In the early 80s our music teacher invited us to present our favourite record under the condition to deliver some facts about the album and the artist. One of my friends brought Kraftwerk's 'Computerwelt'. I was totally excited about those strange sounds and a lifelong addiction to electronic music began. Eventually I got my own synthesizers and today I'm a professional studio technician and mixing engineer. All of this because of a schoolmate who presented a Kraftwerk album 40 years ago 🥳!

@DWHistoryandCulture

9 ай бұрын

Wow, that's an incredible journey and a testament to the power of music to inspire us. Thanks for sharing!

@fotis1964

8 ай бұрын

Wow great story. I first listened to The Model and then We are the robots. I was stunned. I still listen to them and in my opinion they sound like they made the songs in 2023. Or maybe 3023?

@Necatuss

7 ай бұрын

That's awesome! I'm glad it worked out for you that way and you where able to make a career of it!

@bertenqvist7324

7 ай бұрын

This sounds very familiar... Our music teacher allowed us sometimes to bring our favorites during the class.

@tupG

6 ай бұрын

In the very early 80s we were given the assignment to present and discuss a piece of music of our own choosing. To everyones astonishment I brought equinox from Jean Michelle Jarre along which generated quite a discussion.

If you listen to most of the new music on the radio today, Kraftwerk's techno pop's influence is what you hear, not the Beatles complex harmonies.

@DWHistoryandCulture

9 ай бұрын

It's truly fascinating how musical influences evolve over time, shaping today's sounds.

@perfectallycromulent

9 ай бұрын

pretty sure super popular acts like taylor swift, beyonce, and ariana grande are still super popular for their vocals

@Khayyam-vg9fw

9 ай бұрын

Yes, at the moment, but The Beatles are established in the collective consciousness, and aspects of their influence are likely to be felt for some time to come, including the evolution of popular music genres in the future that are more complex texturally and harmonically.

@PainterVierax

9 ай бұрын

@@perfectallycromulent but this is not due to the Beatles, more about afro-american music like blues and soul, latin music genres, folk songs and academic singing.

@kevinslaney486

7 ай бұрын

yeh, but most of the music onm the radio today is terrible.

Kraftwerk first played Detroit at the theater in my picture, then called Showcase Theater, in 1975. Kraftwerk had a major impact on what would soon be, Detroit Techno. Without Kraftwerk, Detroit Techno may have become something completely different, to what the entire world now knows... I was born in 1972. Thanks to very early exposure to Kraftwerk and a few others, I began making music with electronics at age 12. I have never stopped. Thanks Kraftwerk. ❤

@wesleysnipes2212

8 ай бұрын

Maybe without kraftverk it would become less repetitive and more inventive !

@plutostube

7 ай бұрын

@@wesleysnipes2212then it is clear you don’t get techno

@beesting6135

3 ай бұрын

They started electro music

@DetroitMicroSound

3 ай бұрын

In order to really even be groovy, repetition is a prerequisite.@@wesleysnipes2212

@v.a.993

3 ай бұрын

Kraftwerk was on a US tour in '75, because the band also performed in Chicago that same year. There is an upload of a Chicago radio station interview from 1975 with Ralf on KZread.

Kraftwerk Computerwelt Tour, June 12 1981, 8:00 pm, Munich, Germany. Stage black, only audio: “Hier ist der Bayerische Rundfunk mit Nachrichten - beim Gongschlag ist es zwanzig Uhr” (“Here is Bavarian Broadcast with news - at the gong it is 8:00 pm”). A gong sounds, the curtain opens and Computerwelt (Computer World) started. Legend!

@DWHistoryandCulture

7 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing. We appreciate you taking the time to share your experiences with our community.

I can still vividly remember my first exposure to Kraftwerk. When I was 14, I visited a friend of mine who was of German descent. Well I went to his house, and his father called him to dinner (I wasn't invited - lOl). So my friend said: "Here, check this out while you wait for me to finish dinner." He put Autobahn on his turntable and insisted that I use headphones. I remember every bit of the scene of his room, the turntable, the album cover and sleve, and of course, the music that changed me forever. I love Kraftwerk becuase they made something new, cool, and different. They showed me the future before it happened, and I'm thankful. Thank you for the video, nicely done!

