Kraftwerk (“power station” in German) have always been a
strange and enigmatic group, constantly shrouded in mystery. Original Kraftwerk
frontmen Florian Schneider and Ralf Hutter began working together as krautrock band
Organisation, which released a single album through RCA, Tone Float, which received little commercial success. After the
breakup, Kraftwerk was formed, and went on to release two experimental rock
albums; Kraftwerk (1970) and Kraftwerk 2 (1972). Soon afterwards,
they began experimenting more with electronic sounds , drum machines, and
keyboards, and the release of Ralf und
Florian would demonstrate this new sound. By the time Autobahn was released in 1974, the classic Kraftwerk sound had
solidified.
Kraftwerk’s image is one of bizarre mystery. The band dressed up in matching outfits, clean shaven, and with combed back hair, looking like the image of the German Nazi Übermensch, or some sort of plastic mannequins or dolls. This tied in with the inhuman image that they created for themselves – they were not people operating machines, they were Die Mensch-Maschines: The Man-Machines.
In October 1975, Kraftwerk released Radio-Aktivität (Radio-Activity), a concept album whose theme was reflected by the title, which is a play on words (radioactivity meets activity on the radio). By this time, Wolfgang Flür and Karl Bartos had joined on as electronic percussionists. The tribute to Europe (and its train system), Trans-Europe Express, was released in 1977, which helped further strengthen and develop the Kraftwerk sound. Express was, like their previous work, recorded in their Kling Klang Studio, which, for a time, the location of was kept a secret. With Die Mensch-Maschine (1978), Kraftwerk gained even more commercial success, topping the UK charts a few years later with the single “The Model”. Considered by many to be the quintessential Kraftwerk album, Computerwelt (Computer World [1981]) deals with the idea of computers essentially taking over society. One of the most famous tracks of all time, “Numbers”, comes from Side one of this groundbreaking album.
Kraftwerk’s use of machines to make music – synthesizers, vocoders, and drum machines, had a massive impact on the industry, and helped shape the electronic music genre. If not for Kraftwerk, it is more than possible that innovative groups and projects like Aphex Twin, The Chemical Brothers, and the Prodigy would not exist. To this day, I don’t believe there is another band that can pull off the Kraftwerk sound. The band has seriously influenced me ever since I first heard “Numbers” many years ago. The cold, calculating antiseptic sound of Kraftwerk’s tracks is at once both a celebration and a harsh critique of the increasingly computer-dependent world we live in. The industry owes Kraftwerk a massive “thank you” for pushing the limits of what was considered music, and creating a genre all their own in the process.
Kraftwerk’s image is one of bizarre mystery. The band dressed up in matching outfits, clean shaven, and with combed back hair, looking like the image of the German Nazi Übermensch, or some sort of plastic mannequins or dolls. This tied in with the inhuman image that they created for themselves – they were not people operating machines, they were Die Mensch-Maschines: The Man-Machines.
In October 1975, Kraftwerk released Radio-Aktivität (Radio-Activity), a concept album whose theme was reflected by the title, which is a play on words (radioactivity meets activity on the radio). By this time, Wolfgang Flür and Karl Bartos had joined on as electronic percussionists. The tribute to Europe (and its train system), Trans-Europe Express, was released in 1977, which helped further strengthen and develop the Kraftwerk sound. Express was, like their previous work, recorded in their Kling Klang Studio, which, for a time, the location of was kept a secret. With Die Mensch-Maschine (1978), Kraftwerk gained even more commercial success, topping the UK charts a few years later with the single “The Model”. Considered by many to be the quintessential Kraftwerk album, Computerwelt (Computer World [1981]) deals with the idea of computers essentially taking over society. One of the most famous tracks of all time, “Numbers”, comes from Side one of this groundbreaking album.
Kraftwerk’s use of machines to make music – synthesizers, vocoders, and drum machines, had a massive impact on the industry, and helped shape the electronic music genre. If not for Kraftwerk, it is more than possible that innovative groups and projects like Aphex Twin, The Chemical Brothers, and the Prodigy would not exist. To this day, I don’t believe there is another band that can pull off the Kraftwerk sound. The band has seriously influenced me ever since I first heard “Numbers” many years ago. The cold, calculating antiseptic sound of Kraftwerk’s tracks is at once both a celebration and a harsh critique of the increasingly computer-dependent world we live in. The industry owes Kraftwerk a massive “thank you” for pushing the limits of what was considered music, and creating a genre all their own in the process.
Zac,
ReplyDeleteThis was a very insightful post that you created. Kraftwerk was to one of the most creative forces in the music band. I didn't like everything that I heard from the them as a listener, but I liked how they dared to be different and take music in a direction where no one else had been before. I believe their bizarre image that you were talking about is another attribute that in which set them apart and matched their edgy sound. The video documentary really showed their uniqueness as people and not just musicians and it just showed through their music. One thing that really stuck out to me was their names is neon lights. I wish that i could have one of those made for me today!