Kraftwerk

Kraftwerk was one of the first acts to ever make completely electronic music on an internationally successful scale. While most people, at the time of their arrival, were still stuck on listening to bands and singers backed by a complex arrangement of instruments, Kraftwerk was trying something radically different. They began making music while the Krautrock scene was beginning to take off. Some might say that Kraftwerk looked like a somewhat futuristic group due to the way they presented themselves on stage. Everything was organized and uniform and nothing was on stage apart from synthesizers and four men. The sounds that were produced, even early on, from them were definitely ahead of their time. We now live in a world flooded with synths and electronic music. It's almost impossible to hear a single on popular radio that isn't driven by synth. Down to their concept albums and the whole futuristic feel of their music, Kraftwerk definitely looked and sounded ahead of their time.

Kraftwerk really began to take off as a group after the release of Autobahn (1974). This concept album really pushed the experimental boundaries and opened up with a 22-minute song named "Autobahn". The album was also one of the first times they decided to use non-electronic instruments. Despite it's experimental factor, the single version of "Autobahn" still did really well on the sales charts. Kraftwerk continued riding on the success of their concept album and followed it up by another one named, "Radioactivity". It featured both German and English lyrics throughout the album. This album was a milestone for them because it was entirely produced and recorded by the two leaders of the band, Ralf and Florian. Throughout the years, Kraftwerk continued their success with the release of Trans-Europe Express (1977), the Man Machine (1978), and Computer World (1981), each time bringing something new to the table and innovating the electronic music scene.

Kraftwerk made an impact on the electronic music scene by creating music that very few were creating at the time and doing it in style. While most would normally look like they were pulling off some sort of fluke when creating a new sound, Kraftwerk looked and sounded like they knew exactly what they were doing from the start. Their concept albums strengthened the fact and gave even more meaning to their music. I can imagine that people felt as if they were listening to the future when they listened to Kraftwerk in their early years. Looking at how big electronic music has become today, that thought feeling might not have been too far fetched.

Kraftwerk has definitely influenced me in one way or another. Although I'm not too big into electronic music, it has become a big part of today's industry and it is important to acknowledge their contribution to music as a whole. As an industry professional, I am pretty impressed with the electronic sounds that they were able to craft at the time of their birth as a group. I love and respect people who aren't afraid to experiment with new sounds and ideas. Their production value was top-notch. The self-produced and recorded, Radioactivity, proved that to me as well.