@DWHistoryandCulture

4 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharin this special memory and sorry you weren't invited for dinner...

in 1981 i was that five years old weird autistic kid. my mother's uncle had this cassette with really strange melodies with not-quite-human, not-quite-robotic voices. these tracks both scared the hell out of me and gave me sort of ecstatic peace of mind. when i asked what it was i was told that that band name was kraftwerk and the record title was "computerwelt". kindergarten teachers were baffled by me singing the loop "ich bein der musikant mit taschenrechner in der hand" and trying to imitate these bleeping sounds after that phrase. they were even more upset when i tried sing "nummern" in many voices during post lunch rest instead of sleeping or quietly lying down on the bed. my parents were called upon and told about my strange and disruptive behaviour as i was making these strange sounds, trying to act like a robot and refused to sing along kids tunes calling them "stupid" and somehow influenced few kids (as far as i can recall there were maybe three or four of us) from my group to sing along to my tunes. it was autumn of 1981 in communist poland and my parents were police officers and had much bigger problems occupying their minds than my shenanigans. anyways, "computerwelt" is with me throughout my whole life. it is my favourite kraftwerk record. obsession with these strange tunes pushed me into sound design - i didn't want to copy these bleeps and melodies, i wanted to create something of my own inspired by these tracks, something even more weird and beyond melody but having at least the same mind altering qualities that "computerwelt" songs had on 5 yrs old me. it seems that i succeeded although there are some people uncomfortable with my sounds. and to me there's no other language than german that makes kraftwerk's songs sound so unique.

@jazv4110

25 күн бұрын

Wonderful story :-)

I remember i had a friend who was a total metalhead, went on vacation, heard kraftwerk and came back totally changed, tried to get the rest of us to listen too, but, we didnt get it... Then.

When I was 17 or 18 years old near 1980 in Los Angeles my parents purchased my first car, very economical with no air conditioning. I turned on its mono (non-stereo) radio to station KROQ which was playing Kraftwerk: "I'm the operator with my pocket calculator, bleep bloop." I was overjoyed because not only was it a great song but it made me believe that the radio was stereo as the sounds were popping out all over the place. The radio was still mono but the sound was so unique and electronic that it seemed to jump out and hit me.

@DWHistoryandCulture

8 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing your story. We appreciate you taking the time to share your experiences with our community.

They're both huge favourites of mine but that's rather hard to measure.

Kraftwerk is the father of electronic music, they have my great respect 🙏

@DWHistoryandCulture

9 ай бұрын

Thank you for your kind words!

@markkilley2683

9 ай бұрын

It's highly likely they in turn were influenced by someone else. Such as the BBC Radiophonic workshop?

@HarunHAHN

9 ай бұрын

@@markkilley2683 thank you for your reply, I started to research about BBC radiophonic workshop.

@musomaster9027

3 ай бұрын

I think Benjamin Franklin is the father of electronic music because without Benjamin Franklin we would not have electricity.

They were certainly more influential on me. So influential that upon hearing them in the states, I emigrated to Germany in the early 90s and had the time of my life raving throughout the 90s. Thank you so much Kraftwerk for everything. Rest in peace Flo.

@DWHistoryandCulture

8 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing your story. We appreciate you taking the time to share your experiences with our community.

@marcinczerniawski7423

7 ай бұрын

Being a 90s kid myself I can't possibly fathom how mind-altering and amazing the experience of raving in Germany in the 90s must've been. But at least I can try to imagine that feeling

As a Depeche Mode big fan, I think both are equally influential. And David Bowie, Roxy Music and Brian Eno. Is impossible to understand, the Synthpop music of last seventies and early eighties without all these referents.

@neilhumphrey4197

5 ай бұрын

Just like to say that the bands like dm yazzo were inspired by john Foxx omd etc who were in inspired by kraftwerk

I love the fact that the incredibly useful audio/video app VLC uses a Kraftwerk traffic cone as its logo in tribute.

@DWHistoryandCulture

8 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing.

@MrBoombastic_

3 ай бұрын

They do not. It's a coincidence.

@sisyphuscranerigging7792

2 ай бұрын

@@MrBoombastic_ If you look at both side-by-side it's hard to think of it as a crazy Traffic Cone coincidence. It's like the fact that although all the evidence says otherwise, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds is indeed about LSD because.... it has to be, just listen to it! I go with NO coincidence. But do you by chance have a little titbit of evidence about the coincidental nature of the traffic cones? Interesting subject, thank you.

The Beatles and Kraftwerk, both are my heroes alongside The Beach Boys and Yellow Magic Orchestra.

