of its claims (e.g., that Flür had built the band's first electronic drum pads) and objected to the public discussion of personal information.

In August 2003, the band released Tour de France Soundtracks; its first album of new material since 1986's Electric Café.

In 2004, a box set titled The Catalogue was planned for release. It was to feature remastered editions of the group's albums from 1974's Autobahn to 2003's Tour de France Soundtracks. The item was soon withdrawn from Kraftwerk and EMI's album release schedule. It was only released as a promotional item on CD, which has become a much-wanted item that has often appeared on internet auction sites such as eBay.[12] In 2007, the group showed a renewed interest in releasing the collection, although an official street date was not given.

In June 2005, the band’s first-ever official live album, Minimum-Maximum, which was compiled from the shows during the band's tour of spring 2004, received extremely positive reviews. Most of the tracks featured had been heavily reworked and remodeled from the existing studio versions. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album. In December, the Minimum-Maximum 2-DVD set was released to accompany the album, featuring live footage of the band performing the Minimum-Maximum tracks in various venues all over the world. To many fans, this was a major shock to see such a release, as Hütter spoke in a 1975 interview:


We are waiting for the video disc, which will soon be available in Germany. This will probably be the next step we want to go on to, because we have so many visual ideas along with the music, and they both influence one another.

— Ralf Hütter [13]


Prior to December 2005, the group had never released any of its video works or live performances commercially.


On 21 September 2007, Kraftwerk released a new single remixed by the UK Indie/Electro quintet Hot Chip. Included were remixes of the tracks "Aerodynamik" and "La Forme", both culled from Kraftwerk's "Tour de France Soundtracks" album released in 2003.[14]

Members

File:Kraftwerk.jpg
The current Kraftwerk line-up.

Former members

  • Karl Bartos – Electronic percussion, live keyboards on Computer World tour (1975–1991).
  • Wolfgang Flür – Electronic percussion (1973–1987).


Bartos and Flür are the most widely recognized former members of Kraftwerk; they were employed to create the illusion of Kraftwerk as classic quartet, and were featured on the group's most popular recordings.

Other former members include:

  • Fernando Abrantes – Electronic percussion.
  • Klaus Röder – Guitar, electro-violin.
  • Emil Schult – Guitar, electro-violin (later employed as a painter/graphic designer and lyricist).
  • Plato Kostic (aka Plato Riviera) – Bass-guitar.
  • Peter Schmidt – Drums.
  • Michael Rother – Guitar.
  • Houschäng Néjadepour – Guitar.
  • Klaus Dinger – Drums.
  • Charly Weiss – Drums.
  • Thomas Lohmann - Drums.
  • Andreas Hohmann – Drums.
  • Eberhard Kranemann – Bass-guitar.

Hohmann, Dinger, and Röder were the only other former members to be featured on any official Kraftwerk recordings. Rother has been featured on several bootleg recordings and seen in a couple of TV performances. An unreleased studio recording session produced by Konrad "Conny" Plank, featuring the trio of Schneider, Dinger, and Rother, is rumoured to have taken place. Apparently, these plans were scrapped when Ralf Hütter returned to the group in 1971, before starting the recording sessions for Kraftwerk 2.

Music

Like many other Krautrock bands, Kraftwerk was heavily influenced by the pioneering compositions of Karlheinz Stockhausen; the minimalism and non-R&B rhythms of the Velvet Underground, as well as other radicals of the time, such as Frank Zappa, Jimi Hendrix, and the hyper-adrenalized Stooges. Replacing drums and guitars with synthesized pulses and programmed beats, Kraftwerk expertly diverted the Velvets' speed rush into the metronomic rhythm for which it is so well known. Hütter has also listed the Beach Boys as a major influence,[15] which is apparent in its 1975 chart smash, "Autobahn." Hütter stated that the Beach Boys made music that sounded like California, and that Kraftwerk wanted to make music that sounded like Germany. In early interviews, Hütter also referred to the group's sound as "Industrielle Volksmusik (Industrial Folk Music)". This would be one of the first times that the term "Industrial" would be used to refer to popular music. Hütter and Schneider were also fans of soul music and, later, developed an aesthetical affinity for punk music and American punk rock icons the Ramones.


