Kraftwerk (German for "power plant") is a Germanavant-gardeelectro-pop group from Düsseldorf who were largely responsible for much of the subsequent uptake of, and interest in, electronic music. The techniques that they introduced and the equipment that they developed are now commonplace in modern music. Today many popular Techno DJs refer to them as one of their most important influence.
Originally called "Organisation", but later switching to "Kraftwerk", the principal members are Florian Schneider and Ralf Hütter. Wolfgang Flür and Karl Bartos have also collaborated in Kraftwerk, as have Emil Schult, and Kling Klang personnel such as Fritz Hilpert and Henning Schmitz.
Kraftwerk's lyrics often deal with technology—travelling by car on the Autobahn, travelling by train, using home computers and the like. The lyrics are usually very minimal, but reveal both an innocent celebration of, and a knowing caution about the modern world.
After several early experimental albums their breakthrough came in 1974 (1974 in music) with the Autobahn album and the 22-minute title track (see ), which was a worldwide hit and demonstrated their increasing reliance on synthesizers and electronics. Many of the voices in Kraftwerk songs are processed through a Vocoder, or generated using speech synthesis (a Speak & Spell; was used on their 1981 album Computer World). Notably, all of their albums from Trans-Europe Express onwards have been recorded in two separate versions -- one with German vocals for sale in Germany, and one with English vocals for international sale. The single "Tour de France" featured lyrics in French.
Kraftwerk have impinged on mainstream popular culture to the extent that they have been referenced in The Simpsons and Father Ted.
Kraftwerk also experimented with the use of computer graphics as a backdrop for their shows. Their stage act involves the members standing behind minimalistic desks, controlling the various sequencers that drive the show. At times, manniquens made to look like the band members replace or accompany the live musicians. They do however state that a reasonable fraction of the instrumentation is actually played live, and that they do improvise somewhat from show to show.
After years of nearly total obscurity, Kraftwerk began to tour again in the late 1990s and in 2004, and stated that they were working on new material - though speculation about release dates fell through several times. The single Expo 2000, their first new song in 13 years, was released in December 1999, and was subsequently remixed by contemporary electronic musicians such as Orbital. An announcement by their record company of a July 22, 2003 release also fell through, with the perfectionists delaying again for several weeks. The new album, Tour de France Soundtracks, was finally released in August 2003, making it the first album of new Kraftwerk material since 1986's Electric Cafe.
), which was a worldwide hit and demonstrated their increasing reliance on