5 ms·

> I always wonder how Germans view Kraftwerk, as a Brit they feel as important as the Beatles. They are hardly present in the public eye. Most people don't kno

by grimoald 11mo ago

> I always wonder how Germans view Kraftwerk, as a Brit they feel as important as the Beatles. They are hardly present in the public eye. Most people don't know them, except perhaps by name. Their music is probably too niche for the mainstream; they don't even feature in oldies shows on TV. But Kraftwerk is highly regarded by those who are interested in music, perhaps in the same way as Jean-Michel Jarre. However, it is difficult to compare Kraftwerk with the Beatles. Let's face it: rock music (in the broadest sense) has a much higher profile in the public eye than electronic music.

louthy 11mo ago
> They are hardly present in the public eye. Most people don't know them, except perhaps by name. Their music is probably too niche for the mainstream; The OP talked about their importance, not their current popularity. They directly inspired many who went on to create what is now the electronic music scene. A good example is their influence of the Belleville Three [0] who invented Detroit techno, which inspired Belgian techno, that inspired the UK rave scene that brought the future of electronic music (jungle, drum n bass, grime, etc). Of the four big electronic music genres of the 80s: electro, house, techno, and hip-hop - Kraftwerk were influences on two of them and arguably three with the more 808 led west-coast hop-hop, like Egyptian Lover. They are the seed that modern electronic music grew from. Many who produce electronic music, including myself, consider them pioneers. > However, it is difficult to compare Kraftwerk with the Beatles. Let's face it: rock music (in the broadest sense) has a much higher profile in the public eye than electronic music. There are no bands in the charts any more [1]. Electronic music (and pop music, which is mostly electronic) has won (at least for now)! Again though, let’s not confuse popularity with importance — even though Kraftwerk did have massive chart success and still tour to sell out stadiums today — their influence far outstretches the Beatles imho. I think, aside from some interesting recording techniques pioneered at Abbey Road by George Martin, they’re not that influential. Sure, their songs are catchy pop songs, but there wasn’t much innovation there. They’re less important than say Led Zeppelin or Black Sabbath (in terms of the evolution of rock music, that is). [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Belleville_Three https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Belleville_Three [1] https://www.instagram.com/reel/C9hOyt2oSz1/?igsh=aHIwcG5lZnYyYWVm https://www.instagram.com/reel/C9hOyt2oSz1/?igsh=aHIwcG5lZnY...
- Affric 11mo ago
  Looking at the billboard hot 100 it all looks like Beatles style pop songs played with electronic instruments and it doesn’t sound much like kraftwerk
  - Supernaut 11mo ago
    > the billboard hot 100 [...] all looks like Beatles style pop songs played with electronic instruments Correct, and Kraftwerk's enduring influence on the charts is not their compositional style, as excellent as it was. It was by demonstrating that pop music could be performed solely with electronic instruments that they changed the world.
    - Affric 11mo ago
      It’s interesting their schtick was that they were robots and that the line between man and machine was blurred but I think that really it was just the instrument. A dehumanisation of themselves while exploring human themes contrasts well with the GAI craze whereby humans are ripped off by anthropomorphised mathematical models. Truly music for our age anf anticipating the future.
- maxfurman 11mo ago
  Kraftwerk were hugely influential on the pioneers of hip-hop. One clear example is Afrika Bambaataa sampling "Trans-Europe Express" for "Planet Rock," one of the earliest hip-hop records.
  - RiverCrochet 11mo ago
    There are still new songs coming out that use samples from Numbers.
    - Lio 11mo ago
      Numbers is my favourite Kraftwerk track. I think it's just perfect. I swear you could still play that out and it's as fresh as ever. I don't know much about pop music but Coldplay were clearly influenced by Computer Love and Kyle Minougue has also borrowed heavily for "Can't Get You Out of My Head". I think both have spoken about Kraftwerk's influence.

louthy 11mo ago

> They are hardly present in the public eye. Most people don't know them, except perhaps by name. Their music is probably too niche for the mainstream; The OP talked about their importance, not their current popularity. They directly inspired many who went on to create what is now the electronic music scene. A good example is their influence of the Belleville Three [0] who invented Detroit techno, which inspired Belgian techno, that inspired the UK rave scene that brought the future of electronic music (jungle, drum n bass, grime, etc). Of the four big electronic music genres of the 80s: electro, house, techno, and hip-hop - Kraftwerk were influences on two of them and arguably three with the more 808 led west-coast hop-hop, like Egyptian Lover. They are the seed that modern electronic music grew from. Many who produce electronic music, including myself, consider them pioneers. > However, it is difficult to compare Kraftwerk with the Beatles. Let's face it: rock music (in the broadest sense) has a much higher profile in the public eye than electronic music. There are no bands in the charts any more [1]. Electronic music (and pop music, which is mostly electronic) has won (at least for now)! Again though, let’s not confuse popularity with importance — even though Kraftwerk did have massive chart success and still tour to sell out stadiums today — their influence far outstretches the Beatles imho. I think, aside from some interesting recording techniques pioneered at Abbey Road by George Martin, they’re not that influential. Sure, their songs are catchy pop songs, but there wasn’t much innovation there. They’re less important than say Led Zeppelin or Black Sabbath (in terms of the evolution of rock music, that is). [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Belleville_Three https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Belleville_Three [1] https://www.instagram.com/reel/C9hOyt2oSz1/?igsh=aHIwcG5lZnYyYWVm https://www.instagram.com/reel/C9hOyt2oSz1/?igsh=aHIwcG5lZnY...

Affric 11mo ago
Looking at the billboard hot 100 it all looks like Beatles style pop songs played with electronic instruments and it doesn’t sound much like kraftwerk
- Supernaut 11mo ago
  > the billboard hot 100 [...] all looks like Beatles style pop songs played with electronic instruments Correct, and Kraftwerk's enduring influence on the charts is not their compositional style, as excellent as it was. It was by demonstrating that pop music could be performed solely with electronic instruments that they changed the world.
  - Affric 11mo ago
    It’s interesting their schtick was that they were robots and that the line between man and machine was blurred but I think that really it was just the instrument. A dehumanisation of themselves while exploring human themes contrasts well with the GAI craze whereby humans are ripped off by anthropomorphised mathematical models. Truly music for our age anf anticipating the future.
maxfurman 11mo ago
Kraftwerk were hugely influential on the pioneers of hip-hop. One clear example is Afrika Bambaataa sampling "Trans-Europe Express" for "Planet Rock," one of the earliest hip-hop records.
- RiverCrochet 11mo ago
  There are still new songs coming out that use samples from Numbers.
  - Lio 11mo ago
    Numbers is my favourite Kraftwerk track. I think it's just perfect. I swear you could still play that out and it's as fresh as ever. I don't know much about pop music but Coldplay were clearly influenced by Computer Love and Kyle Minougue has also borrowed heavily for "Can't Get You Out of My Head". I think both have spoken about Kraftwerk's influence.