History Kraftwerk

1 history

1.1 formation , years (1969–73)
1.2 international breakthrough: autobahn , radioactivity (1974–76)
1.3 trans-europe express, man-machine , computer world (1977–82)
1.4 tour de france , electric café (1983–89)
1.5 mix (1990–99)
1.6 touring globe (2000–09)
1.7 catalogue , continued touring (2010–present)

history
formation , years (1969–73)

florian schneider (flutes, synthesizers, violin) , ralf hütter (organ, synthesizers) met students @ robert schumann hochschule in düsseldorf in late 1960s, participating in german experimental music , art scene of time, melody maker jokingly dubbed krautrock .

the duo had performed part of quintet known organisation. ensemble released 1 album, tone float in 1969, issued on rca records in uk, , split shortly thereafter. schneider became interested in synthesizers deciding acquire 1 in 1970.

while visiting exhibition in hometown visual artists gilbert , george, saw 2 men wearing suits , ties, claiming bring art everyday life. same year, hütter , schneider start bringing everyday life art , form kraftwerk .

early kraftwerk line-ups 1970 1974 fluctuated, hütter , schneider worked around half-dozen other musicians during preparations , recording of 3 albums , sporadic live appearances, notably guitarist michael rother , drummer klaus dinger, left form neu! constant figure in these line-ups schneider, main instrument @ time flute; @ times played violin , guitar, processed through varied array of electronic devices. hütter, left band 8 months, played synthesizer , keyboards (including farfisa organ , electric piano).

their first 3 albums free-form experimental rock without pop hooks or more disciplined song structure of later work. kraftwerk, released in 1970, , kraftwerk 2, released in 1972, exploratory musical improvisations played on variety of traditional instruments including guitar, bass, drums, organ, flute, , violin. post-production modifications these recordings used distort sound of instruments, particularly audio-tape manipulation , multiple dubbings of 1 instrument on same track. both albums purely instrumental. live performances 1972 1973 made duo, using simple beat-box-type electronic drum machine, preset rhythms taken electric organ. these shows in germany, occasional shows in france. later in 1973, wolfgang flür joined group rehearsals, , unit performed trio on television show aspekte german television network zdf.

with ralf und florian, released in 1973, kraftwerk began move closer classic sound, relying more heavily on synthesizers , drum machines. although entirely instrumental, album marks kraftwerk s first use of vocoder, in time become 1 of musical signatures. kraftwerk s futuristic , robotic sound influenced adrenalized insurgency of detroit artists of late 60s such mc5 , stooges.

the input, expertise, , influence of producer , engineer konrad conny plank highly significant in years of kraftwerk. plank worked many of other leading german electronic acts of time, including members of can, neu!, cluster, , harmonia. result of work kraftwerk, plank s studio near cologne became 1 of sought-after studios in late 1970s. plank coproduced first 4 kraftwerk albums.

international breakthrough: autobahn , radioactivity (1974–76)

concert in zürich, 1976

the release of autobahn in 1974 saw kraftwerk moving away sound of first 3 albums. hütter , schneider had invested in newer technology such minimoog , ems synthi aks, helping give kraftwerk newer, disciplined sound. autobahn last album conny plank engineer. after commercial success of autobahn in us, peaked @ number 5 in billboard top 200, hütter , schneider invested in updating studio, lessening reliance on outside producers. @ time painter , graphic artist emil schult became regular collaborator, designing artwork, cowriting lyrics, , accompanying group on tour.

the year 1975 saw turning point in kraftwerk s live shows. financial support phonogram inc., in us, able undertake multi-date tour promote autobahn album, tour took them us, canada , uk first time. tour saw new, stable, live line-up in form of quartet. hütter , schneider continued playing keyboard synthesizers such minimoog , arp odyssey, schneider s use of flute diminishing. pair started singing live first time, schneider processing voice vocoder live. wolfgang flür , new recruit karl bartos performed on self-built electronic percussion instruments. bartos used deagan vibraphone on stage. hütter-schneider-bartos-flür formation remained in place until late 1980s , regarded classic live line-up of kraftwerk. emil schult fulfilled role of tour manager.

