Kraftwerk is a German electronic music band that formed in 1970 in Dusseldorf, Germany. They are often cited as being pioneers in the music industry for popularising electronic music.
Kraftwerk was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970 and fronted by the pair until Schneider’s departure from the band in 2008. Besides Hutter, the other current members of Kraftwerk include Fritz Hilpert, Henning Schmitz and Falk Grieffenhagen.
Kraftwerk’s first three albums, which were relatively unknown at the time of production, were in the style of free-form experimental rock and lacked the pop hooks and structure of their later work. The band used these early records in order to experiment with their style, using a variety of instruments including guitar, bass, drums, electric organ, flute and violin. It wasn’t until 1974 that Kraftwerk achieved international breakthrough with their music.
The release of their album ‘Autobahn’ in 1974 marked a new era in the band’s career. It peaked at number five in the USA’s Billboard Top 200 chart, achieving enormous mainstream success. The accompanying tour took the band across the globe, including to the UK for the first time. This led to the band later touring with British legend David Bowie, who was so impressed with the band that he asked them to support his tour.
The band has proved a massive influence on the music industry, due to their innovative style. NME compared the band to the Beatles in terms of influence and importance in music. Their use of electronics has influenced musician from Coldplay, who had to ask permission to borrow a melody they created for one of their tracks, to Depeche Mode.
Kraftwerk are known for being notoriously reclusive, shutting themselves off with their music and keeping extremely private concerning new technological advances in their music. Kraftwerk are known for their rare and enigmatic interviews, for using life-size mannequins and robots in official photo shoots, refusing to accept fan mail and not allowing visitors at their studio.
Kraftwerk has released a great number of songs during its time, and continue to do so. Just a few of their hits include ‘Die Roboter’, ‘The Model’, ‘Tour de France’ and ‘Radioactivity’. In January 2014 Kraftwerk was awarded the great honour of a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Grammys.
Courtney Barnett
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