Kraftwerk Unisex T-Shirt

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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”. AllMusic wrote that their music “resonates in virtually every new development to impact the contemporary pop scene of the late 20th century”.

Kraftwerk’s musical style and image can be heard and seen in 1980s synthpop groups such as Gary Numan, Ultravox, John Foxx, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Human League, Depeche Mode, Visage, and Soft Cell. 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 residing in Detroit at this time. Depeche Mode’s composer Martin Gore emphasized: “For anyone of our generation involved in electronic music, Kraftwerk were the godfathers”. Vince Clarke of Erasure, Yazoo and Depeche Mode, is also a notable disco and Kraftwerk fan. Daniel Miller, founder of Mute Records, purchased the vocoder used by Kraftwerk in their early albums, comparing it to owning “the guitar Jimi Hendrix used on ‘Purple Haze‘”. 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 the 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 a.k.a. 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 also would sample “Uranium” in its biggest hit “Blue Monday“. Siouxsie and the Banshees recorded a cover of “Hall of Mirrors” on their 1987 album Through the Looking Glass which was lauded by Ralf Hütter: “In general, we consider cover versions as an appreciation of our work. The version of “Hall of Mirrors” by Siouxsie and the Banshees is extraordinary, just like the arrangements of Alexander Bălănescu for his Bălănescu Quartet release [of Possessed, 1992]. We also like the album El Baile Alemán of Señor Coconut a lot.” Members of 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 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. U2 recorded a cover version of “Neon Lights” as did Simple Minds. An LCD Soundsystem song called “Get Innocuous!” is built on a bass line reminiscent of Kraftwerk single “The Robots”. The band also performed some Kraftwerk songs as snippets during live shows. Franz Ferdinand were inspired by Kraftwerk’s song “The Model” when writing their song “Walk Away“. Rammstein also covered their song, Das Modell releasing it on a non-album single in 1997. John Frusciante cited the ability to experiment of the group as an inspiration when working in a recording studio.

The 1998 comedy The Big Lebowski features a fictional band called “Autobahn”, a parody of Kraftwerk and their 1974 record Autobahn.

In January 2018, BBC Radio 4 broadcast the 30-minute documentary Kraftwerk: Computer Love which examined “how Kraftwerk’s classic album Computer World has changed people’s lives.”

In October 2019, Kraftwerk were nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for 2020.

Kraftwerk – Autobahn (Single version 1974)

Kraftwerk – The Telephone Call

RADIOACTIVITY – KRAFTWERK – HD Live

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