D: Kraftwerk
ist eine deutsche Band aus Düsseldorf, die 1970 von Ralf Hütter und Florian Schneider gegründet wurde.
Kraftwerk
ist vor allem durch Pionierarbeit auf dem Gebiet des Elektropop bekannt
geworden. Musikstücke von Kraftwerk beeinflussten zahlreiche Musikstile wie
Synth-Pop, Electro-Funk oder Detroit Techno. Die New York Times bezeichnete
Kraftwerk 1997 als die „Beatles der elektronischen Tanzmusik“.
Geschichte
Die
Frühzeit
1968
gründeten Ralf Hütter und Florian Schneider die Gruppe Organisation (kurz für
Organisation zur Verwirklichung gemeinsamer Musikkonzepte, den Vorläufer von
Kraftwerk, die nur ein Album, Tone Float, hervorbrachte. Anfang 1970 richteten
sie ihr Kling-Klang-Studio ein und starteten das Musikprojekt Kraftwerk. Das
Album Kraftwerk wurde im Juli und August mit den Studioschlagzeugern Klaus
Dinger und Andreas Hohmann aufgenommen und durch das Philips-Label
veröffentlicht. Das Album stieg bis auf Platz 30 der deutschen LP-Charts. Der
Titel Ruckzuck wurde als Titelmusik für die Sendung Kennzeichen D ausgewählt.
Ralf Hütter verließ Ende 1970 für einige Monate Kraftwerk, um sein
Architekturstudium zu beenden. Am 26. Dezember gab Kraftwerk ein Konzert in der
Besetzung Florian Schneider-Esleben, Eberhard Kranemann (Bass, Cello), Charly
Weiss (Schlagzeug).
Durch
den Einstieg von Gitarrist Michael Rother und Klaus Dinger als Ersatz für
Charly Weiss bestand Kraftwerk Anfang 1971 für ein paar Monate aus Schneider,
Hohmann, Kranemann, Rother und Dinger. Im Studio von Conny Plank wurde eine
Session aufgenommen, die aber nie veröffentlicht wurde. Als Trio (Schneider,
Dinger, Rother) hatte Kraftwerk in der Sendung Beat-Club mit dem Song Rückstoß
Gondoliere einen Live-Auftritt im deutschen Fernsehen. Ende 1971 nahmen Ralf
Hütter und Florian Schneider Kraftwerk 2 zwischen dem 26. September und dem 1.
Oktober in ihrem eigenen Studio auf. Kraftwerk tourte fast ununterbrochen von
1971 bis 1972 in der Besetzung Plato Rivera, Florian Schneider, Ralf Hütter und
Emil Schult.
Das
zweite Album Kraftwerk 2 erschien im November 1971 bei Philips. Kraftwerk wurde
durch das Magazin Sounds zur beliebtesten Band des Jahres gewählt. Florian
Schneider belegte den zweiten Platz in der Rubrik Musiker des Jahres, und der
Titel Ruckzuck wurde Song des Jahres.
Das
dritte Album Ralf und Florian entstand im Juli 1973 und wurde im Oktober auf
dem Philips-Label veröffentlicht. Der Verlag Kling-Klang wurde von Ralf Hütter
und Florian Schneider gegründet. Wolfgang Flür wurde als Drummer für den
Fernsehauftritt in aspekte im ZDF verpflichtet.
Wende
zum Elektropop
Die
ersten drei Kraftwerk-Alben von Hütter und Schneider waren noch teilweise
akustisch und experimentell ausgerichtet, bis sich Kraftwerk 1973 entschloss,
den Kraftwerk-Sound ausschließlich elektronisch zu gestalten und melodische
Pop-Elemente zu integrieren. Das Ergebnis war das Album Autobahn, das nach
Meinung vieler Experten einen Wendepunkt bedeutete und als erstes Album des
Elektropop gilt. Die Songs bestehen zunehmend aus reduzierten
Melodiefragmenten, die sich mit Phasen von Soundeffekten abwechseln, ein
Merkmal, das bis heute im Wesentlichen die Musik von Kraftwerk bestimmt. Zudem
integrierten Hütter und Schneider erstmals gesungene Melodien, die sich durch
eine von allen Emotionen befreite, „kalte“ Singweise (Sprechgesang)
auszeichnen. Autobahn war das letzte Album, das bei Philips erschien. Für
Autobahn erhielt Kraftwerk erstmals weltweit Goldene Schallplatten, und die
Single-Auskopplung des Titelstückes erklomm in den USA die Billboard-Charts. In
Deutschland fand die Zeile „Wir fahr’n, fahr’n, fahr’n auf der Autobahn“
Eingang in den normalen Sprachgebrauch. Beflügelt durch den großen Erfolg
gründete Kraftwerk 1974 ihr durch die Plattenfirma EMI unterstütztes eigenes
Kling-Klang-Label.
Im
Februar 1975 verließ Klaus Roeder die Band. Er wurde durch den Drummer und
Studiomusiker Karl Bartos ersetzt. Im Sommer 1975 wurde das Album
Radio-Aktivität aufgenommen, das im November 1975 erschien. Erneut hatte
Kraftwerk mit der Auskopplung des Titelsongs Erfolg: Radio-Aktivität stand im
Frühsommer 1976 wochenlang auf Position 1 der französischen Charts. Hütter und
Schneider besuchten daraufhin mit dem Trans-Europ-Express mehrmals Frankreich,
und der begeisterte Radrennfahrer Ralf Hütter nahm die Einladung an, als
Beobachter die Tour de France zu begleiten.
Kraftwerk
im Jahr 1976: Ralf Hütter, Karl Bartos, Wolfgang Flür und Florian Schneider.
Ende 1976 nahm Kraftwerk das sechste
Album Trans Europa Express auf, das im ersten Quartal des Jahres 1977
veröffentlicht wurde. Schon kurz nach der Veröffentlichung
wurde der Titelsong Trans Europe Express in den Ghettos von New York populär
und zur Blaupause für den Grundrhythmus der neuen Musikrichtung Hip-Hop.
Nach
fünf Jahren Fernsehabstinenz kehrte Kraftwerk am 29. März 1978 im ZDF auf den
Bildschirm zurück. Als lebende Roboter (mit grauen Hosen, roten Hemden,
schwarzen Krawatten mit sequenzierenden roten LEDs) präsentierten sie der
Öffentlichkeit die neue Single (Wir sind …) Die Roboter. Im April 1978 erschien
das nächste Kraftwerk-Album Die Mensch-Maschine mit dem Hit Das Model. Erneut
setzte dieses Album Maßstäbe für die Musikindustrie und die folgenden
Musikstile.
Die
1980er Jahre
Als
Gruppen wie Depeche Mode oder Ultravox, sich am Sound von Die Mensch-Maschine
orientierend, erfolgreich wurden, hatte sich Kraftwerk bereits
weiterentwickelt. Das achte Album Computerwelt erschien 1981. Computerwelt gilt
deshalb als wichtiger Vorläufer der Musikrichtungen Electro und Techno. 1981
ging Kraftwerk auf eine große Welttournee und konnte vor allem in Japan große
Erfolge feiern. Eigens für die Tour ließ sich Kraftwerk vier den
Gruppenmusikern identisch nachgebildete Roboter bauen, die bei diversen
Promotion-Auftritten die echten Musiker ersetzten.
Im
Juni 1983 erschien die Single Tour de France. Die Veröffentlichung des 1983 nahezu
fertig produzierten Albums Techno Pop wurde verworfen. Die darauf enthaltenen
Tracks erschienen, stark verändert und erstmals in digitaler
Produktionstechnik, im November 1986 unter dem Titel Electric Café. Das Video
zum ausgekoppelten Titel Musique Non Stop wurde im Institute of Technology in
New York produziert und beim Musiksender MTV in stündlicher Wiederholung
gezeigt. Als zweite
Auskopplung wählte man das von Karl Bartos gesungene Der Telefonanruf.
