Kraftwerk - Godfathers of Electronic Music

[vjfperez]

They did not invent "electronic music" in a very strict sense of making musical sounds out of eletronic equipment, but they've defined it as an aesthetic genre in itself.

Karls Stockhausen and other experimenters may have been even more of pioneers in the usage of electronic apparel but was Kraftwerk the igniters of a revolution.

[prittwitz1]

Rousseau!



[prittwitz1]

Vilen danken!



[theargosy23]

@vanelektrik:

The point here is the direct link between KW and SO MANY current popular styles, perhaps most importantly techno/electronica and hip hop. TG nor anyone else is in the mix there. TG was a space music band, probably more important to Vangelis and Brian Eno than to popular music. As for the origins of electronic music itself, the standard call is Walter/Wendy Carlos, the pre-Moog transgender genius.

[retrofan42]

It's really something to see Karlheinz Stockhausen, another pioneer in electronic music, giving Kraftwerk their props.

[MrSYSTEM20]

Krafwerk were the FIRST electronic POP artist, however, Throbbing Gristle are the first Avant Garde Electronic band that rarely gets a mention.

[Rayimix3000]

@MrSYSTEM20 Kraftwerk inspired TG... as a matter of fact, Kraftwerk has always been more avant garde than TG, just give a good listen to their debut album and Kraftwerk II... BTW TG are widely credited (widely mentioned) with creating industrial music, a huge mistake industrial music as such begins only and just only with the Great Conrad Schnitzler (who rarely gets mentioned)

[MrSYSTEM20]

@Rayimix3000 Kraftwerk inspired TG ?? Really ? you're 19, I am 46...I was growing up in that time..and I know what I am talking about. as far as Conrad ? well...that all depends on ones ideas and peerceptions of " Industrial Music " you know...some people STILL think that Front 242 are " Industrial " they never were " Industrial " I was in Hollywood during the 70's...I know what was going on musically...you haven't heard insudtrail untill you have seen Babyland LIVE !!!

[Rayimix3000]

@MrSYSTEM20 Kraftwerk was dabbling with experimental electronics way before TG was even planned to be a band... documented on CD's and live performances, not old-man pseudo intellectual dabblings... However, if you say you're right I'm nobody to take you down your Ivory Tower, good luck :)

[MrSYSTEM20]

@Rayimix3000 you didn't need to be a cocky little punk about it ! Early Kraftwerk line-ups from 1970–1974 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!.

[MrSYSTEM20]

@Rayimix3000 [Cont] 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 synthesiser keyboards (including Farfisa organ and electric piano)...YUP..such masters of electronic music.

[Rayimix3000]

@MrSYSTEM20 Yes, they are... just ask Chris Carter whose work owes everything to the music of Kraftwerk .... THX for the history lesson gramps.

[sylvainbermudes]

Very interesting , thank you for posting this.

Long live to the new flesh !

[HISATdotCOM]

Kraftwerk are the fathers of Techno, that's how I've refered to them for 25+ years = Brilliant

[ElektroDee]

the first electronic music maker!!!

[phydeauxddog]

sorry look into Raymond Scott 1959

[Koerpermusikk]

@phydeauxddog

Have you really watched the video? I mean there is a clip of Stockhausen in it.

The term "electronic music" was coined by W. Meyer-Eppler in 1949 to make a distinction between electronic music and musique concrete. Since 1951 he worked with (Stockhausen, Boulez etc.) in the "WDR-Studio for Electronic Music" in Cologne.

So it`s no big secret that electronic Music existed long befpre Kraftwerk - but they have shaped our understanding of it like nobody else.

[DjTsj]

i got autobahn vinyl out my dads record collection and used to scratch with the crazy synths oops! glad i bought proper battle records or that album would b proper mashed up now,, got tour de france to wat a track !!

[HolisticSounds]

Although Kraftwork are great they are not the first or true grand fathers of EM that goes to Tangerine Dream (The Tangs) But electronic music goes back further than that,,,,

[vanelektrik]

@HolisticSounds

Nobody has invented electronic music - it`s the result of a very long process.

Kraftwerk`s music historical achievement is that they have transfered electronic music from sound labs, esoterical & avant-garde circles into pop(ular) culture!

They did not use synths to reproduce traditional songs or classical music (like Kingsley, Carlos) or to pimp up rock songs (like ELO, Yes).

They wanted to create a new form of electronic pop-music - and this is exactly what they did.

[TheFashionbugs]

@HolisticSounds You are so so very wrong. look up "Kraftwerk and the electronic revolution"

[Soundfetischist]

@HolisticSounds "What The Beatles Are To Rockmusic, Kraftwerk Are To The Electronic Dance Music".

(New York Times, 1997)

[TrottaVonSipolje]

No doubt. They were pioneers of electronica and have influenced todays music a lot.

But as for me, I ´d always prefer the early progressive rock band to the robots.

[TheModCon]

Great video. Love Kraftwerk, so it's nice to see them getting some of the recognition they deserve!

[LeGrande]

Karlheinz Stockhausen. Wow. Thanks for this video.

[grey242]

Great video, thanks for uploading.

[ROBOTkw]

Very well put together. I've seen most of these clips before, but, not all at once. :] ROBOT

[cazcalma]

this is spot on ...

