On Kraftwerk

Kraftwerk (German for Power Plant) rules the 70’s and early 80’s with their very distinctive, revolutionary sound that would come to shape the world of electronic music. Their music was initially simple, utilizing the tools they had to their then-limited potential. But with the advances in technology, Kraftwerk followed. Their music was often themed, and their albums bordered on the electronic version of a rock opera. Often containing one arching theme presiding over the rest of the content.
The release of Autobahn in 1974 began the evolution of Kraftwerk towards a more modern, solid, disciplined sound. The addition of the minimoog synthesizers to their repertoire aided this progressive change. In 1975, they received financial support from Phonogram, and this allowed them to tour promoting Autobahn. On this tour, the group began making other changes as well. The use of Schneider’s flute diminished, and they began using vocoded vocals on stage. With the end of the Autobahn tour, the group decided to begin work on a new album, with a centralized theme, based around the groups shared interest in radio communication. Radio-Activity was released, followed by Trans-Europe-express and The Man-Machine. Their album Computer World brought them finally into the 80’s.
Kraftwerk’s advances, and wide acceptance gave electronic music a foot hold to grow from. The song format, repetitive vocals and driving rhythms helped bring electronic music to the forefront of the world’s eye, and much like the music itself, they evolved.
As a listener, I find Kraftwerk enjoyable and entrancing. Although I consider it “cheesy” compared to more modern music, I still find some gems that I will add to my usual play lists. Professionally I find the music masterfully done, and the recordings top notch. This is another era of music that I would have loved to have taken part in.