after 1975 autobahn tour, kraftwerk began work on follow-up album, radio-activity (german title: radio-aktivität). after further investment in new equipment, kling klang studio became working recording studio. group used central theme in radio communication, had become enhanced on last tour of united states. emil schult working on artwork , lyrics, kraftwerk began compose music new record. though radio-activity less commercially successful autobahn in uk , united states, album served open european market kraftwerk, earning them gold disc in france. kraftwerk made videos , performed several european live dates promote album. release of autobahn , radio-activity, kraftwerk left behind avant-garde experimentation , moved towards electronic pop tunes best known.

in 1976, kraftwerk toured in support of radio-activity album. david bowie among fans of record , invited band support him on station station tour, offer group declined. despite innovations in touring, kraftwerk took break live performances after radio-activity tour of 1976.

trans-europe express, man-machine , computer world (1977–82)

after having finished radio-activity tour kraftwerk began recording trans-europe express (german: trans-europa express) @ kling klang studio. trans-europe express mixed @ record plant studios in los angeles. around time hütter , schneider met david bowie @ kling klang studio. collaboration mentioned in interview (brian eno) hütter, never materialised. release of trans-europe express in march 1977 marked extravagant train journey used press conference emi france. album won disco award in new york later year.

in may 1978 kraftwerk released man-machine (german: die mensch-maschine), recorded @ kling klang studio. due complexity of recording, album mixed @ studio rudas in düsseldorf. band hired sound engineer leanard jackson detroit work joschko rudas on final mix. man-machine first kraftwerk album karl bartos cocredited songwriter. cover, produced in black, white , red, inspired russian artist el lissitzky , suprematism movement. gunther frohling photographed group cover, now-iconic image featured quartet dressed in red shirts , black ties. kraftwerk did not release album 3 years.

in may 1981 kraftwerk released computer world (german: computerwelt) on emi records. recorded @ kling klang studio between 1978 , 1981. of time spent modifying studio make portable band take on tour. of electronic vocals on computer world generated using texas instruments language translator. computer love released single backed man-machine track model . radio djs more interested in b-side single repackaged emi , re-released model a-side. single reached number 1 in uk, making model kraftwerk s successful song in country. result, man-machine album became success in uk, peaking @ number 9 in album chart in february 1982. band s live set focused increasingly on song-based material, greater use of vocals , use of sequencing equipment both percussion , music. in contrast cool , controlled image, group used sequencers interactively, allowed live improvisation. ironically kraftwerk did not own computer @ time of recording computer world.

kraftwerk returned live performance computer world tour of 1981, band packed entire kling klang studio , took along on road. made greater use of live visuals including back-projected slides , films synchronized music technology developed, use of hand-held miniaturized instruments during set (for example, during pocket calculator ), and, perhaps famously, use of replica mannequins of perform on stage during song robots .

tour de france , electric café (1983–89)

in 1982 kraftwerk began work on new album had working title technicolor due trademark issues changed techno pop. 1 of songs these recording sessions tour de france , emi released single in 1983. song reflection of band s new-found obsession cycling. after physically demanding computer world tour, ralf hütter had been looking forms of exercise fitted in image of kraftwerk; subsequently encouraged group become vegetarians , take cycling. tour de france included sounds followed theme including bicycle chains, gear mechanisms , breathing of cyclist. @ time of single s release ralf hütter tried persuade rest of band should record whole album based on cycling. other members of band not convinced, , theme left single alone. tour de france released in german , french. vocals of song recorded on kling klang studio stairs create right atmosphere. tour de france featured in 1984 film breakin , showing influence kraftwerk had on black american dance music.

