Electronic Music - Kraftwerk

Kraftwerk is undoubtedly the most influential electronic artist in history.  With innovations in sound design all the way through to having original instruments created specifically for their new explorations in modern music, Kraftwerk paved the path for a new form of artistic expression in music that other artists would copy and build upon for decades to come. 

As we can imagine with the use of new instruments and sound Kraftwerks music was amazingly futuristic and ahead of its time.  Their image however was very retro and conservative on the contrary.  With classical musical training the sound of Kraftwerk was the perfect marriage of old and new as was the image they projected.  As the sound heard in Kraftwerks albums mature through their releases during the late 70’s their image transformed into that of a machine like               entity producing more sophisticated yet ironically simple dance tunes.

In 1974 with the release of the Autobahn album, Kraftwerk made a break from the traditional sound heard in their previous albums.  This new sound was aided by the use of new instruments and synthesizers primarily the Minimoog and the EMS Synthi AKS.  These new machines would give way to the cultivation of a new soundscape for Kraftwerk’s music.  This new sound was pushed forth and focused by the new incorporation of a theme for each of the bands albums from 1974 to 1981.  With Autobahn it was a feel motivated by driving where Radio-Activity was motivated by the influence of the Radio and Nuclear Activity while Trans Europe Express was all about train travel.  It wasn’t until the release of Man-Machine in May of 1978 that Kraftwerk saw major chart topping success in the UK and Germany.  This album was geared for more commercial and dance oriented scenarios after the group often frequented the discothèques to hear how the sound they developed was being innovated on the dance floor. 

Kraftwerk’s success was defined by their innovative use of new instruments and their classically educated implementation of those new sounds into a music that was engulfing and mysterious.  In addition to using newly developed instruments, Kraftwerk employed the expertise of friends whose skill in building electrical equipment came to play in creating custom instruments for the group. With this arsenal and a classical savvy it is well noted that Kraftwerk was the Godfather of electronic dance music and the innovators of the earliest forms of trance music.  There aren’t many artists’ that can say that they have innovated or created an entire genre of music.

For me the Impression I get when listening to Kraftwerk is of a forward thinking group that was ahead of its time. Kraftwerk was a group that had to wait until the industry and musical culture of the time caught up with them for their success to really blossom.  I am grateful of the legacy Kraftwerk has left on us and how the post punk electro bands of the 1980’s like Softcell, Gary Numan, and Depeche Mode took their sound to the next level. How electronic hip hop artists like Afrika Bambaataa made twisted the sound even further and reinvigorated the energy Kraftwerk gave to electronic music in the early 1970’s.