Kraftwerk Entry

Kraftwerk was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970.  Their first two albums were mostly exploratory jam music but it was the third studio album where they entered the realm of electronic music. This album relied heavily on synthesizers, drum machines, and the vocoder. Even though this marked the first time they used such instruments, it was their next album that would be an international breakthrough.

Kraftwerk was said to be inspired by automobiles and the open road on their hit album, Autobahn. The title track was a 22-minute representation of the experience of driving down Germany’s high-speed highway. Autobahn was the first of Kraftwerk’s concept albums and the last that would be engineered by popular producer/engineer, Conny Plank.

Ralf and Florian recruited two new members to the group, Wolfgang Flür and Karl Bartos. These four would make up Kraftwerk’s most prominent-lineup. After their tour in 1975, Kraftwerk began investing in new equipment for their Kling Klang studios. The new electronic gear was featured on their next album, Radio Activity. This album was mainly about radioactivity and activity on the radio. It was the first album Ralf and Florian produced but was not as successful as their previous work.

Trans-Europe Express was released in 1977. The two central themes for this album were celebrating Europe and the disparity between reality and image. Trans-Europe Express was noted as more unified and influential than the previous albums. Kraftwerk saw themselves become minimalist, drawing from the mechanized sounds of a moving train to create pop classics. Not only did the trains in Europe influence them, but they drew from their meetings with popular artist such as David Bowie and Iggy Pop as well.

The Man-Machine was a provocative album, as the band members graced the album’s cover with red shirts and black ties accompanied by a graphic style that pays homage to the 1930s modernist movement. Kraftwerk wanted to produce a sound that brought more people to the dance floor, which is probably why their single, The Model, reached the top of the UK charts.

Though Kraftwerk is not very popular, they were incredibly influential. From the 1980s to the 2000s, I hear a bit of Kraftwerk’s influence everywhere. Their musical aesthetic had a minimalist quality that relied on strong themes to get their message across. I can hear this aesthetic when I listen to acts like Daft Punk or Radiohead. They can be credited for the electronic boom in the 1980s and indirectly credited for its resurgence now. Kraftwerk did not capture me on first listen, but I could definitely tell why they were so important. Their aesthetic opened the door to the music I love to listen to today and for that Kraftwerk has left a lasting impression on me.