Kraftwerk entry

Kraftwerk was an experimental electronic music band from Germany.  They revolutionized electronic music by influencing and inspiring musicians all around the world and spreading their innovative technological techniques of electronic instruments. Their music was full of repetitive yet catchy rhythms and melodies, harmonies, and simple vocals and lyrics that are often sung through a vocoder or computer.  Kraftwerk was ahead of their time; initially not widely accepted in the international pop scene.  At first, their music was seen as weird and too far out for the average person to listen to and for it to gain substantial popularity.  They would eventually begin to gain wide acclaim with the release of their fourth album, Autobahn.

In 1974, the band began drifting away from the sound of their earlier albums and released Autobahn.  Conny Plank, a significant electronic music producer and engineer, worked on this album.  It would be the last album he would work with the group.  The new Minimoog was one of several new technologies that Kraftwerk utilized in order to achieve the sound they wanted for this album.  This album was the first album that would have any real international commercial success for them.   It peaked at #25 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and #11 in the U.K.  Band members invested some money into updating their studio, which meant they would no longer have to rely on outside producers and engineers.  Since they invested in new equipment, their possibilities were nearly endless and gave them the ability to experiment even further. 

In 1975, Kraftwerk worked on their album Radio-Activity in their new, fully functioning Kling Klang studio.  For the first time ever, Ralf and Florian, the founders and songwriters of the band, self-produced this album in its entirety.  They released Radio-Activity towards the end of 1975.  The album was released with lyrics in English and German and had a theme: Radio Communication and nuclear war/energy.  Their new instruments and equipment created a very distinct sound.  This was the first album where they didn’t use flutes, violins, or guitars.  Kraftwerks sound had evolved even more.   The album saw moderate success internationally.  The album reached #59 in Canada in February 1976, but was not as well received in America or the U.K.  They released the title track, “Radioactivity”, as a single, and it became a hit in France where it earned them a gold record.  This album opened up the European market for Kraftwerk. 

After the releases of Autobahn and Radio-Activity, Kraftwerk began to pull away from their avant-garde experimentations and krautrock style and moved toward an electronic pop sound.   In 1977, the band started to record their next album, Trans-Europe Express.  The album was recorded in their Kling Klang Studio but was mixed at the Record Plant Studios in L.A.  The album was a celebration of European pride and contained several references and incorporations of trains.   There were several new pieces of equipment used on this album, including the Synthanorma sequencer that allowed them to make a fresh new sound like they wanted.  The album was released in March 1977 and was pretty well received internationally, reaching number 117 on the Billboard Top LP’s and Tapes chart.  “Trans-Europe Express” peaked at number 67 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1977 and began charting in the U.K. in the 1980s, staying in the charts for about seven weeks at number 49.  In 1982, the song “Showroom Dummies” reached number 25 and stayed there for five weeks in the U.K too.  The album contained songs recorded in French.  This album was quite successful and has made it to several “greatest albums of all time” lists. 

Kraftwerks next album, The Man Machine, was also recorded at their Kling Klang Studio but was worked on by a few outside engineers for the final mix.  Kraftwerk had it mixed at Studio Rudas where engineers Leanard Jackson and Joschko Rudas completed the final mix of the album.  This album also was bi-lingual. The Man-Machine was released in May of 1978 and was very well received internationally.  The song “The Model”, which was on the album, became a chart topping single in the U.K. in 1982.  It charted at number 12 in Germany, 9 in the U.K., 130 on the US Billboard 200, and, has made it to several “greatest albums of all time” lists. 

For 3 years, Kraftwerk did not release an album.  The band was recording their new album in their Kling Klang Studio during those 3 years, but it took so long because of ongoing modifications to the studio to make it more portable.  In 1981, they would finally release this new album titled Computer World.  After this albums release, Kraftwerk would go on tour again, this time taking their studio with them.  The album was multi-lingual, like their past few albums, but included even more languages.  The song “Pocket Calculator” had versions that were sung in German, French, Japanese, and of course, English.    The album was pretty well received but was not as successful as their “The Model” and their The Man Machine album.

Between 1974 and 1981, Kraftwerk was especially influential in the electronic music world.  David Bowie met with Kraftwerk because he was so drawn by their sound, along with Brian Eno.  Both Bowie and Eno were greatly influenced by the band, moving to Germany to create albums largely because of them.  Bowie’s music was very reflective of Kraftwerks experimentation, creating the album Low in response to the electronic music revolution they were leading.  Collaborations with Brian Eno, and further inspiration would culminate in the album Heroes.  Kraftwerk also influenced the Donna Summer song “Feel Love”.  This was one of the first introductions of electronic music to pop and it worked.  The song became a huge hit and was very popular in gay clubs, being adopted as the gay anthem.  Kraftwerks influence on other artists from around the world was and still is quite apparent. 

Kraftwerk used innovative technologies and instrumentation to get the sounds they wanted.  They were constantly upgrading their equipment and experimenting.  Without that, the world may have never found some of the electronic music sounds that they introduced.  Their music was different, but catchy and interactive.  Their live performances were visually entertaining and frequent.  Kraftwerk was able to spread the popularity of Electronic music all over the world and led a musical revolution that is still going today.  Their album concepts were able to connect the European people with the music and express their pride.  It was something that was unique and was seldom done, especially in the electronic music scene.  The group was able to succeed in what they did by being different and establishing new musical trends that would go on to impact the world in ways it never had been before. 

Both as a listener and an industry professional, I feel that Kraftwerks music was different but interesting.  I am not necessarily completely into all of their music, but when I listen to it, I can’t help but be intrigued.  The instrumental harmonies and general flow of many of their songs just seems to leave me with a sense of fascination.  Being a keyboard player myself, and having played the synthesizer for several years, I find their sounds and beats to be very unique and inventive.  Their incorporation of their album themes made for an even more interesting album overall.  Kraftwerk truly led the way for electronic music and their influence on the modern electronic scene can easily be seen. The band Kraftwerk is considered to be a significant pioneer of electronic music, having played a huge role in popularizing it and making it what it is today.