Die 1990er Jahre
Das gesamte Klangmaterial im Archiv
des Kling-Klang-Studios wurde auf digitale Technik umgestellt, was sich auch
auf die Bühnenshow auswirkte. Im Juni 1991 erschien der Remix von
Die Roboter als Single (Top 10 der Charts in Deutschland, Frankreich, USA und
Japan). Karl Bartos indessen verließ die Band vor Veröffentlichung des zehnten
Albums The Mix. Es enthält neu digital produzierte und gemischte Klassiker.
Im
Juli begann Kraftwerk eine ausgedehnte Europatour mit den neuen speziell
entwickelten beweglichen Robotern, die auch bei TV- und Fototerminen und bei
Videos präsentiert wurden. 1992/93 steuerte Kraftwerk eine Titelmusik zur
MTV-Sendung Music Non Stop bei, wobei es sich nicht um eine Variation des
gleichnamigen Titels aus der TechnoPop-Ära zwischen 1983 und 1986, sondern um
eine völlig neue Komposition handelte.
Auch
gab es weitere Konzertserien und einen Auftritt im Rahmen einer großen
Greenpeace-Aktion im Jahre 1992 sowie 1993 Konzerte bei der Ars Electronica in
Linz (A) und der KlangArt-Biennale in Osnabrück. Parallel spielte in Linz das
Balanescu-Quartett seine Interpretationen der Kraftwerk-Klassiker. Es folgten
1997 Konzerte auf dem Electro-Festival Tribal Gathering 1997 und zur Eröffnung
des Zentrums für Kunst und Medientechnologie in Karlsruhe.
Florian
Schneider wurde am 5. Februar 1998 als Professor für Medienkunst und
Performance an die Karlsruher Hochschule für Gestaltung (HfG) berufen. 1998
folgte eine weitere Welttournee durch Japan, USA, Europa und erstmals
Südamerika mit Auftritten auf dem Sonar-Festival in Barcelona und dem
Roskilde-Festival in Dänemark.
Neubeginn
nach 1999
„Kraftwerk“
meldete sich 1999 mit dem Jingle (und einer dazugehörigen Single inklusive
Remix von dem Detroiter Technoprojekt Underground Resistance) für die Expo 2000
in Hannover zurück. 2002 fanden in der Besetzung Hütter, Schneider, Hilpert und
Schmitz die ersten Konzerte mit rein virtueller Technik in der Cité de la
Musique in Paris statt. Die umfangreiche Hardware der 90er wurde auf vier
Laptops mit einigen zusätzlichen MIDI-Controllern reduziert. Gespielt wurde von
nun an auf Software-Synthesizern und -Sequencern, was es nun ermöglichte, das
Kling-Klang-Studio in exakter Form auf der Bühne zu nutzen. Nach dem Auftritt
auf dem Electraglide Festival in Tokyo und Osaka im Dezember folgte eine
Australien-Tour im Frühjahr 2003.
Kraftwerk
veröffentlichte nach der Tour de France 2003 das Konzeptalbum Tour de France
Soundtracks. Es war das erste der Band, das sofort Platz 1 der deutschen
Albumcharts erreichte. Mit Tour de France Soundtracks knüpfte Kraftwerk
thematisch an den bereits 1983 erschienenen Song Tour de France an und
verliehen so ihrer Leidenschaft für den Radsport Ausdruck.
2004
setzte Kraftwerk die Welttournee fort; sie war nahezu restlos ausverkauft. Die
Tour umfasste insgesamt 105 Konzerte bis Mitte 2005. Am 6. Juni 2005 erschien
zeitgleich mit dem letzten Tourabschnitt die Doppel-Live-CD/4-fach-Vinyl-Box
mit dem Titel Minimum-Maximum. Für dieses Album wurde Kraftwerk für die Grammy
Awards 2005 in der Rubrik Best Electronic Dance Album nominiert. Die Doppel-DVD
im dts-Format mit gleichnamigem Titel, sowie eine mit Notebook betitelte Box
mit CD, DVD und 88-seitigem Buch zur Tour, erschien am 2. Dezember 2005. Eine
Veröffentlichung als Doppel-SACD ist ebenfalls erfolgt.
2006
ging Kraftwerk in der Besetzung Hütter, Schneider, Schmitz und Hilpert auf eine
Sommer-Tour mit Auftritten in Bergen, Oslo, Saalburg (SonneMondSterne),
Pardubice (Summer of Love) und Gent (I love Techno).
Die
Kraftwerk-Tour 2008 mit Konzerten in den USA, Polen und Irland fand in der
Besetzung Hütter, Schmitz, Hilpert und Stefan Pfaffe (als Video-Operator), ohne
Florian Schneider, statt. Im November und Dezember wurden weitere Auftritte,
unter anderem in Australien und Neuseeland, absolviert. Kurz nach den Konzerten
gab Florian Schneider seinen Austritt bekannt. Dies wurde nun offiziell durch
einen Sprecher der Plattenfirma EMI bestätigt. Für diverse Festival-Auftritte
im Jahr 2009 wurden einige Songs aus der Set-Liste entfernt, die anderen Stücke
wurden in verkürzten Versionen gespielt. Ebenfalls 2009 wurden alle Alben von
„Autobahn“ bis „Tour de France“ unter dem Titel „Kling Klang Digital Remaster
2009“ wiederveröffentlicht. Dabei wurden die vier in den 1970er Jahren
erschienenen Alben jeweils mit neuen Covergestaltungen versehen, die damals
schon für die Veröffentlichungen vorgesehen waren. Weiterhin wurde der Name
„Electric Cafe“ in, wie ursprünglich geplant, „Techno Pop“ geändert.
Von
15. Oktober bis 13. November 2011 stellte der Kunstbau der städtischen Galerie
im Lenbachhaus in München unter dem Titel Kraftwerk 3-D eine mehrkanalige
3D-Videoinstallation aus. Zur Eröffnung der Ausstellung gab Kraftwerk drei
ausverkaufte Konzerte in München, in denen die Band erstmals die komplette
Aufführung vor einer 3D-Videoprojektion spielte. Seitdem ist die Band mit ihrem
3D-Konzept auf Tour.
2012
spielten sie acht Konzerte (zu jedem ihrer Alben jeweils eines) im Museum of
Modern Art (MoMa), in New York, die ebenfalls binnen kurzer Zeit ausverkauft
waren. 2013 wurde dieses Konzept an einigen anderen Orten aufgeführt. Im Umfeld
der Auftritte in Düsseldorf fand dabei erstmals ein wissenschaftlicher Kongress
zum Phänomen Kraftwerk, sowie eine Fotoausstellung mit Bildern von ihrem
Bandfotografen Peter Boettcher statt. Hier stand auch erstmals Falk
Grieffenhagen, der unter anderem mitverantwortlich für die Umsetzung des
3D-Konzeptes gewesen war, an Stelle von Stefan Pfaffe auf der Bühne.
Mitte
2013 gab Sprüth Magers bekannt, dass Kraftwerk im Juli und August in der
Galerie in Berlin eine ähnliche 3D-Ausstellung wie im Lenbachhaus präsentieren
wird.
Am
26. Januar 2014 wurde ihnen, neben den Beatles und weiteren Künstlern, der
Grammy-Award für ihr Lebenswerk verliehen. Im Mai 2014 präsentierte die Band - im Rahmen
der Wiener Festwochen - die 3D-Konzertreihe Katalog in acht ausverkauften
Konzerten im Burgtheater.
Analoger
Vocoder aus den 1970er Jahren, verwendet für die Alben Ralf und Florian und
Autobahn.
Die
Band inspirierte unzählige Künstler, darunter David Bowie, Human League,
Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, Alphaville, O.M.D., Rammstein, Ultravox, Moby, New
Order (Krafty) und Front 242. Außerdem haben sie einen großen Einfluss in der
US-amerikanischen Electro-Funk- (Afrika Bambaataa u. a.) und später auch in der
Detroit-Techno-Szene, die von Kraftwerks minimalistischen Arrangements und
ihren tanzbaren Beats vor allem in der Anfangszeit stark geprägt wird. Jeff
Mills und Derrick May, zwei der bedeutendsten Pioniere der
Detroit-Techno-Szene, berufen sich direkt auf Kraftwerk als Inspirationsquelle
für ihr künstlerisches Schaffen.