@fotis1964

8 ай бұрын

I am surprised you mentioned YMO. Le femme Chinoise is ringtone in my chell.

@gloriahudson9408

7 ай бұрын

And I love Tong Poo!

I just want to say this for everybody in the comments dissing Kraftwerk - as a beatles fan myself, I feel like they have the same amount of influence in different areas. Just because you haven't heard of them doesn't mean they don't exist and haven't had far-reaching effects on other things. That's an ignorant way to be (and if you're like that then I don't like yo-)

@DWHistoryandCulture

9 ай бұрын

Thanks for commenting! We appreciate you sharing your perspective with us and the community.

I put together an Electro retrospective playlist, and the first two tracks on it are Kraftwerk's "Numbers" and "Computer World 2", which are the first time the signature Electro beat is heard. "Trans Europe Express" is all over Afrika Bambaataa's "Planet Rock", but the beat of that song is Electro from "Numbers". Some notable mainstream hits with the Electro beat include "Baby Got Back" (Sir Mixalot), "What's On Your Mind" (Information Society), "19" (Paul Hardcastle), "Freak-A-Zoid" (Midnight Star), "Peter Piper" (RUN DMC), "Supersonic" (J.J. Fad), and "Whoomp (There It Is)" (Tag Team).

@RazorEdge2006

9 күн бұрын

There was an electro track that came a year before that: "Riot in Lagos" (1980) by Ryuichi Sakamoto (RIP).

It still feels like a strange comparison. Despite respecting both bands, I feel that there is a distinct preference for one or the other AND the artists whom they subsequently inspired.

I always love the electronic music since i heard Depeche Mode Violator, when i was 11 years old. After that my life changed forever. So i considered Karaftwerk is the greatest band.

@DWHistoryandCulture

8 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing your personal experiences!

Thanks very much for posting.

I can't be objective because I'm a big fan of Kragtwerk, but most pop groups from the early 80s wouldn't exist if it weren't for Lraftwerk. You forgot to mention Yello, who, under the influence of Kraftwerk, created the ultimate electronic pop.

Didn't the Beatles pioneer sampling and looping on "Tomorrow Never Knows" in 1966 before anyone else thought of the technique? Musically they were light years ahead I still can't believe that they cut it in 1966.

@EricOehler01

8 ай бұрын

There was definite precedent with Musique concrete artists for that, though, like Pierre Schaffer and Karlheinz Stockhausen using tape loops back through the 40’s. Interestingly Stockhausen also influenced Kraftwerk as well.

@TheExtremenarcissist

7 ай бұрын

Tomorrow Never Knows was a very influential recording, it’s true. The Beatles employed techniques developed by contemporary classical composers such as Stockhausen. Their innovation was to recontextualise the use of tape loops in a rock n roll recording. Digital sampling technology didn’t appear until the early 80s.

@davidbeadle1421

4 ай бұрын

The Beatles used tape loops and samples because of Stockhausen and the music concrete. The Mellotron that they used was essentially a sample but with tape loops.

in UK kraftwerk were very respected pioneers & influenced a lot of new bands.

Despite the preponderance of talk about Kraftwerk's unique rhythm sounds, I have always found their ability to compose hauntingly delicate and fragile melodies to be the factor that sets them apart from their many camp followers.

@DWHistoryandCulture

9 ай бұрын

It's great to hear your perspective, and we're thankful you shared it with us and the community.

@DarkSideofSynth

8 ай бұрын

So, so true. If it were all about the rhythm, we would hardly know about them. Their musicality plays a big role.

@RoyalSkateCrew

4 ай бұрын

Karl Bartos says exactly this

Beatles went way beyond their musical genre(rock). They touched hearts millions of people with their lyrics and poetry. They reached people worldwide even in small villages. I learned "Yesterday" in elementary school in Bosnia. Karftwerk worked more within genre and influenced other musicians.

@DWHistoryandCulture

7 ай бұрын

Thank you for your balanced input! You're right that both of them had a massive influence in their own ways.

@Contessa6363

6 ай бұрын

Over rated

@tommo4449

6 ай бұрын

Even the Beatles were influenced by other lesser spoken about artists though! Famously with Sgt Peppers being very heavily inspired by Freak Out by Zappa and The Mothers.

