29 Facts About Kraftwerk

Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk were among the first successful acts to popularize the genre.

On commercially successful albums such as Autobahn, Trans-Europe Express, The Man-Machine, and Computer World, Kraftwerk developed a self-described "robot pop" style that combined electronic music with pop melodies, sparse arrangements, and repetitive rhythms, while adopting a stylized image including matching suits.

Release of Autobahn in 1974 saw Kraftwerk moving away from the sound of its first three albums.

Kraftwerk made videos and performed several European live dates to promote the album.

In May 1978 Kraftwerk released The Man-Machine, recorded at the Kling Klang Studio.

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Ironically, Kraftwerk did not own a computer at the time of recording Computer World.

Kraftwerk returned to live performance with the Computer World tour of 1981, where the band effectively packed up its entire Kling Klang studio and took it along on the road.

In 1982 Kraftwerk began to work on a new album that initially had the working title Technicolor but due to trademark issues was changed to Electric Cafe for its original release in 1986 .

Kraftwerk suffered head injuries and remained in a coma for several days.

Kraftwerk preferred to spend his time travelling with his girlfriend.

In 1997 Kraftwerk made a famous appearance at the dance festival Tribal Gathering held in England.

Later English-language editions of the book were titled Kraftwerk: I Was a Robot.

In 1999, Kraftwerk were commissioned to create an a cappella jingle for the Hannover Expo 2000 world's fair in Germany.

In support of this release, Kraftwerk made another quick sweep around the Balkans with dates in Serbia, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Turkey, and Greece.

In 2009, Kraftwerk performed concerts with special 3D background graphics in Wolfsburg, Germany; Manchester, UK; and Randers, Denmark.

Kraftwerk played at Ultra Music Festival in Miami on 23 March 2012.

Kraftwerk performed at the No Nukes 2012 Festival in Tokyo, Japan.

Kraftwerk were going to play at the Ultra Music Festival in Warsaw, but the event was cancelled; instead, Kraftwerk performed at Way Out West in Gothenburg.

Kraftwerk tickets were priced at £60 in London, but fans compared that to the $20 ticket price for tickets at New York's MoMA in 2012, which caused consternation.

In 2014, Kraftwerk brought their four-night, 3D Catalogue tour to the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and at NYC's United Palace Theatre.

On 20 July 2019, Kraftwerk headlined the Saturday night lineup on the Lovell Stage at Bluedot Festival, a music and science festival held annually at Jodrell Bank Observatory, Cheshire, UK.

Kraftwerk have been recognized as pioneers of electronic music as well as subgenres such as electropop, art pop, house music and synth-pop.

Kraftwerk's lyrics dealt with post-war European urban life and technology—traveling by car on the Autobahn, traveling by train, using home computers, and the like.

Many of Kraftwerk's songs express the paradoxical nature of modern urban life: a strong sense of alienation existing side by side with a celebration of the joys of modern technology.

Kraftwerk sent a letter through the lawyers of the respective parties and several weeks later received an envelope containing a handwritten reply that simply said "yes".

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Kraftwerk influenced other forms of music such as hip hop, house, and drum and bass, and they are regarded as pioneers of the electro genre.

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.

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

On 12 May 2021, Kraftwerk were announced as an official inductee into the Hall, for the class of 2021.