Auch
Jahre später inspirierte Kraftwerk noch andere Musikkünstler. 1994
veröffentlichten slowenische Bands ein Kraftwerk-Tribute-Album mit dem Titel
„Trans-Slovenia-Express“. Das Projekt wurde 2005 mit „Trans-Slovenia-Express
Vol.2“ fortgesetzt. (Beide CDs: Mute Records) So sind charakteristische
Sequenzen in Musikstücken wie Jay-Z feat. Foxy Browns – Sunshine (Die
Mensch-Maschine) oder Coldplays – Talk (Computerliebe) wiederzufinden. 2000
veröffentlichte Uwe Schmidt alias Señor Coconut das Album El Baile Alemán,
welches ausgewählte Stücke Kraftwerks als Latin-Versionen neu interpretiert.
Image
Kraftwerk
entwickelte mit der Zeit ein griffiges Image-Konzept, mit dem sie sich deutlich
von anderen elektronisch orientierten Rock- und Popbands abgrenzten. Schon der
Name deutet auf das Hauptthema ihrer Songs, die moderne Technik und ihre
Beziehung zum Menschen, hin. Mit dem Albumtitel Mensch-Maschine lässt sich ihr
Image am besten beschreiben. Dem Personen- und Starkult setzte Kraftwerk das
Konzept der Entpersonalisierung entgegen.
Ralf
Hütter beschreibt sich häufig als Musik-Arbeiter, die einzelnen Bandmitglieder
treten hinter dem Bild der Gruppe als System, als Maschine, zurück. Als
Ausdruck dieses Konzepts kann man die Gewohnheit der Gruppe ab der zweiten
Hälfte der 1970er Jahre betrachten, Puppen und Roboter, die die Bandmitglieder
darstellen, bei Presseauftritten anstatt der wirklichen Bandmitglieder
fotografieren zu lassen. Auch bei Liveauftritten werden die echten Musiker zum
Teil von den Bandrobotern ersetzt. Mit diesem „Mensch-Maschinen“-Image spielt
die Band gerne humorvoll herum, was die diversen Fotos auf den Albumcovern und
bestimmte phrasenhafte Aussagen der Bandmitglieder bei Interviews beweisen.
Ein
weiterer wichtiger Faktor ist die Tatsache, dass sie sich schon von Anfang an
eindeutig zu ihrer deutschen kulturellen Identität bekennen und ihre Songtitel
im Gegensatz zu den meisten anderen Bands der 1960er und 1970er Jahre auf
Deutsch formulieren. Später lockerten sie diesen Grundsatz allerdings etwas auf
und veröffentlichten ihre Titel grundsätzlich in mehreren Sprachen. Auf
Radio-Aktivität wurden einige Lieder zweisprachig gesungen, ab Trans Europa
Express erschienen ihre Alben mit Ausnahme von Tour de France Soundtracks als
deutsche und englische Version. Bei Live-Auftritten außerhalb des
deutschsprachigen Raumes singen sie gelegentlich in der Sprache ihres
Gastlandes, unter anderem bereits auf Japanisch, Französisch, Italienisch,
Spanisch, Portugiesisch, Polnisch und Russisch.
Zitat
“The
living culture of Central Europe was cut in the '30s, and all the intellectuals
went to the U.S. or to France, or they were eliminated. We take back that
culture of the '30s at the point where it was left, and this on a spiritual
level […].”
„Die
lebendige Kultur Mitteleuropas wurde in den dreißiger Jahren gekappt, und all
die Intellektuellen gingen in die USA oder nach Frankreich, oder sie wurden
eliminiert. Wir nehmen diese Kultur der dreißiger Jahre an dem Punkt auf, an
dem sie verlassen wurde, und dies auf einer spirituellen Ebene.“
–
Ralf Hütter: Interview mit dem Rock & Folk Magazine, 1976
Diskografie
1970:
Tone Float (als Organisation)
1970:
Kraftwerk
1971:
Kraftwerk 2
1973:
Ralf und Florian
1974:
Autobahn
1975:
Radio-Aktivität (Englische Ausgabe: Radio-Activity)
1977:
Trans Europa Express (Englische Ausgabe: Trans-Europe Express)
1978:
Die Mensch-Maschine (Englische Ausgabe: The Man-Machine)
1981:
Computerwelt (Englische Ausgabe: Computer World)
1986:
Electric Café (Deutsche, englische und spanische Ausgaben mit demselben Titel),
2009 Titel geändert zu Techno Pop
1991:
The Mix (Deutsche und englische Ausgabe)
2003:
Tour de France Soundtracks, 2009 Titel gekürzt zu Tour de France
2005:
Minimum-Maximum (Deutsche und englische Ausgabe; Live-Album – 2 CDs oder 4 LPs,
2 DVDs, Spezial Edition „Notebook“, 2006 auch 2 SACDs)
2009:
Der Katalog (Englische Ausgabe: The Catalogue; Boxset aller 8 Alben ab
Autobahn)
2012: Der Katalog (2009 Remaster)
Quelle: Wikipedia http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kraftwerk_(Band)
_________________________________________________________________________________
BR: Kraftwerk (pronúncia em alemão: [ˈkʀaftvɛɐk],
usina de energia) é um influente grupo musical alemão de música eletrônica. O
grupo foi formado por Ralf Hütter e Florian Schneider em 1970, em Düsseldorf e
liderado por ambos até a saída de Schneider, em 2008. A formação mais
conhecida, duradoura e bem sucedida foi aquela que se consolidou entre 1975 e
1987 e que incluía os percussionistas Wolfgang Flür e Karl Bartos.
Considerado por alguns como tão
influentes quanto os Beatles por sua participação na música popular da segunda
metade do século XX2 , as técnicas introduzidas e os equipamentos desenvolvidos
pelo Kraftwerk são lugar-comum na músical atual e o grupo é geralmente tido
como precursor de toda a dance music moderna de modo geral. Suas letras, por vezes
cantadas através de um vocoder ou geradas sinteticamente, ainda que
minimalistas, geralmente lidam com temas relacionados à vida urbana e à
tecnologia Apesar de Hütter ter nascido hermafrodita , era considerado homem
por seus companheiros. Revoltado , resolveu explorar toda sua raiva pela
música. pós-guerra.
1976
O Kraftwerk foi fundado em 1970 por
Florian Schneider-Esleben (flauta) e Ralf Hütter (teclado) no seu estúdio Kling
Klang, na cidade de Düsseldorf, Alemanha. Conheceram-se quando estudavam no
Conservatório de Düsseldorf no final dos anos 60, participando da cena
experimental da música da época, o movimento posteriormente intitulado
krautrock.
As primeiras formações da banda,
entre 1970 e 1974, eram bastante rotativas, com Hütter e Schneider trabalhando
com vários outros músicos para gravar quatro álbuns e se apresentar algumas
vezes. Entre os participantes destacam-se o guitarrista Michael Rother e o
baterista Klaus Dinger, que deixaram a banda para formar o Neu!
A participação, experiência e
influência do produtor Konrad "Conny" Plank foram também
significativas. Trabalhou com bandas como Can, Neu!, Cluster, e, como resultado
do seu trabalho com os Kraftwerk, o seu estúdio localizado em Colónia tornou-se
num dos mais requisitados no final dos anos 70. Plank produziu os primeiros
quatro álbuns da banda, mas parou de trabalhar com os Kraftwerk depois do
sucesso comercial de Autobahn, aparentemente devido a disputas com contratos da
banda.
Emil Schult tornou-se num colaborador
regular do grupo no início de 1973, originalmente tocando baixo e violino,
produzindo material visual da banda e letras e os acompanhando em digressões.
