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Kraftwerk

Biography

Through the mid-’70s, Germany’s Kraftwerk set up the sonic blueprint accompanied by an exceptional amount of artists within the decades to arrive. From the British isles brand-new romantic motion to hip-hop to techno, the group’s self-described “automatic robot pop” — hypnotically minimal, obliquely rhythmic music performed exclusively via digital means — resonates in just about any brand-new development to influence the modern pop scene from the past due-20th century, so when pioneers from the digital music type, their enduring impact can’t be overstated. Kraftwerk surfaced in the same German experimental music community from the past due ’60s that spawned Can and Tangerine Wish; primary associates Florian Schneider and Ralf Hütter 1st met as traditional music students in the Dusseldorf Conservatory, originally teaming within the group Company and issuing a 1970 recording, Tone Float, within the U.K. Schneider and Hütter quickly disbanded Company, re-christening themselves Kraftwerk (German for “power train station”), beginning focus on their own studio room (later on dubbed Kling Klang), and immersing their music within the fledgling globe of minimalist consumer electronics; their 1971 debut, entitled merely Kraftwerk 1, provided a hint of their particular visual in its first form, already applying innovations including Schneider’s tries at creating homemade rhythm devices. Some lineup shifts implemented, with one stage Hütter also still left the group; nevertheless, by the discharge of 1972’s Kraftwerk 2, he and Schneider had been again employed in tandem. Documented with out a live drummer, the album’s rhythms relied exclusively on the drum machine, developing a distinctly robotic experience without precedent — the idea of purely technical music was, at that time, utterly alien to many musicians, in addition to listeners. Some well-received live shows implemented before Kraftwerk started focus on their discovery third LP, 1973’s Ralf and Florian; honing their many ambitions right down to a few basic however extraordinarily innovative principles, their music started growing increasingly more revelatory — also their clean-cut, technological image is at direct opposition towards the prominent pop fashions of that time period. Kraftwerk’s first record to be released within the U.S., 1974’s Autobahn, was a global smash; an edited one version from the epic name track was a significant hit in the home and overseas, and in the us the previously unfamiliar group reached the top rungs from the pop albums graph. Performed in huge part on the Moog synthesizer, Autobahn crystallized the special Kraftwerk audio while producing the group’s 1st very clear overtures toward regular pop framework and melody, creating a long term foothold for digital music inside the mainstream. Kraftwerk resurfaced in 1975 with Radio-Activity, an idea album discovering the theme of radio conversation; indicative from the group’s fresh global popularity, it had been released in both German and English-language editions, the second option appearing early the next year. Teach travel surfaced as the subject matter of 1977’s Trans-Europe Express, which designated an increased motion toward seeming musical mechanization; the range became even more blurred using the follow-up, 1978’s aptly entitled THE PERSON Machine, a function almost totally bereft of human being touches. By this time around, the people of Kraftwerk actually publicly portrayed themselves as automatons, a graphic solidified by paths like “WE HAVE BEEN the Robots.” Having reached the maximum of the influence, nevertheless, the group vanished from watch, the to begin many expanded absences to check out; they didn’t return to actions ahead of 1981’s Computer Globe, a deep breathing on the brand new global dominance of technology — a culture their music way back when forecasted and pre-dated. After topping the United kingdom charts using the one “Computer Like,” Kraftwerk once again vanished, savoring a five-year layoff culminating within the discharge of 1986’s Electric powered Cafe. Right now, nevertheless, pop music was dominated by synthesizers and drum devices, as well as the group’s stature flagged; but also for a 1991 best-of collection entitled The Combine, they continued to be silent during a lot of the 10 years. They finally released a fresh solitary, “Expo 2000,” in past due 1999, and amazed enthusiasts by announcing tour times. On the documenting front side, Kraftwerk celebrated the centennial wedding anniversary from the Tour de France with a fresh version of the 1983 solitary “Tour de France,” and adopted with a complete recording (Tour de France Soundtracks) in August 2003. The live record Minimum-Maximum adopted in 2005. The Catalogue package set appeared in ’09 2009, which drawn together eight traditional albums through the band’s profession. Each name was digitally remastered, many of the produces had been treated to redesigned cover artwork, looked after included rare photos not section of each record’s unique launch. In 2012, the music group performed their studio room albums from Autobahn to Tour de France at New York’s Museum of Contemporary Art. The next calendar year they repeated that functionality in Düsseldorf with the Tate Contemporary in London. On the next couple of years they continuing to tour, which culminated within them placing out the live discharge 3D the Catalogue. The collection captured the band’s live shows from 2012-2016, and was offered a Blu-ray choice that included hi-def 3-D video.