during recording of tour de france , ralf hütter involved in serious cycling accident. suffered head injuries , remained in coma several days. during 1983 wolfgang flür beginning spend less time in studio. since band began using sequencers role drummer becoming less frequent. preferred spend time travelling girlfriend. flür experiencing artistic difficulties band. after final work on 1986 album electric café (a.k.a. techno pop) hardly returned kling klang studio. in 1987 left band , replaced fritz hilpert.

the mix (1990–99)

after years of withdrawal live performance kraftwerk began tour europe more frequently. in february 1990 band played few secret shows in italy. karl bartos left band shortly afterwards. next proper tour in 1991, album mix. hütter , schneider wished continue synth-pop quartet style of presentation, , recruited fernando abrantes replacement bartos. abrantes left band shortly after though. in late 1991, long-time kling klang studio sound engineer henning schmitz brought in finish remainder of tour , complete new version of quartet remained active until 2008.

in 1997 kraftwerk made famous appearance @ dance festival tribal gathering held in england. in 1998, group toured , japan first time since 1981, along shows in brazil , argentina. 3 new songs performed during period, remain unreleased. following trek, group decided take break.

in july 1999 single tour de france reissued in europe emi after had been out of print several years. released first time on cd in addition repressing of 12-inch vinyl single. both versions feature altered artwork removed faces of flür , bartos four-man cycling paceline depicted on original cover. in 1999 ex-member flür published autobiography in germany, ich war ein roboter. later english-language editions of book titled kraftwerk: robot.

the single expo 2000 released in december 1999. track remixed , re-released expo remix in november 2000.

touring globe (2000–09)

in stockholm, february 2004

in august 2003 band released tour de france soundtracks, first album of new material since 1986 s electric café. in january , february 2003, before release of album, band started extensive minimum-maximum world tour, using 4 customised sony vaio laptop computers, leaving entire kling klang studio @ home in germany. group obtained new set of transparent video panels replace 4 large projection screens. streamlined running of of group s sequencing, sound-generating, , visual-display software. point, band s equipment increasingly reduced manual playing, replacing interactive control of sequencing equipment. hütter retained manual performance, still playing musical lines hand on controller keyboard , singing live vocals , having repeating ostinato. schneider s live vocoding had been replaced software-controlled speech-synthesis techniques. in november, group made surprising appearance @ mtv european music awards in edinburgh, scotland, performing aerodynamik . same year promotional box set entitled 12345678 (subtitled catalogue) issued, plans proper commercial release follow. box featured remastered editions of group s 8 core studio albums, autobahn tour de france soundtracks. long-awaited box-set released in different set of remasters in november 2009.

in june 2005 band s first-ever official live album, minimum-maximum, compiled shows during band s tour of spring 2004, received extremely positive reviews. album contained reworked tracks existing studio albums. included track titled planet of visions reworking of expo 2000 . in support of release, kraftwerk made quick sweep around balkans dates in serbia, bulgaria, macedonia, turkey, , greece. in december, minimum-maximum dvd released. during 2006, band performed @ festivals in norway, ireland, czech republic, spain, belgium, , germany.

in april 2008 group played 3 shows in cities minneapolis, milwaukee, , denver, , coheadliner @ coachella valley music , arts festival. second appearance @ festival since 2004. further shows performed in ireland, poland, ukraine, australia, new zealand, hong kong , singapore later year. touring quartet consisted of ralf hütter, henning schmitz, fritz hilpert, , video technician stefan pfaffe, became official member in 2008. original member florian schneider absent lineup. hütter stated working on other projects. on 21 november, kraftwerk officially confirmed florian schneider s departure band. independent commented on incident: there brilliantly kraftwerkian news florian schneider, founder member of german electronic pioneers, leaving band pursue solo career. many successful bands break after few years. has apparently taken schneider , musical partner, ralf hütter, 4 decades discover musical differences. kraftwerk s headline set @ global gathering in melbourne, australia, on 22 november cancelled moments before scheduled begin, due fritz hilpert heart problem.