Após vários álbuns experimentais, o
sucesso da banda veio em 1974 com o álbum Autobahn, e a sua faixa homônima de
22 minutos. A canção foi um hit mundial, demonstrando a grande relação da banda
com sintetizadores e outros instrumentos electrónicos. Este álbum foi seguido
por uma trilogia de álbuns que influenciou bastante a música popular posterior:
Radio-Activity (1975), Trans-Europe Express (1977) e The Man Machine (1978).
Em 1975 formou-se o que ficou
conhecido como a formação clássica do Kraftwerk, para a digressão de Autobahn.
Juntaram-se a Hütter e Schneider Wolfgang Flür and Karl Bartos como
percussionistas electrónicos. Cresceu os boatos da homossexualidade de
Schneider , após ter sido visto entrando no motel com um rapaz de 18 anos. Sobre
o ocorrido Schneider declarou que era uma borboleta , e que precisava voar. Mas
isso não abalou a musicalidade e a moral do grupo. Depois de anos sem
apresentações ao vivo, os Kraftwerk iniciaram digressões novamente no final dos
anos 90. Ralf queria tocar cada vez mais, mas a dificuldade em transportar os
equipamentos analógicos limitou as viagens para fora da Europa. Após a saída de
Flür e Bartos, vários outros músicos, como Fritz Hilpert e Henning Schmitz
apareceram na formação dos Kraftwerk.
Em meados de 1999, as gravações
originais de Tour de France foram finalmente lançadas em CD, indicando um reinício
das actividades da banda. O single Expo 2000, a primeira nova música em treze
anos, foi lançado em Dezembro do mesmo ano, e posteriormente remisturado por
bandas de música electrónica como Orbital.
Em 2000, o ex-membro Flür publicou
uma autobiografia na Alemanha, Kraftwerk: I Was a Robot, revelando vários novos
detalhes sobre a vida da banda. Hütter e Schneider mostraram, no entanto,
hostilidade à obra.
Em Agosto de 2003, a banda lançou
Tour de France Soundtracks, o primeiro álbum desde Electric Café, de 1986. Em
Junho de 2005, a banda lançou um álbum ao vivo, Minimum-Maximum, que foi
compilado de apresentações da banda durante a digressão europeia no início de
2004, recebendo várias críticas positivas. A maioria das faixas consistia em
remodelagens de antigas faixas de estúdio. O álbum foi galardoado com o Grammy
para melhor álbum de música electrónica. Juntamente com o CD, foi lançado um
DVD que contém vários vídeos de apresentações em várias localidades no mundo. Após o fim de uma série de shows em Março de
2009, chegando a fazer mais um no Brasil, o Kraftwerk iniciou outra série de
concertos utilizando, em parte, tecnologia 3D.
Em 2011 depois de um tempo ocioso, o
Kraftwerk anunciou uma video-instalação em Munique, com shows acompanhados de
projeções completamente em 3D e algumas obras jamais tocadas ao vivo. Já em
2012, após um concerto em Miami, no Ultra Music Festival, o grupo fez uma série
de shows no Museu de Arte Moderna de Nova Iorque (MoMA). Nessa série de shows,
chamada de “Kraftwerk 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8″, foram reproduzidos ao vivo, oito dos
discos que mais fizeram a fama do grupo, dando atenção especial a qualidade de
som e projeção. De surpresa, o grupo também fez uma espécie de
"resumo" desses concertos no Sónar SP, substituindo a cantora Björk.
Atualmente o integrante Stefan Pfaffe
foi substituido pelo Engenheiro de Som e Vídeo Falk Grieffenhagen, fez dois
shows e duas retrospectivas: em Düsseldorf (Alemanha), Inglaterra e agora fará no Japão, em Sydney e pequenas
turnês pelo Oriente e Europa.
Saída de Florian Schneider
No dia 5 de Janeiro de 2009, Florian
Schneider anunciou a sua saída do Kraftwerk. Schneider era o penúltimo
integrante da formação original da banda, da qual também foi um dos fundadores,
onde permaneceu por mais de 30 anos.
Florian não se apresentava com o
Kraftwerk desde a turnê nos EUA de Abril de 2008, e foi substituído nesses
shows por Stefan Pfaffe (antigo colaborador da banda). Da formação original
restou apenas Ralf Hütter.
Membros
Ralf
Hutter
Fritz
Hilpert
Henning
Schmitz
Falk Grieffenhagen
Anteriores
Florian Schneider (Membro fundador:
1970-2008)
Wolfgang Flür (1973-1986)
Karl Bartos (1974-1991)
Klaus
Roeder (1974)
Michael
Rother (1971-1972)
Klaus
Dinger (1971-1972)
Stefan Pfaffe (2008-2012)
Discografia
1970 - Tone Float (ainda sob o nome
Organisation)
1971
- Kraftwerk
1972
- Kraftwerk 2
1973
- Ralf und Florian
1974
- Autobahn
1975 - Radio-Aktivität (título em
inglês: Radio-Activity)
1977 - Trans-Europa Express (título
em inglês: Trans-Europe Express)
1978
- Die Mensch-Maschine (título em inglês: The Man Machine)
1981 - Computerwelt (título em
inglês: Computer World)
1986
- Electric Cafe
1991
- The Mix
2003
- Tour de France Soundtracks
2005 - Minimum Maximum
Fonte: Wikipedia http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kraftwerk
_________________________________________________________________________________
GB: Kraftwerk
(German pronunciation: [ˈkʀaftvɛɐk], "power station") are a German
electronic music band formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970 in
Düsseldorf, and fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008.
The
signature Kraftwerk sound combines driving, repetitive rhythms with catchy
melodies, mainly following a Western classical style of harmony, with a
minimalistic and strictly electronic instrumentation. The group's simplified
lyrics are at times sung through a vocoder or generated by computer-speech
software. Kraftwerk were one of the first groups to popularize electronic music
and are considered pioneers in the field.
In
the 1970s and early 1980s, Kraftwerk's distinctive sound was revolutionary, and
has had a lasting effect across many genres of modern music. According to The
Observer, "no other band since the Beatles has given so much to pop
culture" and a wide range of artists have been influenced by their music
and image. In January 2014 the Grammy Academy honored Kraftwerk with a Lifetime
Achievement Award.
Formation
and early years (1970–73)
Florian
Schneider (flutes, synthesizers, electro-violin) and Ralf Hütter (electronic
organ, synthesizers) met as students at the Robert Schumann Hochschule in
Düsseldorf in the late 1960s, participating in the German experimental music
and art scene of the time, which the British music press dubbed
"krautrock".
The
duo had originally performed together in a quintet known as Organisation. This
ensemble released one album, Tone Float, issued on RCA Records in the UK, but
the group split shortly thereafter.
Early
Kraftwerk line-ups from 1970 to 1974 fluctuated, as Hütter and Schneider worked
with around a half-dozen other musicians over the course of recording three
albums and sporadic live appearances; most notably guitarist Michael Rother and
drummer Klaus Dinger, who left to form Neu! The only constant figure in these
line-ups was Schneider, whose main instrument at the time was the flute; at
times also playing violin and guitar, all processed through a varied array of
electronic effects. Hütter, who left the band for six months in 1971 to pursue
studies in architecture, played synthesizer keyboards (including Farfisa organ
and electric piano).
Their
first three albums were free-form experimental rock without the pop hooks or
the more disciplined song structure of later work. 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. Post-production modifications to these recordings were
used to distort the sound of the instruments, particularly audio-tape
manipulation and multiple dubbings of one instrument on the same track. Both
albums are purely instrumental. Live performances from 1972 to 1973 were made
as a duo, using a simple beat-box-type electronic drum machine, with preset
rhythms taken from an electric organ. These shows were mainly in Germany, with
occasional shows in France. Later in 1973, Wolfgang Flür joined the group for
rehearsals, and the unit performed as a trio on the television show Aspekte for
German television network ZDF.