The MC5, and the heavy metal music of Detroit. I think Iggy and the Stooges are concerned with energy, and the Velvet Underground had a heavy Germanic influence —Nico was from Cologne, close to where we live. They have this German dada influence from the twenties and thirties. I very much like "European Son". Nico and John Cale had this Teutonic attitude about their music which I very much like. I think Lou Reed in his Berlin is projecting the situation of a spy film, the spy standing in the fog smoking a cigarette. I have also been told of the program "Hogan's Heroes", though I have not seen it. We think that no matter what happens Americans cannot relate it It's still American popcorn chewing gum. [sic] It's part of history. I think the Blue Öyster Cult is funny.

— Ralf Hütter [16]
.


Though most famous for its synthpop albums, Kraftwerk began as a Krautrock jam band in the vein of Can or Neu! Its first three albums were more free-form experimental rock without the pop hooks or the more disciplined strong structure of its later work. Kraftwerk, released in 1970, and Kraftwerk 2, released in 1972, were mostly exploratory jam music, played on a variety of traditional instruments including guitar, bass, drums, electric organ, flute and violin. Post-production modifications to these recordings were then used to distort the sound of the instruments, particularly audio-tape manipulation and multiple dubbings of one instrument on the same track. Both albums are purely instrumental.


We crossed paths with Can a lot. It would happen spontaneously at exhibitions or parties. One of our fond memories of the late ‘60s is a gallery party where we did a jam session with Can. Florian and I were doing a long improvisation and we didn’t have a real drummer then, just our little drum machine, so Can’s rhythm section joined us – Holger Czukay (bass) and Jaki Liebezeit (drums). Sadly we didn’t record that. We had a very friendly connection with them..

— Ralf Hütter [17]
.


With Ralf und Florian, released in 1973, the band began to move closer to its classic sound, relying more heavily on synthesizers and drum machines. Although almost entirely instrumental, the album marks Kraftwerk's first use of the vocoder, which would, in time, become one of its musical signatures.

The group's breakthrough, both critically and commercially, came in 1974 with the Autobahn album and its 22-minute title track, featuring the Motorik beat, which was a worldwide hit and demonstrated its increasing reliance on synthesizers and electronics. This preceded a quartet of albums that would exert a huge influence on popular music—Radio-Activity (1975), Trans-Europe Express (1977), The Man-Machine (1978), and Computer World (1981).

Kraftwerk's lyrics deal with post-war European urban life and technology—traveling by car on the Autobahn, traveling by train, using home computers, and the like. Usually, the lyrics are very minimal but reveal both an innocent celebration of, and a knowing caution about, the modern world, as well as playing an integral role in the rhythmic structure of the songs. Many of Kraftwerk's songs express the paradoxical nature of modern urban life—a strong sense of alienation existing side-by-side with a celebration of the joys of modern technology.

Kraftwerk was one of the first pop-oriented acts to record using pure electronic (or electronically processed) instruments and sounds exclusively. Many of the vocals in its songs are processed through a vocoder or generated using speech-synthesis software. In addition, a Texas Instruments Language Translator[18] was used to generate synthetic speech on its 1981 album Computer World—not a Speak and Spell as is commonly believed (though its bleeps do occur at the beginning of "Home Computer").[19] It also pioneered the use of backing tracks that were generated by the electronic sequencing of purely synthetic sounds.

All of their albums from The Man-Machine onward have been recorded in separate versions: one with German vocals for sale in Germany, Switzerland and Austria and one with English vocals for the rest of the world, with occasional variations in other languages when conceptually appropriate. The single "Tour de France" featured lyrics in French (as does the 2003 album Tour de France Soundtracks). The German-language versions are Kraftwerk's attempt to provide an alternative to the dominant Anglo-American influence in rock and pop music.

Kraftwerk's most recent studio album is Tour De France Soundtracks from 2003, which expanded the concept from its 1983 hit single.