Quick Facts


Full Name Kraftwerk
Awards Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Grammy Hall of Fame
Music Songs Die Roboter, Computer Love, The Model, Dentaku, Radioactivity, Tour de France, Neon Lights, The Telephone Call, Trans-Europe Express, Musique Non Stop, Expo 2000 - Orbital Mix, The Hall of Mirrors, Elektro Kardiogramm, Spacelab, Home Computer, Kometenmelodie 2, Autobahn, Metal on Metal, Boing Boom Tschak, Megaherz, Ohm Sweet Ohm, It's More Fun to Compute, Computer World..2, Showroom Dummies, Ruckzuck, Planet of Visions, Morgenspaziergang, Tour de France étape 2, Franz Schubert, Sex Object, Abzug, Radioland
Albums Autobahn, The Man-Machine, Trans-Europe Express, Computer World, Radio-Activity, Electric Café, Tour de France Soundtracks, Kraftwerk, Ralf und Florian, Minimum-Maximum, Kraftwerk 2, 3-D The Catalogue, The Mix, The Catalogue, Exceller 8, Klang Box, The Best of Kraftwerk, Minimum-Maximum Notebook, Techno Pop, Die Mensch-Maschine (Remaster), Avantgarde History
Nominations Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album, Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance


  • Facts
  • Filmography
  • Awards
  • Salaries
  • Quotes
  • Trademarks
  • Pictures

#Fact
1 Members: Ralf Hütter (1970-present), Florian Schneider-Esleben (1970-2008), Fritz Hilpert (1990-present), Henning Schmitz (1991-present), Stefan Pfaffe (2008-present), Wolfgang Flür (1974-1987), Karl Bartos (1975-1990), Fernando Abrantes (1991).


Soundtrack

Soundtrack

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Who's Doing the Dishes? 2015-2016 TV Series performer - 2 episodes
Mr. Robot 2016 TV Series performer - 1 episode
No me la puc treure del cap 2010 TV Series performer - 1 episode
Timanttikoirien vuosi 1984 2010 Documentary performer: "Trans Europe Express"
Worried About the Boy 2010 TV Movie performer: "Das Model" / writer: "Das Model"
Willkommen Österreich 2008-2010 TV Series performer - 2 episodes
Into Eternity: A Film for the Future 2010 Documentary performer: "Radioactivity"
Misfits 2009 TV Series performer - 2 episodes
Bestival 2009 2009 TV Movie performer: "Radioactivity"
Welcome to the 80's 2009 TV Series documentary performer - 1 episode
Wipeout HD 2008 Video Game music: "Aerodynamik - Alex Gopher & Etienne de Crecy Mix" - uncredited
Control 2007 performer: "Autobahn"
Minimum-Maximum 2005 Video documentary performer: "The Man-Machine", "Planet of Visions", "Tour de France 2003", "Vitamin", "Tour de France", "Autobahn", "The Model", "Neon Lights", "Radioactivity", "Trans-Europe Express", "Numbers", "Computer World", "Home Computer", "Pocket Calculator/Dentaku", "The Robots", "Elektro-Kardiogramm", "Aero-Dynamik", "Music Non-Stop"
Whatever Happened to the Gender Benders? 2005 TV Movie documentary performer: "Das Model" / writer: "Das Model"
Trailer Park Boys 2002-2005 TV Series writer - 2 episodes
Linha Direta 2004 TV Series performer - 1 episode
Drengene fra Angora 2004 TV Series performer - 4 episodes
S.P.U.N.G 2003-2004 TV Series performer - 2 episodes
Hänsel und Gretel - Sie sind innen hässlich 2003 Short performer: "Die Roboter"
The End of Violence 1997 performer: "Untitled Kraftwerk Song" / producer: "Untitled Kraftwerk Song" / writer: "Untitled Kraftwerk Song"
36 fillette 1988 performer: "The Telephone Call", "Sex Object"
Näkyvästä todellisuudesta: Stefan Bremerin yön kuvia 1987 Documentary short performer: "Boing, Bum, Tschak", "Techno Pop", "Musique Non Stop"
Breakin' 1984 performer: "Tour de France"
La vie au bout des doigts 1983 Documentary short performer: "Das Modell"
Top of the Pops 1982 TV Series performer - 1 episode
Berlin Alexanderplatz 1980 TV Mini-Series performer - 1 episode
Primitif 1980 performer: "We are the Robots" / writer: "We are the Robots"
Her Name Was Lisa 1980 performer: "We Are The Robots" - uncredited
Radio On 1979 performer: "Uranium", "Radioactivity", "Ohm Sweet Ohm"
Chinese Roulette 1976 performer: "Radioactivity" / writer: "Radioactivity"
Master of the Flying Guillotine 1976 performer: "Mitternacht", "Morgenspaziergang", "Kometenmelodie 2"

Director

Director

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Minimum-Maximum 2005 Video documentary

Self

Self

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Kraftwerk - Pop Art 2013 TV Movie documentary Themselves
Bestival 2009 2009 TV Movie Themselves
Lost in Music 1992 TV Series documentary Itself
Na sowas! 1982 TV Series Themselves
Beat-Club 1971 TV Series Themselves

Archive Footage

Archive Footage

TitleYearStatusCharacter
The 56th Annual Grammy Awards 2014 TV Special Themselves - Lifetime Achievement Honoree
Schola: Sakamoto Ryûichi ongaku no gakkô 2010 TV Series Themselves
Krautrock: The Rebirth of Germany 2009 Documentary Themselves
Welcome to the 80's 2009 TV Series documentary Themselves
Olm unterwegs 2007 TV Series Themselves
Get Up, Stand Up 2003 TV Series documentary Themselves
The Rock 'n' Roll Years 1987 TV Series Themselves
Top of the Pops 1982 TV Series Themselves

Nominated awards

Nominated awards

YearAwardCeremonyNominationMovieAward shared with
2006 Grammy Grammy Awards Best Electronic/Dance Album For the album "Minimum-Maximum."


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