With
Ralf und Florian, released in 1973, Kraftwerk began to move closer to its
classic sound, relying more heavily on synthesizers and drum machines. Although
almost entirely instrumental, the album marks Kraftwerk's first use of the
vocoder, which would in time become one of its musical signatures. Kraftwerk's
futuristic and robotic sound was influenced by the 'adrenalized insurgency' of
Detroit artists of the late 60's such as MC5 and the Stooges.
The
input, expertise, and influence of producer and engineer Konrad
"Conny" Plank was highly significant in the early years of Kraftwerk
and Plank also worked with many of the other leading German electronic acts of
the period, including members of Can, Neu!, Cluster and Harmonia. As a result
of his work with Kraftwerk, Plank's studio near Cologne became one of the most
sought-after studios in the late 1970s. Plank co-produced the first four
Kraftwerk albums.
International
breakthrough (1974–76)
The
release of Autobahn in 1974 saw Kraftwerk moving away from the sound of its
earlier albums. Hütter and Schneider had invested in newer technology such as
the Minimoog and the EMS Synthi AKS, helping give Kraftwerk a newer,
disciplined sound. Autobahn would also be the last album that Conny Plank would
engineer. After the commercial success of Autobahn in the USA where it peaked
at number 5 in the Billboard top 200, Hütter and Schneider invested money into
updating their studio. This meant they no longer had to rely on outside
producers. At this time the painter and graphic artist Emil Schult became a
regular collaborator working alongside the band. Schult designed artwork in
addition to later co-writing lyrics and accompanying the group on tour.
The
year 1975 saw a turning point in Kraftwerk's live shows. With financial support
from Phonogram in the US, it was able to undertake a multi-date tour to promote
the Autobahn album. This tour took them to the US, Canada and the UK for the
first time. The tour also saw a new, stable, live line-up in the form of a
quartet. Hütter and Schneider both mainly played keyboard parts on synthesizers
such as the Minimoog and ARP Odyssey, with Schneider's use of flute
diminishing. The pair also sang vocals on stage for the first time, with
Schneider also using a vocoder live. Wolfgang Flür and new recruit Karl Bartos
performed live on self-made electronic percussions. Bartos also used a Deagan
Vibraphone on stage. The Hütter-Schneider-Bartos-Flür formation remained in
place until the late 1980s and is now regarded as the classic live line-up of
Kraftwerk. Emil Schult generally fulfilled the role of tour manager.
After
the 1975 Autobahn tour, Kraftwerk began work on a follow-up album,
Radio-Activity (German title: Radio-Aktivität). After further investment in new
equipment, the Kling Klang Studio became a fully working recording studio. It
was decided that the new album would have a central theme. This theme came from
Kraftwerk's shared interest in radio communication, which had become enhanced
on their last tour of the United States. While Emil Schult began working on
artwork and lyrics for the new album, Kraftwerk began to work on the music.
Radio-Activity was less successful in the UK and American markets, but it did
open up the European market for Kraftwerk, gaining them a gold disc in France.
Kraftwerk produced some promotional videos and performed several European live
dates to promote the album. With the release of Autobahn and Radio-Activity,
Kraftwerk had left behind its avant-garde experimentations and had moved
forward towards electronic pop tunes.
In
1976, Kraftwerk went out on tour in support of the Radio-Activity album.
Enthused by the album, British singer David Bowie had invited the band to
support him on his Station to Station tour but they declined. Despite some
innovations in touring, Kraftwerk took a break from live performances after the
Radio-Activity tour of 1976.
Trains,
robots and computers (1977–82)
After
having finished the Radio-Activity tour Kraftwerk began recording Trans-Europe
Express (German: Trans-Europa Express) at Kling Klang Studio. Trans-Europe
Express was mixed at the Record Plant Studios in Los Angeles. It was around
this time that Hütter and Schneider met David Bowie at Kling Klang Studio. A
collaboration was mentioned in an interview (Brian Eno) with Hütter, but it
never materialised. The release of Trans-Europe Express was marked with an
extravagant train journey used as a press conference by EMI France. The album
was released in March 1977. The album won a disco award in New York later that
year.
In
May 1978 Kraftwerk released The Man-Machine (German: Die Mensch Maschine),
recorded at the Kling Klang Studio. Due to the complexity of the recording the
album was mixed at Studio Rudas in Düsseldorf. The band hired sound engineer
Leanard Jackson from Detroit to work together with Joschko Rudas on the final
mix of the record. The Man-Machine was the first Kraftwerk album where Karl
Bartos was co-credited as songwriter. The cover was produced in black, white
and red; the artwork was inspired by Russian artist El Lissitzky and the
Suprematism movement. The image of the band on the front cover was photographed
by Gunther Frohling. This showed the band dressed in red shirts and black ties.
Kraftwerk would not issue an album for another three years.
In
May 1981 Kraftwerk put out Computer World (German: Computerwelt) on EMI
records. It was recorded at Kling Klang Studio between 1978 and 1981. A lot of
this time was spent modifying the studio so the band could take it on tour with
them. Some of the electronic vocals on Computer World were created using a
Texas Instruments Language Translator. "Computer Love" was released
as a single from the album backed with the Man-Machine track "The
Model". Radio DJs were more interested in the B-side so the single was
repackaged by EMI and re-released with "The Model" as the A-side. The
single reached the number one position in the UK, making "The Model"
Kraftwerk's most successful record in the UK. As such, The Man Machine became a success in
the UK, peaking at number 9 in the album chart in February 1982. The band's
live set focused increasingly on song-based material, with greater use of
vocals and the use of sequencing equipment for percussion and musical lines.
The approach taken by the group was to use the sequencing equipment
interactively, thus allowing room for improvisation. Ironically Kraftwerk did
not own a computer at the time of recording Computer World.
Kraftwerk
returned to the live scene with the Computer World tour of 1981, where the band
effectively packed up its entire Kling Klang studio and took it on the road.
The band also developed an increasing use of visual elements in the live shows
during this period. This included back-projected slides and films, increasingly
synchronised with the music as the technology developed, the use of hand-held
miniaturised instruments during the set (for example, during "Pocket
Calculator"), and, perhaps most famously, the use of replica mannequins of
themselves to perform onstage during the song "The Robots".
Cycling
non-stop, Techno Pop (1983–89)
In
1982 Kraftwerk began to work on a new album that initially had the working
title Technicolor but due to trademark issues was changed to Techno Pop. One of
the songs from these recording sessions was "Tour de France", which
EMI released as a single in 1983. This song was a reflection of the band's
new-found obsession for cycling. After the physically demanding Computer World
tour, Ralf Hütter had been looking for forms of exercises that fitted in with
the image of Kraftwerk; subsequently he encouraged the group to become
vegetarians and take up cycling. "Tour de France" included sounds
that followed this theme including bicycle chains, gear mechanisms and the
breathing of the cyclist. At the time of the single's release Ralf Hütter tried
to persuade the rest of the band that they should record a whole album based
around cycling. The other members of the band were not convinced, and the theme
was left to the single alone. "Tour de France" was released in German
and French. The vocals of the song were recorded on the Kling Klang Studio
stairs to create the right atmosphere. "Tour de France" was featured
in the 1984 film Breakin', showing the influence that Kraftwerk had on black
American dance music.
During
the recording of "Tour de France", Ralf Hütter was involved in a serious
cycling accident. He suffered head injuries and was left in a coma for a few
days. During 1983 Wolfgang Flür was beginning to spend less time in the studio.
Since the band began using sequencers his role as a drummer was becoming less
frequent. He preferred to spend his time travelling with his girlfriend. Flür
was also experiencing artistic difficulties with the band. After his final work
on the 1986 album Electric Café (a.k.a. Techno Pop) he hardly returned to the
Kling Klang Studio. Wolfgang Flür left the band in 1987 and was replaced by
Fritz Hilpert.
In
the mix (1990–99)
After
years of withdrawal from live performance Kraftwerk began to tour Europe more
frequently again. In February 1990 they played a few secret shows in Italy.