Live shows

Live performance has always played an important part in Kraftwerk's activities. Also, despite its live shows generally being based around formal songs and compositions, live improvisation often plays a noticeable role in its performances. This trait can be traced back to the group’s roots in the experimental Krautrock scene of the late 1960s, but, significantly, it has continued to be a part of its playing even as it makes ever greater use of digital and computer-controlled sequencing in its performances. Some of the band's familiar compositions have been observed to have developed from live improvisations at their concerts or sound-checks.

Early gigs (1970–1974)

Early in the group's career, between 1970 and 1974, the group made sporadic live appearances. These shows were mainly in its native Germany, with occasional shows in France, featuring a variety of line-ups. A few of these performances were for television broadcasts. The only constant figure in these line-ups was Schneider, whose main instrument at the time was the flute; at times also playing violin and guitar, all processed through a varied array of electronic effects. Hütter, who left the band for six months in 1971 to pursue studies in architecture, played synthesizer keyboards (including Farfisa organ and electric piano). Various other musicians who appeared on stage as part of the group during these years included Klaus Dinger (acoustic drums), Andreas Hohmann (acoustic drums), Thomas Lohmann (acoustic drums), Michael Rother (electric guitar), Charly Weiss (drums), Eberhard Kranemann (bass-guitar), Plato Kostic (bass-guitar), Emil Schult (electro-violin, electric guitar) and Klaus Roeder (electric violin, electric guitar). Later performances from 1972-73 were made as a duo, using a simple beat-box-type electronic drum machine, with preset rhythms taken from an electric organ. Later in 1973, Wolfgang Flür joined the group for rehearsals, and the unit performed as a trio on the television show, Aspekte, for German television network WDR.


We started out with acoustic instruments. We had a lot of friends who have played with us in the past, and so life goes on and some of them leave and others join. We finally came to a point where we decided that we didn't want these loud drum kits on stage with us. Then for a year we played with just the two of us. We used a rhythm machine but this was not entirely satisfactory. It would be good for one piece but too boring to use for a whole evening, and so we decided to build electronic drums because we wanted to have rhythms in our music. We designed and built them and are now playing with two electronic percussionists in the group.

— Florian Schneider [20]


Documentation of this period in the group's history is sparse, with Hütter and Schneider not keen to talk about it in later interviews. A few bootleg recordings are in circulation. The only official released material is its 1971 performance on the German Beat Club TV show, which is available on DVD.

Tours with the quartet line-up (1975–1981)

The year 1975, saw a turning point in Kraftwerk's live shows. With financial support from Phonogram in the US, they were able to undertake a multi-date tour to promote the Autobahn album. This tour took them to the US, Canada and the UK for the first time. The tour also saw a new, stable, live line-up in the form of a quartet. Hütter and Schneider both mainly played keyboard parts on synthesizers such as the MiniMoog and ARP Odyssey, with Schneider's use of flute diminishing. The pair also sang vocals on stage for the first time, with Schneider also using a vocoder live. Wolfgang Flür and new recruit Karl Bartos performed live electronic percussion using custom-made (and, at the time, unique) sensor pads hit with metal sticks to complete a circuit and trigger analog synthetic percussion circuits (initially cannibalized from the aforementioned organ beat box). Bartos also used a Deagan Vibraphone on stage. The Hütter-Schneider-Bartos-Flür line-up would remain in place until the late 1980s. Emil Schult generally fulfilled the role of tour manager.

By the late 1970s the band's live set focused increasingly on song-based material, with greater use of vocals, less acoustic instrumentation, and the use of sequencing equipment for percussion and musical lines. The approach taken by the group was to use the sequencing equipment interactively, thus allowing room for improvisation. In 1976, the group went out on tour in support of the Radio-Activity album. As Kraftwerk's trivial status as a "novelty act" began to dissipate in the mainstream US, this tour took Kraftwerk around Europe only, with the foursome making their first stops in the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Austria and Switzerland.


In America, we find many things are purely rated for their commercial value. A radio station is more than just advertising to me. Maybe it's a very important aspect, but if it's the only aspect, it's so boring. It's not worth the time you spend. I mean, what is life going to be if you just value these terms? You lose everything else. For one thing, you lose all the rest, and you have to reconsider if it's really worth spending sixty or eighty years just looking at one thing. I don't think it is worth it. We don't even consider music the only thing we can do. We do all kinds of things. Everything circles around music but there are many, many aspects.

