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.
When I saw these legends at a festival recently, I too saw the comparisons to Daft Punk. A seminal act formed in the 70s, they would certainly go on to influence dozens of electronic acts such as Daft Punk, Gary Numan, and OMD.
Seeing them live is such a feast for the eyes and ears. Having recently revamped their visual show, they had original avant-garde films playing in the background which astounded me. The four members stood still and mastered their electronic instruments as if they were from the planet Krypton and have graced us with their presence. Anyone with an interest in future design of artificial intelligence, should attend one of these shows!
Also, if you're a fan of Daft Punk, you might enjoy this show. The music inspired the crowd throughout and when “Man-Machine” was introduced the crowd went nuts. This music did not inspire dancing in the conventional sense, but the crowd moved and it clearly affected them. When I looked around, the crowd seemed to be enjoying this visual art show accompanied by the legendary act. It’s rare to attend a show where the visuals and music marry so well together, but Kraftwerk make it look easy.
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