Karl Bartos left the band shortly afterwards. The next proper tour was in 1991,
for the album The Mix. Hütter and Schneider wished to continue the synth-pop
quartet style of presentation, and recruited Fernando Abrantes as a replacement
for Bartos. Abrantes left the band shortly after though. In late 1991,
long-time Kling Klang Studio sound engineer Henning Schmitz was brought in to
finish the remainder of the tour and to complete a new version of the quartet
that remained active until 2008. In 1997 they had a famous appearance at dance
festival Tribal Gathering held in England. In 1998, the group toured the US and
Japan for the first time since 1981, along with shows in Brazil and Argentina.
Three new songs were performed during this period, which remain unreleased.
Following this trek, the group decided to take another break.
In
July 1999 the single "Tour de France" was reissued in Europe by EMI
after it had been out of print for several years. It was released for the first
time on CD in addition to a repressing of the 12-inch vinyl single. Both
versions feature slightly altered artwork that removed the faces of Flür and
Bartos from the four-man cycling paceline depicted on the original cover. In
1999 ex-member Flür published his autobiography in Germany, Ich war ein
Roboter. Later English-language editions of the book were titled Kraftwerk: I
Was a Robot.
The
single "Expo 2000" was released in December 1999. The track was
remixed and re-released as "Expo Remix" in November 2000.
Touring
the globe (2000–09)
In
August 2003 the band released Tour de France Soundtracks, its first album of
new material since 1986's Electric Café. In January and February 2003, prior to
the release of the album, the band started the extensive Minimum-Maximum world
tour, using four customised Sony VAIO laptop computers, effectively leaving the
entire Kling Klang studio at home in Germany. The group also obtained a new set
of transparent video panels to replace its four large projection screens. This
greatly streamlined the running of all of the group's sequencing,
sound-generating, and visual-display software. From this point, the band's
equipment increasingly reduced manual playing, replacing it with interactive
control of sequencing equipment. Hütter retains the most manual performance,
still playing musical lines by hand on a controller keyboard and singing live
vocals and having a repeating ostinato. Schneider's live vocoding has been
replaced by software-controlled speech-synthesis techniques. In November, the
group made a surprising appearance at the MTV European Music Awards in
Edinburgh, Scotland, performing "Aerodynamik". The same year a
promotional box set entitled 12345678 (subtitled The Catalogue) was issued,
with plans for a proper commercial release to follow. The box featured
remastered editions of the group's core eight studio albums, from Autobahn to
Tour de France Soundtracks. This long-awaited box-set would eventually be
released in a different set of remasters in November 2009.
In
June 2005 the band's first-ever official live album, Minimum-Maximum, which was
compiled from the shows during the band's tour of spring 2004, received
extremely positive reviews. The album contained reworked tracks from existing
studio albums. This included a track titled "Planet of Visions" that
was a reworking of "Expo 2000". In support of this release, Kraftwerk
made another quick sweep around the Balkans with dates in Serbia, Bulgaria,
Macedonia, Turkey, and Greece. In December, the DVD release of Minimum-Maximum
was made available. During 2006, the band performed at festivals in Norway, the
Czech Republic, Spain, Belgium and Germany.
In
April 2008 the group played three shows in US cities Minneapolis, Milwaukee,
and Denver, and was a co-headliner at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts
Festival. This was their second appearance at the festival since 2004. Further
shows were performed in Ireland, Poland, Ukraine, Australia, New Zealand, Hong
Kong and Singapore later that year. The touring quartet consisted of Ralf
Hütter, Henning Schmitz, Fritz Hilpert, and video technician Stefan Pfaffe, who
became an official member in 2008. Original member Florian Schneider was absent
from the lineup. Hütter stated that he was working on other projects. On 21
November, Kraftwerk officially confirmed Florian Schneider's departure from the
band. The Independent commented on that incident: "There is something
brilliantly Kraftwerkian about the news that Florian Schneider, a founder
member of the German electronic pioneers, is leaving the band to pursue a solo
career. Many successful bands break up after just a few years. It has
apparently taken Schneider and his musical partner, Ralf Hütter, four decades
to discover musical differences." Kraftwerk's headline set at Global
Gathering in Melbourne, Australia on 22 November was cancelled moments before
it was scheduled to begin, due to a Fritz Hilpert heart problem.
In
2009, Kraftwerk performed concerts in Wolfsburg, Germany, Manchester, UK, and
Randers, Denmark with special 3D background graphics. Members of the audience
were able to watch this multimedia part of the show with 3D glasses, which were
given out. During the Manchester concert (part of the 2009 Manchester
International Festival) four members of the GB cycling squad (Jason Kenny, Ed
Clancy, Jamie Staff and Geraint Thomas) rode around the Velodrome while the
band performed "Tour de France". The group also played several
festival dates, the last being at the Bestival in September 2009 on the Isle of
Wight.
The
Catalogue (2010-present)
Although
not officially confirmed, Ralf Hütter suggested that a second boxed set of
their first three experimental albums—Kraftwerk, Kraftwerk 2 and Ralf and
Florian—could be on its way, possibly seeing commercial release after their
next studio album: "We've just never really taken a look at those albums.
They've always been available, but as really bad bootlegs. Now we have more
artwork. Emil has researched extra contemporary drawings, graphics, and
photographs to go with each album, collections of paintings that we worked
with, and drawings that Florian and I did. We took a lot of Polaroids in those
days." Kraftwerk also released an iOS app called Kraftwerk Kling Klang
Machine. The Lenbach House in Munich exhibited some Kraftwerk 3-D pieces in
Autumn 2011. Kraftwerk performed three concerts to open the exhibit.
Kraftwerk
played at Ultra Music Festival in Miami on March 23, 2012. The Museum of Modern
Art of New York organized an exhibit titled Kraftwerk - Retrospective 1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 where the band performed their studio discography from Autobahn to Tour
de France over the course of eight days to sell-out crowds. Kraftwerk performed
at the No Nukes 2012 Festival in Tokyo, Japan. Kraftwerk were also going to
play at the Ultra Music Festival in Warsaw but the event was cancelled, instead
Kraftwerk are performing at Way out West in Gothenburg. A limited edition
version of the Catalogue box set was made available during the retrospective -
restricted to 2000 sets, each box was individually numbered and inverted the
colour scheme of the standard box. In December, Kraftwerk stated on their
website that they would be playing their Catalogue in Düsseldorf and at
London's Tate Modern. Kraftwerk tickets were priced at £60 in London, but fans
compared that to the $20 ticket price for tickets at New York's MoMA in 2012,
which caused consternation. The demand for the tickets at The Tate was so high
that it shut down the website.
In
March 2013, the band was not allowed to perform at a music festival in China
due to unspecified "political reasons". In an interview in June after
performing the eight albums of The Catalogue in Sydney, Ralf Hütter stated:
"Now we have finished one to eight, now we can concentrate on number
nine." In July, they performed at the 47th Montreux Jazz Festival. The
band also played a 3-D concert on 12 July at Scotland's biggest festival T in
the Park in Balado, Kinross. As well as 20 July at Latitude Festival in
Suffolk, and 21 July at the Longtitude festival at Marlay Park in Dublin.
In
October 2013 the band played four concerts, over two nights, in Eindhoven, the
Netherlands. The venue, Evoluon (the former technology museum of Philips
Electronics, now a conference center) was handpicked by Ralf Hütter, for its
retro-futuristic UFO-like architecture. Bespoke visuals of the building, with
the saucer section descending from space, were displayed during the rendition
of Spacelab.
On
November 26, 2013, Kraftwerk announced that they would be bringing their
four-night, 3D Catalogue tour to the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles in
March 2014.
In
August 2014 Kraftwerk played a 3D concert at music festival Summer Sonic in Tokyo,
Japan.
In
September 2014 it was announced that Kraftwerk will bring the full 3D Catalogue
live set to Amsterdam. Between 15 and 23 January 2015 the band will perform in
the iconic Paradiso, where they played before in 1976.