— Ralf Hütter [21]



This tour also tested out an experimental light-beam activated drum cage allowing Flür to trigger electronic percussion through arm and hand movements. Unfortunately, the device did not work as planned, and it was quickly abandoned. Despite the new innovations in touring, the band took a break from live performances after the Radioactivity tour of 1976. The band did, however, appear on television shows to promote the albums Trans Europe Express and The Man-Machine.

The band returned to the live scene with the Computer World tour of 1981, where the band effectively packed up its entire Kling Klang studio and took it on the road with them. Around this time, Wolfgang Flür was heavily involved in designing customized modular housing and packaging for the group's touring equipment. The band also developed an increasing use of visual elements in the live shows during this period. This included back-projected slides and films, increasingly synchronized with the music as the technology developed, the use of hand-held miniaturized instruments during the set, and, perhaps most famously, the use of replica mannequins of themselves to perform onstage during the song "The Robots." This tour also marked the first time that Kraftwerk had toured in Spain, Poland, Hungary, Japan, Australia, India and China.

Several bootleg recordings of this period have been widely available, some even in major retail stores, particularly from the Autobahn and Computer World tours.

1990s and 2000s

File:20040323-kraftwerk-in-de-ab-03-the-man-machine.jpg
Kraftwerk live in 2004

The completion of the 1981 Computer World tour then precipitated an almost decade-long hiatus in Kraftwerk's live activities. The unit did not perform again until 1990; by this time, Flür had left the band three years earlier and was replaced by Fritz Hilpert. A few loosely played secret shows took place in Italy, which were the last to feature Karl Bartos.

The next proper tour was in 1991, for the album The Mix. Again, this tour only took place in Europe. Hütter and Schneider wished to continue the synth-pop quartet style of presentation, and recruited Fernando Abrantes as a replacement for Bartos. Abrantes was dismissed shortly thereafter.

In 1992, Henning Schmitz was brought in to finish the remainder of the tour and to complete a new version of the quartet that still remains active to this day.

In 1993, four small shows were played in Germany, Austria and Belgium with "The Man-Machine" added to the set list.

Kraftwerk laid dormant until 1997, which saw them headlining at the Tribal Gathering festival in the UK.

It was the near legendary success of that show, that led to a two week mini tour in 1998, with the group visiting the US and Japan for the first time since 1981. By this time, the US audience had swelled into a small underground cult following; only major metropolitan cities were visited that were of core interest- Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Detroit, and New York.


Germany is very open to new music. It is not like America, where there is this strong entertainment thing. Everything in America is measured by its entertainment value. If you do not draw a sell out, then you are nobody. In Germany, it's not measured this way, it's rather for the pure interest people really come and listen and sit down.

— Ralf Hütter [22]
.


This outing also took the combo to South America for the first time with shows in Brazil and Argentina. Again, all monumental performances. Three new songs were played during this period, which still remain unreleased to this day. The unit then took another break.

In 2002, the band was touring again in Europe and Japan, using four customized Sony VAIO laptop computers, effectively leaving the entire Kling Klang studio at home in Germany. The group also obtained a new set of transparent video panels to replace their four large projection screens. This greatly streamlined the running of all of the group's sequencing, sound-generating, and visual-display software.


Mobility with our notebooks has been a gift - for Kraftwerk, it's fantastic. Before, on the older shows, we used tons of equipment, tapes and cables and technological problems [sic]; so much energy spent physically putting it all together and wiring. And now we have tiny, powerful equipment, everything is completely digital and runs in real time during the concert, synchronised with the audiovisuals.

— Ralf Hütter [23]
.


We've been trying a lot of new things and the virtual technologies were key to that. We all have an "old-school" studio background where lots of cables and complex connections are required before anything goes. Working with virtual setups has changed all that. The total-recall, power and portability aspects have convinced us completely.

— Fritz Hilpert [24]
.


From this point, the band's equipment increasingly reduced manual playing, replacing it with interactive control of sequencing equipment. Hütter retains the most manual performance, still playing selected musical lines by hand on a controller keyboard and singing live vocals and having a repeating ostinato. Much of Schneider's live vocoding has been replaced by software-controlled speech-synthesis techniques.

