Kraftwerk 1974-1981

When you think of the word “pioneer”, you can’t help but think of covered wagons and those brave people who blazed the trails over great distances to settle in the West. When you think about it, the innovators known as Kraftwerk were just that. In this Blog, I will be discussing the trail that Kraftwerk paved for the music industry and music in general.

Imagine sitting in an enormous field, surrounded by sounds of nature. Now imagine looping every sound precisely to create a distinct tone. Now apply those creations into music form. I get that image when I describe the masterful techniques of Kraftwerk. In the early 1970’s, Kraftwerk’s originators “Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider envisioned a sound that escaped the common “flower power” music of the 1960’s. With the rise of the Beatles and the Beach Boys invading the Globe, it was their intention to introduce the World to something new. Something new is exactly what they introduced.

The dawn of the 70’s brought forth many new styles of music in the U.S. alone, but nothing prepared the World for the sounds that arrived from Germany. While trying to maintain a classic style, Kraftwerk utilized their classical education and ventured into the world of electronic creation. Their “shop-made” equipment was revolutionary to the creation of their sound, but the sound was so new to listeners that it didn’t catch on right away. 

The first few albums that Kraftwerk released from 1970-1973, Kraftwerk (1970), Kraftwerk 2 (1972), and Ralf and Florian (1973) did not flourish well. “Kraftwerk, released in 1970, and Kraftwerk 2, released in 1972, were mostly exploratory jam music, played on a variety of traditional instruments including guitar, bass, drums, electric organ, flute and violin.” (Wikipedia 2012) The sound was new and limited to the audience(s) in their own domain. In 1974, their fourth release, Autobahn, featured their first real culmination of music and electronic sound. They delved into long, relatable and symbolic music that emulated travel and life. The album was more disciplined than the previous albums and featured the sounds of their newly invested equipment that gave them the edge they needed. The following albums, Radio-Activity (1975), Trans-Europe Express (1977), The Man-Machine (1978) and Computer World (1981) were considered the most advanced of their works. Although Radio-Activity was not as successful as they had hoped in the U.S. and U.K. market, it did open up the European market in France, earning them a gold disc in France.

Many things that they accomplished gave Kraftwerk the right to be referred to as the “pioneers” of electronic music. Influenced by many of the great U.S. and U.K. groups that emerged during the 60’s, it was the influence of the Beach Boys, mainly, which started the trend known as Kraftwerk. Although founders Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider were insistent on creating something very original, they did create music influenced by pop songs. They had the notion that Western influenced music, such as the Beach Boys, imitates the country of origin. So, they insisted on creating music that is symbolic of Germany. 

"Kraftwerk is not a band," Florian Schneider once told Rolling Stone reporter Ray Townley. "It's a concept. We call it 'Die Menschmaschine,' which means 'the human machine. In the early productions, you can hear the originality of the arrangements. Each note was created utilizing the equipment and creative construction they were experienced with. In the later years that followed, you can hear the difference in the sound and creative control that came from working with newly developed synthesizers and machines that were similar to the devices Kraftwerk created in their own Factory. Producer “Conny” Plank was behind the Kraftwerk sound and his engineering ideas soon became known worldwide.

The artwork and images that represented their music were also new age and accented the music and ideas well.

Working with the synthesizer plug-ins within Logic Pro and ProTools has been a learning experience. When I listen to the early and most current songs that Kraftwerk released, I understand how complex their creations were. I know how difficult it can be to create one simple sound using the ESP plug-in, or the Sculpture synth plug-in found in Logic Pro. Just realizing how many pieces of the puzzle have fit together in order to sound right can be so much to take in. Imagining that, and seeing that each plug-in we use in Logic Pro is only a small sample of what Kraftwerk pioneered in the early 70’s is amazing.

Thinking back to the 80’s, I can hear the influence that Kraftwerk had on many of the electronic bands. David Bowie, Yes, Pink Floyd, Electric Light Orchestra, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer were among some of the great bands that can be named as followers of Kraftwerk’s ideals. As a listener, I can sit back and travel through the ideas of each note. As a industry professional, I can accept that my knowledge is minimal when it comes to expressing my simplest ideas. My experience with synthesizer construction and sound design is basically the tip of the iceberg compared to the amount of time and energy expelled on Kraftwerk’s determination and ingenuity.