Kraftwerk are known to be electronic music pioneers. It's what they are undoubtedly known for, and that became their image as well. With such an electronic sound it was easy for them to take on the clean cut, somewhat nerdy look to create their image and sound. They were "mad professors" of sorts.
Beginning in 1974 is when Kraftwerk's vision really came to fruition with the release of Autobahn. They were able to successfully bring electronic music to the masses with this release and became instant pop stars for their brand new vision. These were also the first recordings they chose to have vocals on where they chose to use a western influence like the Beach Boys to create a "German sound." They soon followed it with a succession of electronic albums that are known today to be highly influential. Albums like Radio-Activity and Man Machine also saw hits with the songs "Radioactivity" and "The Robots". This only worked to enhance their image and new sound. It helped to solidify them into history as innovators. It also helped to shape the music of the 1980s which saw a huge explosion in electronic sounds in the U.S.
The first instantly identifiable things about Kraftwerk is the their sound. Their synth work, drum machines, and overall electronic vibe you can still hear in the beat oriented, synth blasting sounds of the top 100 songs today. Artists that comes to mind are ones like Lady Gag, Britney Spears, and all the major women in pop music who rely heavily on the beats and sounds made for them. They are part of the hooks along with the melody and the looks of the women themselves. They've also paved the way for huge electronic bands such as the Killers, the Cars, and Coldplay.
Lyrically they were simple and made it easy for people to understand concepts and what they were trying to achieve in a song. Techno still does this almost frequently today which is no coincidence. Simple repeated words are a common trend in today's music still.
Having access to so many sounds today, Kraftwerk inspires me to turn the dial on every one of them. Don't accept something because its a "stock sound". Find your own sound. It's just as important to do that as it is to write your melody or lyrics. They help mold us as musicians and producers.
Matthew,
ReplyDeleteGreat blog here, I really find your opinion of Kraftwerk to be relevant to what many producers should take into consideration today. You mentioned stock sounds in your blog and the difference between using them and finding your own sound. There are so many of these sounds available especially through plug-ins, that it could become difficult to think of a sound these days that hasn't been done. With experimentation and a little time with these plug-ins, it becomes simpler to create your own sound now more than ever. Another thing I would touch on is the fact that Kraftwerk was not a pop success until after Trans Europe Express, they truly branched out with The Man Machine. The previous albums were more the potential of the group and the original raw idea.
Matthew, I find that you had the same outlook that most did about the innovative approach that Kraftwerk took towards creating something "new". I feel that you could have elaborated more on the influence that they were looking for.Yes, the Beach Boys were an inspiration, but not the main influence. I believe, or at list in several articles I researched, that the influence was not primarily the song that they were looking for, but the sound. The Western influence was primarily reflective of the Western culture. Kraftwerk was looking for the influential image that was reflective on Germany, that would give Germany the same type of cultural reflection as the Beach Boys did with their "fun in the sun" approach. I truly did find your Blog entertaining and informative. I would advise to correctly format your posts in APA format. Make sure titles are italicized and what not. Overall, awesome job!!!!
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