In January 2003, prior to the release of the new album, Tour de France Soundtracks, the group made their second appearances in Australia at several dates on the Big Day Out festival; this also being their latest visit to the region since 1981. A show was also played for the first time in New Zealand. In November, the group made a suprising appearance at the MTV European Music Awards featuring a visually stunning performance of "Aerodynamik".

In 2004, the band toured in support of Tour de France Soundtracks. In addition to all of its usual stops, Kraftwerk once again ventured to Canada for the first time since 1981, and explored previously untouched regions of the globe, as the quartet made its first visits to Iceland, Russia, Latvia, Estonia, Slovenia, Ireland, Portugal, Chile and Mexico. The group also visited US cities Seattle and Miami for the first time, with the latter region's famous "Miami Bass" sound heavily influenced by the combination of Kraftwerk, hip hop and electro music.

In 2005, the group released its first official live album, Minimum-Maximum, recorded on the aformentioned 2004 world tour. In support of this release, Kraftwerk made another quick sweep around the globe, with more first visits in Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Turkey and Greece. In December, the DVD release of Minimum-Maximum (DVD), was made available.

In 2006, a small number of festivals were played in Norway, Czech Republic, Spain, Belgium and Germany. The songs, "Showroom Dummies" and "Computer Love" were added to the set.

The future

Most recently, Kraftwerk was announced as one of the headliners of the 2008 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. This is the group's second performance at the festival since its debut in 2004.

The release of "The Catalogue" box set has yet to be confirmed, in addition to any new studio material.

The group will celebrate its fortieth anniversary in 2010.

Influence on other genres

Kraftwerk’s releases in the 1970s and early 1980s, most significantly Radio-Activity (1975), Trans-Europe Express (1977), The Man-Machine (1978) and Computer World (1981) - directly influenced and continues to inspire many popular artists from many diverse generes of music.

One of the first major recording artists to claim a direct influence from Kraftwerk's music was David Bowie. Part of this can be heard in his series of albums, starting with Station To Station and continuing with the Berlin Trilogy - Low, "Heroes", and Lodger. Iggy Pop's association with Bowie during this period would result in the classic albums, Lust For Life and The Idiot. Kraftwerk were mutual fans of both artists, name-dropping them in the lyrics of their 1977 single, Trans-Europe Express.

Following this, were the artists in the new rock and dance music scenes that were developing in the US, Europe and Japan. Some of them were virtually carbon copies of Kraftwerk; not only musically, but also in terms of image. This can be seen in a wide variety of artists such as Gary Numan, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Human League, Depeche Mode, Devo, Joy Division, Telex, Yellow Magic Orchestra, Giorgio Moroder, New Order, Front 242, Cabaret Voltaire, Art of Noise, Yello, Ultravox, Visage and Thomas Dolby.


I suppose we influenced Bowie; at least, that's what he told us. He told us that when he first came to Germany, he heard Autobahn continuously on his car radio. We met in Germany, when he was casting about for a place to work, and we suggested he try Berlin. So we provided inspiration of a sort - electronic spirituality! As far as the British artists you mentioned are concerned, we did several very long tours in England, where we met some of those musicians in clubs. For us, it was wonderful to experience this type of interest. Before, we had always been considered outsiders, and suddenly we were on the inside.

— Ralf Hütter [25]


Afrika Bambaataa’s "Planet Rock" (1982) was a major defining hit for hip hop and the birth of electro music. The song contains elements of "Trans-Europe Express" and "Numbers". Legal action was pursued and won against Bambaataa for his heavy use of these particular sounds and melodies without giving proper credit to the group. Since the lawsuit, proper credit is now given on the song’s writing credits. Numerous artists have continued to sample and borrow from Kraftwerk's work.

The influence of Kraftwerk’s distinctive use of synthesizers, drum machine rhythms, and heavily effected vocals can also be heard on early Detroit techno records. Detroit techno artists Derrick May and Juan Atkins tried to replicate Kraftwerk’s sound on early techno records such as Cybotron’s "Clear" (1983), Model 500’s "No UFOs" (1985), and Derrick May’s "Nude Photo” (1986).

