Kraftwerk

Kraftwerk (German pronunciation: [ˈkʀaftvɛɐk], "power station") are a German electronic music band formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider (d.2020) in 1970 in Düsseldorf, and fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008. The signature Kraftwerk sound combines driving, repetitive rhythms with catchy melodies, mainly following a Western classical style of harmony, with a minimalistic and strictly electronic instrumentation. The group's simplified lyrics are at times sung through a vocoder or generated by computer-speech software. Kraftwerk were one of the first groups to popularize electronic music and are considered pioneers in the field. In the 1970s and early 1980s, Kraftwerk's distinctive sound was revolutionary, and has had a lasting effect across many genres of modern music. (Read more at Wikipedia)
== Links to Peel ==
While Peel seemed to be interested in Kraftwerk, he was initially not too taken by them, although he is known to have played a track from their debut album in 1973. On 07 July 1978, he admitted that he did not "fully understand" or appreciate their work. However, the fact that he admired the work of artists like Neu! and Tangerine Dream, who inspired Kraftwerk, and also others like Cluster and Brian Eno, who have listed them among their influence, led to Peel keeping an eye open for them and retaining some respect for their music.
Peel resumed his career as a Top of the Pops host in the one and only week that Kraftwerk were at no.1 with The Model, in 1982.
In the year 2000, the DJ gave multiple plays to Latin-style cover versions of Kraftwerk classics by fellow German electronic artist Señor Coconut (aka AtomTM).
== Sessions ==
*none
== Other Shows Played ==
(Please add more information if known)
thumb|right|335 px|Kraftwerk - The Model (Top of the Pops, 1982)
*08 May 1973: Ruckzuck (LP – Kraftwerk) Philips
*11 June 1981 (John Walters): Tanzmusik (album - Ralf And Florian) Vertigo 6360 616
*19 July 1981 (BFBS): Numbers (7") Warner Bros. WBS 49795
*11 August 1983: Tour De France (7" ) EMI EMI 5413
*12 January 1987: Ruckzuck (LP - Kraftwerk) Philips
*22 May 1997: Numbers (promo 12" box set) EMI/Kling Klang KLANG BOX 101 (Peel mentions the track is from a boxset released by Virgin Records although Kraftwerk never released any material on Virgin)
*08 February 2000: 'Expo 2000 (12 inch)' (Kling Klang)
*13 February 2000 (BFBS): 'Expo 2000 (12")' (EMI / Kling Klang) (JP: 'Well, it would be slightly mad to say it's been worth the wait, but it's been worth some sort of wait anyway.')
*17 February 2000 (Radio Eins): Expo 2000 (12")' (EMI / Kling Klang)
*28 December 2000: 'Expo2000 (Orbital Mix) (Maxi CD-Expo Remix)' (EMI)
==Top Of The Pops==
*04 February 1982 (TOTP): The Model
*25 December 1982 (TOTP): The Model (Zoo dancers clip)
== Covered ==
(The list below was compiled only from the Cover Versions page of this site. Please add more information if known.)
Artist | Track | First Known Play
*Aqua Vista: The Model 11 July 2002
*Big Black: The Model 04 September 1987 (BFBS)
*French: The Model 26 April 1981 (BFBS)
*Harry Pussy: Showroom Dummies 29 July 1994
*Kernkraftwerk: Autobahn 11 August 1991
*Les Hommes Sauvages: Autobahn 06 May 2004
*Ohm: Ohm Sweet Ohm 08 January 1980
*Ride: The Model 03 October 1992
*Senor Coconut: Autobahn 27 July 2000
*Senor Coconut: Tour de France 14 June 2000
*Senor Coconut: Trans Europe Express 26 July 2000
*Treble Spankers: Das Model 20 May 1995
== See Also ==
* Electronic Music
*Synth Britannia
*Gigography 1997
== External Links ==
*Wikipedia
*Official website
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