Emerging from the experimental “Krautrock” scene of the early 1970’s Kraftwerk embraced electronic manipulation like no other band had before. The traditional Rock and Roll standards of guitars, drums and a bombastic front man were eschewed for synthesizers and drum machines. With the release of 1974’s Autobahn, the Kraftwerk sound really took shape and caused the music world to take notice. Their minimalistic arrangements combined with a self described “Robot Pop” sound had no other peer. They created a sound so blatantly artificial yet rooted in such a way that it seemed “natural”. Their pioneering sound was the ground zero for many genres that followed. New Wave, Techno, House and Hip Hop can all be traced back to their work. Musical giants like David Bowie (The Berlin Trilogy), Iggy Pop and Afrika Bambaataa have all cited them as a major influence and to this day they are the most sampled band in music. Bottom line is this: chances are that if you were an artist that incorporated any electronic element in your sound, you owe a great debt to Kraftwerk.
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