Kraftwerk was also a strong influence in the genre of Chicago House Music. Keith Farley's (Farley "Jackmaster" Funk of the Hot Mix 5) recordings, "Funkin With the Drums Again", pays homage to Kraftwerk's "Home Computer" and "It's More Fun to Compute", which are cult classics in Chicago's House music history.


We always had a strongly favourable reaction from Black audiences in America, even before house and techno. I remember somebody took us to a club in 1977 when "Trans-Europe Express" was out. It was in a loft club in New York, after hours; just as the DJ culture was starting when DJs began making their own records and their own grooves. This DJ was taking sections from "Metal On Metal" from Trans-Europe Express, so I thought, 'Oh, they're playing the new album'. But it went on for ten minutes! And I thought, 'What's happening?!' The track is only something like two or three minutes! Later, I asked the DJ; he had two copies of the record and he was mixing the two, and of course it could go on as long as people were dancing. This was a real development because, in those days, you had a certain time fixed on the record; under twenty minutes a side in order to get the print onto vinyl. It was a technological decision to say how long the song would last. We always used to play different timings live, but there we were in this after hours club and it was ten minutes, twenty minutes of the recording and the vibe was there. [26]
.

We had a vision: to make electronic folk music. To become the Volkswagen of pop music; accessible to a big audience, but still innovating. Today, we succeeded in that. I recently was in a club in Detroit, and there I heard a lot of Kraftwerk, while we wrote none of those songs. It is nice being the basis of a whole new cultural movement.

— Ralf Hütter [27]
.


While touring after the release of "Astronaut" in 2005, Duran Duran would signify its arrival on stage by playing "The Robots". This track appeared on the album Nick Rhodes and John Taylor present Only After Dark (2006). When Duran Duran played Broadway in November 2007, and the Lyceum in London in December 2007, it performed "Showroom Dummies" as part of its Electro-set. Each band member used electronic instruments—Nick and John used a Korg Radias and Simon used a Korg Wavestation.

Videography

See The Official Kraftwerk Video Page at http://www.kraftwerk.tv and links below.

  • 1975 : Autobahn
  • 1975 : Radio-Activity [[2]]
  • 1976 : Antenna [[3]]
  • 1977 : Trans-Europe Express [[4]]
  • 1978 : The Robots [[5]]
  • 1978 : The Model [[6]]
  • 1979 : Neon Lights [[7]]
  • 1981 : Pocketcalculator [[8]] [[9]]
  • 1982 : Showroom Dummies
  • 1983 : Tour de France [[10]]
  • 1986 : Music Non-Stop [[11]]
  • 1987 : The Telephone Call [[12]]
  • 1991 : The Robots 1991 [[13]]
  • 1991 : Radio-Activity (William Orbit Remix) [[14]]
  • 2000 : Expo 2000
  • 2000 : Expo 2000 (DJ Rolando Remix)
  • 2003 : Tour de France 2003
  • 2004 : Aerodynamik @ MTV EMA 2003
  • 2005 : Minimum-Maximum (promo video)

Discography

This discography focuses on Kraftwerk's English-language releases. Alternative-language versions are also noted. Chart positions are given for the United Kingdom and United States America. UK chart positions are taken from the Guinness Book of Hit Singles. USA chart positions are taken from the Billboard Hot 100 Web site (http://www.billboard.com/).

For more information on individual releases including track listings and label details see Kraftwerk discography.

For country specific releases such as items released in South America and Eastern Europe visit [15].

Albums

Notes:
The only difference between the Radio-Activity and Radio-Aktivität albums is the packaging. The music on both albums is identical.

Tour De France Soundtracks was only released in French.

Compilations

Kraftwerk has never authorized any best-of albums; however, the group's former record companies often put together compilations of old material to cash in on the band's growing popularity, particularly during the early 1980s. Here is a brief list of the most common of these releases; note that there are more than those listed below that exist.