In
November 2014 the 3D Catalogue live set will be played in Paris, France at the
brand new Fondation Louis-Vuiton from November 6 to 14.
Music
Kraftwerk's
lyrics deal with post-war European urban life and technology—traveling by car
on the Autobahn, traveling by train, using home computers, and the like.
Usually, the lyrics are very minimal but reveal both an innocent celebration
of, and a knowing caution about, the modern world, as well as playing an
integral role in the rhythmic structure of the songs. Many of Kraftwerk's songs
express the paradoxical nature of modern urban life—a strong sense of
alienation existing side-by-side with a celebration of the joys of modern
technology.
All
of Kraftwerk's albums from Radio-Activity onwards have been released in
separate versions: one with German vocals for sale in Germany, Switzerland and
Austria and one with English vocals for the rest of the world, with occasional
variations in other languages when conceptually appropriate.
Live
performance has always played an important part in Kraftwerk's activities.
Also, despite its live shows generally being based around formal songs and
compositions, live improvisation often plays a noticeable role in its
performances. This trait can be traced back to the group's roots in the first
experimental krautrock scene of the late 1960s, but, significantly, it has
continued to be a part of its playing even as it makes ever greater use of
digital and computer-controlled sequencing in its performances. Some of the
band's familiar compositions have been observed to have developed from live
improvisations at its concerts or sound-checks.
Technological
innovations
Throughout
their career, Kraftwerk have pushed the limits of music technology with some
notable innovations, such as self-made instruments and custom built devices.
The group has always perceived their Kling Klang Studio as a complex music
instrument as well as a sound laboratory; Florian Schneider in particular
developed a fascination for music technology, with the result that the
technical aspects of sound generation and recording gradually became his main
fields of activity within the band. Alexei Monroe called Kraftwerk the
"first successful artists to incorporate representations of industrial
sounds into nonacademic electronic music."
Early
1970s vocoder, custom built for Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk
used a custom built Vocoder on their albums Ralf und Florian and Autobahn; the
device was constructed by electronic engineers P.Leunig and K.Obermayer of the
PTB Braunschweig.
Hütter
and Schneider hold a patent for an electronic drum kit with sensor pads, filed
in July 1975 and issued in June 1977. It has to be hit with metal sticks which
are connected to the device to complete a circuit that triggers analog
synthetic percussion sounds. The band first performed in public with this
device in 1973, on the television program Aspekte (on the ZDF station) where it
was played by Wolfgang Flür. On the Radio-Activity tour in 1976 Kraftwerk
tested out an experimental light-beam-activated drum cage allowing Flür to
trigger electronic percussion through arm and hand movements. Unfortunately,
the device did not work as planned, and it was quickly abandoned. The same year
Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider commissioned Bonn-based
"Synthesizerstudio Bonn, Matten & Wiechers" to design and build
the Synthanorma Sequenzer with Intervallomat, a 4×8 / 2×16 / 1×32
step-sequencer system with some features that commercial products couldn't
provide at that time. The music sequencer was used by the band for the first
time to control the electronic sources creating the rhythmic sound of the album
Trans-Europe Express.
Seclusion
The
band is notoriously reclusive, providing rare and enigmatic interviews, using
life-size mannequins and robots to conduct official photo shoots, refusing to
accept mail and not allowing visitors at Kling Klang Studio, whose precise
location they used to keep secret. Another notable example of this eccentric
behavior was reported to Johnny Marr of the Smiths by Karl Bartos, who
explained that anyone trying to contact the band for collaboration would be
told the studio telephone did not have a ringer, since during recording, the
band did not like to hear any kind of noise pollution. Instead, callers were
instructed to phone the studio precisely at a certain time, whereupon the phone
would be answered by Ralf Hütter, despite never hearing the phone ring. Chris
Martin, lead singer of UK group Coldplay, anecdotally recalled, in a late 2007
article in Q about Kraftwerk, the process of requesting permission to use the
melody from the track "Computer Love" in its 2005 release
"Talk" from its album X&Y. He recalled writing them a letter and
sending it through the lawyers of the respective parties and several weeks
later receiving an envelope containing a handwritten reply that simply said
'yes'.
According
to music journalist Neil McCormick, Kraftwerk might be "the most influential
group in pop history". NME wrote: "The Beatles and Kraftwerk may not
have the ring of The Beatles and the Stones, but, nonetheless, these are the
two most important bands in music history". Kraftwerk's music has directly
influenced all the electronic acts that followed in their wake but also many
popular artists from diverse genres of music, including David Bowie and Depeche
Mode.
Kraftwerk's
musical style and image can be heard and seen in later electronic music
successes such as Gary Numan, Ultravox, John Foxx, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the
Dark, Human League, Depeche Mode, Visage, and Soft Cell, to name a few.
Kraftwerk would also go on to influence other forms of music such as hip hop,
house, and drum and bass, and they are also regarded as pioneers of the electro
genre. Most notably, "Trans Europe Express" and "Numbers"
were interpolated into "Planet Rock" by Afrika Bambaataa & The
Soul Sonic Force, one of the earliest hip-hop/electro hits. Kraftwerk helped
ignite the New York electro-movement. Techno was created by three musicians
from Detroit, often referred to as the 'Belleville three' (Juan Atkins, Kevin
Saunderson & Derrick May), who fused the repetitive melodies of Kraftwerk
with funk rhythms. The Belleville three were heavily influenced by Kraftwerk
and their sounds because Kraftwerk's sounds appealed to the middle-class blacks
that resided in Detroit during this time. Vince Clarke of Erasure, Yazoo, and
Depeche Mode, is also a notable disco and Kraftwerk fan. Daniel Miller, former
boss of Mute Records, purchased the vocoder used by Kraftwerk in their early
albums, comparing it to owning Jimi Hendrix's guitar. Andy McCluskey and Paul
Humphreys, founding members of OMD, have stated that Kraftwerk was a major reference
on their early work, and covered "Neon Lights" on their 1991 album,
Sugar Tax. The electronic band Ladytron were inspired by Kraftwerk's song
"The Model" when they composed their debut single "He Took Her
To a Movie". Richard D James (Aphex Twin), has noted Kraftwerk as one of
his biggest influences and called Computer World as a very influential album towards
his music and sound. Björk has cited the band as one of her main musical
influences. Electronic musician Kompressor has cited Kraftwerk as an influence.
The band was also mentioned in the song "Rappers We Crush" by
Kompressor and MC Frontalot ("I hurry away, get in my Chrysler. Oh, the
dismay!/Someone's replaced all of my Backstreet Boys with Kraftwerk
tapes!"). Dr. Alex Paterson of The Orb listed The Man-Machine as one of
his 13 most favourite albums of all time. According to NME, Kraftwerk’s
pioneering "robot pop" also spawned groups like Prodigy, and Daft
Punk.
Kraftwerk
inspired many acts from other styles and genres. David Bowie's "V-2
Schneider", from the 1977's "Heroes" album, was a tribute to
Florian Schneider. Post-punk bands Joy Division and New Order were heavily
influenced by the band. Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis was a fan, and showed
his colleagues records that would influence their music. New Order's song
"Your Silent Face" has some similarities with "Europe
Endless", the first song on Trans-Europe Express, and had a working title
of KW1, or Kraftwerk 1. New Order also recorded a song called
"Krafty" that appeared as a single and on the album Waiting for the
Sirens' Call. New Order also would sample "Uranium" in their 1983
songs "Blue Monday" and "The Beach". Siouxsie and the
Banshees recorded a cover of "Hall of Mirrors" on their Through the
Looking Glass album. Blondie have admitted on several occasions that Kraftwerk
were an important reference for their sound by the time they were working on
their third album Parallel Lines. The worldwide smash hit "Heart of
Glass" turned radically from an initial reggae-flavoured style to its
distinctive electronic sound in order to imitate the technological approach of
Kraftwerk's albums and adapt it to a disco concept. In this respect, Blondie's
member Chris Stein has stated: "We didn't expect the song to be that big
(...) We weren't thinking about selling out, we were thinking about Kraftwerk
and Eurodisco". U2 recorded a cover version of "Neon Lights" and
included it as the B-side of their 2004 single "Vertigo". The band
also performed some Kraftwerk songs as snippets during live shows. U2's
frontman Bono also stated he is a huge fan of the German electronic band.