[ycitydj]

I learned how to pop lock to Numbers! I was 12yrs old. To this day Kraftwerk's beats are still sampled. Farfignugin! LOLOLO!

[arewinder]

kraftwork are the greatgrandparents of techno, trance

[Winnerpunk]

Kraftwerk has and will aways be the beats and soul of hip hop, rock, etc. we dj's played a riff once or twice or try to meet there beat such as OMD, PET SHOP BOYS, YAZ, etc.

yes they are Germen Kraftwerk they made it MACHINE, we perfected there bass dreams...

[mallcolmx]

@Winnerpunk

The birth of hip hop and where kraftwerk got there beats from. James Brown Funky drummer.

[vanelektrik]

No, Kraftwerk`s beats are NOT a simple transformation of James Brown`s beats.

True is that the "Man-Machine" Kraftwerk have always admired the "Sex-Machine" & Motown.

But every big river has more than one source. Another inspiration for Kraftwerk was the idea of "Velvet Underground" to replace the blues roots of pop music by a european classical foundation.

Within the "Krautrock scene" spread the idea of "Motorik Beats" with drummers like J. Liebezeit, K. Dinger, K. Bartos, W. Fluer etc.

[rahdoom]

Yo the gods

[crunchem7399]

Thank you for putting this together. My brother introduced me to Kraftwerk in the ?late 70's and I have loved them ever since. I had no idea other musicians from so many genres reference them as influences. Cool........

[professormessor]

version of the man machine at 8:20 is not the one off the album, where is it from? ta.

[vanelektrik]

It`s Jay-Z "My Sunshine" a song which is based on the riff of Kraftwerk`s "The Man-Machine"

[MuzikJunkyAES]

@vanelektrik And that comes from an old Grandmaster Flash song. Peace.

[Winnerpunk]

that is not Kraftwerk trust me...

that is some punks riff.

[der3rnst]

its Underworld - Born slippy

[bootyfix01]

what is the song at 8:15 ?

[CraigieM999]

Born Slippy - Underworld

[bmuhamad]

James Brown, George Clinton, Sly Stone,

On Chips!

[bmuhamad]

Excellent!

[Centaur81]

5:47 Dude, I agree with you 100%!

[ajittffcure]

Lovely footage. It is interesting to note the influence of Kraftwerk on so many great artists. I think rap and hip-hop borrowed a lot from Kraftwerk's records. Having said that Kraftwerk were influenced a lot by funk and Motown records. So, it was counter-productive and there was a lot of cross-pollination of ideas. Kenny Larkin's statements in the end make sense.

[yodro]

It's a shame no other krautrock artists are mentioned. NEU! is easily just as if not more influential than Kraftwerk :(

[vanelektrik]

Neu! might be influtenial but

a) they were an experimental rock band not an electronic band

b.) it`s simply not the the topic of the video (read the video description)

[dep1001]

Love Kraftwerk - amazing stuff!

[kaz198888]

Kraftwerk - Godfathers of Electronic

justice or daft punk would never exist without them!

[Klangliebhaber]

Good Options, Lerxt42, But Kraftwerk Are To Electronic Dance Music, What The Beatles Are To Rockmusic - Number 1. ("New York Times" 1997)

[lerxt42]

kraftwerk , tangerine dream, jean michell jarre, klaus schulze, kraftwelt.

[Klangliebhaber]

Believe It Or Not. Here Are The 8 Most Famous Acts Who Admire The Work Of Them Or Being Influenced By Kraftwerk:

1. Michael Jackson

2. Madonna

3. Robbie Williams

4. Elton John

5. David Bowie

6. U2

7. Coldplay

8. Kylie Minogue

What A List!

[banderas2504]

what is the name of the song min:8:41?

[Iselsie]

'It's More Fun To Compute,' by Kraftwerk

[stralis1988]

very true and wise words from the last guy

great video and much apreciated

[DieMenschMaschine85]

Great!

[silverdale247]

Great job on the video bruder! :-)

[megatwingo]

5***** from Germany.

Well done!

[Poeppi81]

the group was founded in North Rhine Westfalen, Duesseldorf in Germany. DAF (Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft) too

[zarcon85]

the freakiest shot is seeing wolfgang flür and GOERGE CLINTON sitting there together...that freaked me out!

[PrinceMarolo]

What were the sources for the video?  I wanted to watch the Afrika Babaataa one, is it on youtube?

[macskamks]

yessss.

K rulez!

[kaz198888]

they are and will always be the godfathers of Electronic Music

[Guedingen]

Astonishing their influence - many thanks

[rafalexpx]

what is the name of the song at the minute 4:35??? after V2 Scheneider of David Bowie!

[vanelektrik]

Electricity by OMD.

[rafalexpx]

Thanks man!

[cabbygolf]

about time !!!!pure genius

[JohnnyTrotz]

funky white Boys from germany...

Yer i got Trans European Express on vinyl- the one sampled by Africa Bamabata-- living legends--

[Nagelbrett]

Nice werk! :o)

[dejahthoris]

Kraftwerk is my number one favorite along with Rammstein Klaus Nomi and Bowie

[19861998]

Blake Baxter seriously rules! :)

[Madrrrrrrr]

Carl is smartest though. Cognitive mf-er. Btw i liked kraftwerk 1 & 2 the most.

[klanging]

EXCELLENT thanx