Singles

  • 1973: Kohoutek-Kometenmelodie
  • 1974: Comet Melody 2 (German version: Kometenmelodie 2)
  • 1975: Autobahn (UK #11 USA #25)
  • 1976: Radio-Activity (German version: Radioaktivität)
  • 1977: Trans-Europe Express (German version: Trans-Europa Express' - USA #67')
  • 1977: Showroom Dummies (French version: Les Mannequins)
  • 1978: The Robots (German version: Die Roboter)
  • 1978: The Model (German version: Das Model)
  • 1979: Neon Lights (UK #53)
  • 1981: Pocket Calculator (German version: Taschenrechner - Japanese version: Dentaku - French version: Mini Calculateur - UK #39)
  • 1981: Computer Love (UK #36)
  • 1981: The Model (Reissue - UK #1)
  • 1982: Computerwelt (Remix) [German only release]
  • 1982: Showroom Dummies (Remix - UK #25)
  • 1983: Tour de France (Released in German and French versions - UK #22)
  • 1984: Tour de France (Remix - Released in German and French versions - UK #24)
  • 1986: Musique Non-Stop (UK #82)
  • 1987: The Telephone Call (German version: Der Telefon Anruf - UK #89)
  • 1991: The Robots (Re-recorded version from "The Mix" - German version: Die Roboter - UK #20)
  • 1991: Radioactivity (Re-recorded version from "The Mix" - German version: Radioaktivität - UK #43)
  • 1999: Tour de France (Reissue - Released in French only - UK #61)
  • 1999: Expo 2000 (UK #27)
  • 2000: Expo Remix (various remixes)
  • 2003: Tour de France 2003 (UK #20)
  • 2003: Aerodynamik (UK #33)
  • 2003: Elektro-Kardiogramm (Radio Mix - Promo Only)
  • 2007: Aerodynamik/La Forme (Remixed by Hot Chip)

Collaborations

Bibliography

See also

References

  1. ^ The Guardian, Desperately Seeking Kraftwerk
  2. ^ NME, Kraftwerk : Minimum-Maximum Live
  3. ^ John McCready on Kraftwerk
  4. ^ Harrington, Richard (Friday, May 27, 2005). "These Days, Kraftwerk is Packing Light". Washington post. p. WE08. Retrieved 2006-07-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ Gill, Andy. "KRAFTWERK:".
  6. ^ Jim Derogatis - Chicago Sun Times newspaper interview, August 2003
  7. ^ Fred Durst - Humo magazine interview, August 2003
  8. ^ Lester Bangs - Creem magazine interview, September 1975
  9. ^ Bart Steenhaut - De Morgen newspaper, March 2004
  10. ^ Liberation magazine interview, 1991
  11. ^ Fred Durst - Humo magazine interview, August 2003
  12. ^ More and more remastered Kraftwerk 8-CD promo boxed sets auctioned via eBay
  13. ^ Paul Smaysis - Triad magazine interview, 1975
  14. ^ Brand new Kraftwerk remix single
  15. ^ [1] thing.de Retrieved on 10-10-07
  16. ^ Lester Bangs - Creem magazine interview, September 1975
  17. ^ Mojo magazine interview, 2005
  18. ^ http://www.datamath.org/Speech/LanguageTranslator.htm Datamath.org Retrieved on 06-02-07
  19. ^ http://kraftwerkfaq.hu/equipment.html
  20. ^ Paul Smaysis - Triad magazine interview, 1975
  21. ^ Doug Lynner and Bryce Robbley - Synapse magazine interview, September 1976
  22. ^ Doug Lynner and Bryce Robbley - Synapse magazine interview, Septemeber 1976
  23. ^ Simon Witter - Dummy magazine interview, Spring 2006
  24. ^ TC Electronic Interview, October 2003
  25. ^ Mark Dery - Keyboard magazine interview, October 1991
  26. ^ Future Music Issue #6 - magazine interview, 1997
  27. ^ Bart Steenhaut - De Morgen newspaper interview, March 2004

Official Kraftwerk links:

Other associates:

  • emilschult.com—Web site of artist Emil Schult.
  • Klaus-Roeder.org—Website of avant-garde Western classical guitarist Klaus Röder, former Kraftwerk member.
  • Early Kraftwerk—Former associate Eberhard Kranemann reminisces about the Düsseldorf music scene during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Further information:

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