in 2009, kraftwerk performed concerts special 3d background graphics in wolfsburg, germany; manchester, uk; , randers, denmark. members of audience able watch multimedia part of show 3d glasses, given out. during manchester concert (part of 2009 manchester international festival) 4 members of gb cycling squad (jason kenny, ed clancy, jamie staff , geraint thomas) rode around velodrome while band performed tour de france . group played several festival dates, last being @ bestival 2009 in september, on isle of wight.

kraftwerk released catalogue box set on 16 november. 12 album-sized box set containing 8 remastered cds in cardboard slipcases, lp-sized booklets of photographs , artwork each individual album.

the catalogue , continued touring (2010–present)

although not officially confirmed, ralf hütter suggested second boxed set of first 3 experimental albums—kraftwerk, kraftwerk 2 , ralf , florian—could on way, possibly seeing commercial release after next studio album: ve never taken @ albums. ve been available, bad bootlegs. have more artwork. emil has researched contemporary drawings, graphics, , photographs go each album, collections of paintings worked with, , drawings florian , did. took lot of polaroids in days. kraftwerk released ios app called kraftwerk kling klang machine. lenbach house in munich exhibited kraftwerk 3-d pieces in autumn 2011. kraftwerk performed 3 concerts open exhibit.

kraftwerk played @ ultra music festival in miami on 23 march 2012. initiated klaus biesenbach, museum of modern art of new york organized exhibit titled kraftwerk – retrospective 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 band performed studio discography autobahn tour de france on course of 8 days sell-out crowds. exhibit later toured tate gallery wekk k21 in düsseldorf. kraftwerk performed @ no nukes 2012 festival in tokyo, japan. kraftwerk going play @ ultra music festival in warsaw, event cancelled; instead, kraftwerk performed @ way out west in gothenburg. limited edition version of catalogue box set released during retrospective, restricted 2000 sets. each box individually numbered , inverted colour scheme of standard box. in december, kraftwerk stated on website playing catalogue in düsseldorf , @ london s tate modern. kraftwerk tickets priced @ £60 in london, fans compared $20 ticket price tickets @ new york s moma in 2012, caused consternation. so, demand tickets @ tate high shut down website.

in march 2013, band not allowed perform @ music festival in china due unspecified political reasons . in interview in june after performing 8 albums of catalogue in sydney, ralf hütter stated: have finished 1 eight, can concentrate on number nine. in july, performed @ 47th montreux jazz festival. band played 3-d concert on 12 july @ scotland s biggest festival – t in park – in balado, kinross, 20 july @ latitude festival in suffolk, , 21 july @ longitude festival in dublin.

in october 2013 band played 4 concerts, on 2 nights, in eindhoven, netherlands. venue, evoluon (the former technology museum of philips electronics, conference center) handpicked ralf hütter, retro-futuristic ufo-like architecture. bespoke visuals of building, saucer section descending space, displayed during rendition of spacelab.

kraftwerk performing in 2013.

in 2014, kraftwerk brought four-night, 3d catalogue tour walt disney concert hall in los angeles, , @ nyc s united palace theatre. played @ cirkus in stockholm, sweden , @ music festival summer sonic in tokyo, japan. in november 2014 3d catalogue live set played in paris, france, @ brand new fondation louis-vuitton 6 14 november. , in iconic paradiso concert hall in amsterdam, netherlands, played before in 1976. in 2015, ralf hütter, being told tour de france starting year in nearby dutch city of utrecht, decided kraftwerk perform during grand depart . band played 3 concerts 3 , 4 july in tivolivredenburg performing tour de france soundtracks , visited start of tour in-between.

in april 2017, kraftwerk announced 3-d catalogue, live album , video documenting performances of 8 albums in catalogue released 26 may 2017. available in multiple formats, extensive of being 4-disc blu-ray set 236-page hardback book.