Kraftwerk is a very different kind of band. The band consists of two primary players, Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. These two German musicians became one of the most influential forces in electronic music. Ralf and Florian didn’t look like rockers, which set them apart from the masses; they wore their hair short and dawned business suits. Their music was very experimental at first. They had no real concept, just a mesh of electronic sound. Kratwerk then began to recruit new members and change their direction to more conceptual music, thus creating their album Autobahn. This album was much more successful than their previous albums leading to American tours.
In 1975 Kraftwerk released Radio-Activity, another conceptual album influenced by radio and nuclear technology. Radio-Activity contained both English and German lyrics. Although Kraftwerk was proud of its German heritage, English lyrics were essential so success. Later in 1977 Trans-Europe Express was released. This album was somewhat of a homage for Europe. Kraftwerk continued to release albums with unorthodox themes releasing The Man-Machine and eventually Computerworld in 1981.
Kraftwerk is different from other musical groups of its time in many aspects. The most prominent aspect is their use of electronic instruments. Their use of imagery is also unlike regular rock music using images that look like they are from an art gallery. Kraftwerk’s bilingual lyrics also set them apart from commercial music. Most of all I feel that Kraftwerk is set apart from most music based on the bands concepts. Kraftwerks subject matter of Europe, Germany, the Autobahn, computer technology, and radioactive technology is very creative and non-commercial.
As an industry professional I love Kraftwerk and everything they have done for the electronic music industry. I am very proud to have such creative pioneers for my favorite genre. Kraftwerk’s use of imagery and subject matter set them apart from any other artist. Their sound is also phenomenal. Their music sounds fluid-like and the sequenced synth lines seem to mesh together naturally.
Zachary,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your blog on Kraftwerk. I thought that your blog flowed very well through the bands career, from Autobahn to 1981’s Computerworld. I too agree that Kraftwork has had a huge impact on the music industry. Their influence is very apparent in many of today’s bands. One could even say that the Gorillaz (your other blog entry) drew some influence from them. I also really enjoyed Kraftwerks different album themes; it’s a very unique move for a band to take. To me it was very interesting that they chose to emulate the sound of a moving train for the entire album.