Simple Minds recorded a cover of the Kraftwerk track "Neon Lights"
and included it on an all-cover tunes album by the same name; they also played
it live during their Graffiti Soul tour of 2009. Franz Ferdinand were inspired
by Kraftwerk's song "The Model" when writing their song "Walk
Away". The similarity is especially heard in the intro of the song.
Members
Current
members
Ralf
Hütter – lead vocals, vocoder, synthesizers, keyboards, (1970–present) organ,
drums and
percussion, guitar, bass guitar (1970–1974),
Fritz
Hilpert – electronic percussion, sound engineering (1987–present)
Henning
Schmitz – electronic percussion, live keyboards (1991–present), sound
engineering (1978–
present)
Falk
Grieffenhagen - live video technician (2013–present)
Florian
Schneider – synthesizers, background vocals, vocoder, computer-generated
vocals, acoustic
and electronic flute, live
saxophone, percussion, electric guitar, violin (1970–2008)
Houschäng
Néjadepour – electric guitar (1970-71)
Plato
Kostic (a.k.a. Plato Riviera) – bass guitar (1970)
Peter
Schmidt – drums (1970)
Charly
Weiss – drums (1970)
Thomas
Lohmann - drums (1970)
Andreas
Hohmann – drums (1970)
Eberhard
Kranemann – bass guitar (1970-71)[55]
Klaus
Dinger – drums (1970–1971)
Michael
Rother – electric guitar (1971)
Emil
Schult – electric guitar, electronic violin (1973)
Wolfgang
Flür – electronic percussion (1973–1987)
Klaus
Röder – electric guitar, electronic violin (1974)
Karl
Bartos – electronic percussion, live vibraphone, live keyboards (1975–1991)
Fernando Abrantes – electronic
percussion, synthesizer (1991)
Stefan
Pfaffe – live video technician (2008–2012)
Discography
Kraftwerk
(1970)
Kraftwerk
2 (1972)
Ralf
und Florian (1973)
Autobahn
(1974)
Radio-Activity
(1975)
Trans-Europe
Express (1977)
The
Man-Machine (1978)
Computer
World (1981)
Electric
Café (1986; name changed to Techno Pop in 2009)
Tour de France Soundtracks (2003)
Source: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kraftwerk
_________________________________________________________________________________
The Robots
The
Robots
GB: We're
charging our battery; And now we're full of energy; We are the robots
We
are the robots; We are the robots; We are the robots
We're
functioning automatic; And we are dancing mechanic; We are the robots;
We
are the robots; We are the robots; We are the robots;
Ja
tvoi sluga, (I'm your slave); ja tvoi Rabotnik (I'm your worker.)
we
are programmed just to do; anything you want us to; we are the robots; we are
the robots; we are the robots; we are the robots;
we're
functioning automatic; and we are dancing mechanic; we are the robots
we
are the robots; we are the robots; we are the robots;
Ja
tvoi sluga, (I'm your slave). ja tvoi Rabotnik (I'm your worker.)
Ja
tvoi sluga, (I'm your slave); ja tvoi Rabotnik (I'm your worker.)
_________________________________________________________________________________
Os Robôs
BR: Nós estamos carregando nossa bateria;
E agora estamos cheios de energia;
Nós somos os robôs; Nós somos os
robôs; Nós somos os robôs; Nós somos os robôs
Nós estamos funcionando automático; E
estamos dançando mecânico;
Nós somos os robôs; Nós somos os
robôs; Nós somos os robôs; Nós somos os robôs
Ja tvoi sluga (=Eu sou seu escravo); Ja
tvoi Rabotnik robotnik (=Eu sou seu trabalhador)
Nós estamos programados para fazer; qualquer
coisa que você quiser;
Nós somos os robôs; Nós somos os
robôs; Nós somos os robôs; Nós somos os robôs
Nós estamos funcionando automático; E
estamos dançando mecânico; Nós somos os robôs; Nós somos os robôs; Nós somos os
robôs; Nós somos os robôs
Ja tvoi sluga (=Eu sou seu escravo); Ja
tvoi Rabotnik robotnik (=Eu sou seu trabalhador);
Ja tvoi sluga (=Eu sou seu escravo); Ja
tvoi Rabotnik robotnik (=Eu sou seu trabalhador);
The Robots
_________________________________________________________________________________
Radioactivity
Radioactivity
GB: Is
in the air for you and me; Radioactivity; Discovered by Madame Curie; Radioactivity
Tune
in to the melody; Radioactivity; Is in the air for you and me
Morse:
Radioactivity is in the air for you and me; Radioactivity discovered by madame
curie; Radioactivity tune in to the ... Kraftwerk;
Radio
Aktivitaet; Fuer dich und mich in All entsteht; (=For you and me in Space comes
into being); Radio Aktivitaet; Strahlt Wellen zum Empfangsgeraet; (=Sends waves
to the receiver); Radio Aktivitaet; Wenn's um unsere Zukunft geht; (=When its
about our future);
Morse:.
Radioactivity is in the air for you and me; Radioactivity discovered by madame
curie; Radioactivity tune in to the ... Kraftwerk;
Radioactivity;
Is in the air for you and me; Radioactivity; Discovered by Madame Curie;
Radioactivity;
Tune in to the melody; Radioactivity; Is in the air for you and me
Source: Letras.mus.br http://letras.mus.br/
_____________________________________________________________________
Radioatividade
BR: No ar para você e eu; Radioatividade;
Descoberta por Madame Curie; Radioatividade;
No ar para você e eu; Radioatividade;
No ar para você e eu
Refrão: Radiotividade está no ar para
você e eu; Radioatividade Descoberta por Madame Curie; Radioatividade sintoniza
o... Kraftwerk;
Radioatividade; Envia vibrações para
serem recebidas; Para você e eu no espaço ela surge; Radioatividade; Envia
ondas para o receptor; Radiotividade; Quando o assunto é o nosso futuro; (=
Quando o assunto é o nosso futuro);
Refrão: Radioatividade está no ar
para você e eu; Radioatividade descoberta por Madame Curie; Radioatividade sintonize
o... Kraftwerk; Radioatividade; No ar para você e eu; Radioatividade; Descoberta
por Madame Curie; Radioatividade; Sintonize na melodia;
Radioatividade; No ar para você e eu;
Radioactivity
_________________________________________________________________________________
Autobahn
Motorway
GB: We
drive, drive, drive on the motorway
Before
us is a wide valley; The sun shines with gilttering rays; The road is a gray
band;
White
stripes, green edge; Now we are switching the radio on; From the speaker
sounds:
We
drive on the motorway..
Source: Lyricstranslate http://lyricstranslate.com/
_________________________________________________________________________________
Auto-estrada
BR: Estamos dirigindo na auto-estrada
Em nossa frente há um amplo vale; O
sol está brilhando com raios reluzentes;
A pista é uma trilha cinza; Faixas
brancas, lateral verde; Ligamos o rádio; Do alto falante soa:
Estamos
dirigindo na auto-estrada
Fonte: Letras.mus.br http://letras.mus.br/
Autobahn
_________________________________________________________________________________
Kraftwerk - Pop Art
Regie: Simon Witter, Hannes Rossacher;
_________________________________________________________________________________
Dokumentarfilm über Kraftwerk, am 14. September 2013 um 21:55 bei ARTE (Deutschland) verbreitet.
Regie: Simon Witter, Hannes Rossacher;
_________________________________________________________________________________
Kraftwerk: Website (in english)http://www.kraftwerk.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KraftwerkOfficial
Blog: http://kraftwerkgermany.blogspot.com.br/
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