Thank you for this great video! Never knew that Florian's father designed the Köln/Bonn airport :D I will definitely take part on the "Sound of Düsseldorf" city tour :D

Fascinating video, and I'm impressed that you borught up the Beatles' influence on other musical acts writing their songs. And it's worth rethinking the canon every now and then. However, "Speeding up/slowing down" tracks isn't a good description of the Beatles' studio experimentation particularly the tap looops on "Tomorrow Never Knows" which was McCartney bringing Stockhausen to pop. At it leaves out that the Beatles' experimentation included bringing rock together with other genres of music, for example Raga. Another thing this video did miss, but this is something most people don't realise: 50s rock'n'roll wasn't terribly guitar-based. It started out using primarily horns and piano as lead instruments. Even after Elvis Presley appeared, Rockabilly's popularity with the public was pretty inconsistent. One sign of this was the fact that the second best-selling rock and roll artist of the 50s wasn't Buddy Holly or Chuck Berry. It was Fats Domino. After the Beatles came along, guitar became synonymous with rock music. (Even if it required critics arbitrarily defining soul music as something separate from rock despite coming from the same family tree...but that's another discussion.)

@DWHistoryandCulture

7 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching. We appreciate you sharing your perspective with us and the community.

I have them on dvd,cd,been my favorite electronic band since 1977,they didn't know where to categorize them, so late in 70s I heard them on a NY station!

I still get excited listening and learning about them. I met them in 2005 Made me love the music more.

Saw them in concert at Metro in Chicago in the late 90s! Whoo- hooo! Proud of that!

Kraftwerk...Jean Michel Jarre...Klaus Schulze...Vangelis...Tangerine Dream...Mike Oldfield...Legends Of Electronic Music !

Loved Kraftwerk from the early 70s and people laughed at me and at the band

@3rdmm

9 ай бұрын

Yes we did.

@DWHistoryandCulture

9 ай бұрын

Thank you very much for sharing your personal experience with us. We are happy to get your comments but please be respectful. Sending you all the best

@archangelmusic13

9 ай бұрын

ive never heard of kraftwerk. but im wondering did kraftwerk have their short hair in the 70's? if they did they must have looked really square in the 70s when everybody had long hair because of the beatles changing the world.

@3rdmm

9 ай бұрын

@@archangelmusic13 They made a real effort to be different.

@archangelmusic13

9 ай бұрын

@@3rdmm as i said, if they looked like the pic in this video, in the 70's they must have really been square.

Super cool video! These guys inspired me to make my own instruments. Definitely more influential imho

Does Anyone know what song starts in 10:14? Pleaseeee

As a child growing up in the 60`s we were listening to the Beatles , and all the great British Beat groups ,my uncle is a guitarist and he used to play tunes from the Shadows like Apache and other hits, it was an exciting time as music tech and amplification were being developed at a fast pace, i remember seeing Kraftwerk on Tomorrows World , in the mid 70`s ,new better electronics were being made that went into the synths like the Minimoog , i saw Kraftwerk in 1981 and 1991 live , they will be one of my Fav groups forever.

I love your comments, and the video as a whole. I started listening to Kraftwerk as a teenager in the early 70s (onwards), so I don't have to be convinced about the band. I imagine your comparisons are just a bit fun, however, I think you don't really reflect the importance of the Beatles as a whole. The way they dressed, was influential, India and Indian music became fashionable, their record sleeves were very copied (and still are), and more. Yes, if you refer to Bowie, HipHop, the electronic music scene etc, then fair enough. But what about then looking at the whole thing through the eyes of the rock world - Oasis, Blur, Tears for Fears, Pulp, Bowie (again - 'Oh You Pretty Thing'), The Chemical Brothers ( Setting Sun = Tomorrow Never Knows), and about every single band that ever wrote a song! Lastly, I'm also pretty sure the Kraftwerk themselves would be a bit embarrassed by these whose best. They loved rock, just listen to Autobahn and the quote from the Beach Boys😉. In my humble opinion, I'd say it's even Stevens.

The first song I ever heard by Kraftwerk was Trans-Europe Express. It was played on a monstrous sound system in a large park in Brooklyn, New York. The sound was broken down into speaker elements that were designed to transmit only signals that the speakers were designed to project. Upon hearing the way that those signals were divided and sent to each speaker and the sound entered my body, I was hooked! I became a fan, buying their albums and enjoying every minute of listening to them.

I remember my son loved playing "Minecraft". I wanted to extend his curiosity more, but I couldn't afford it. If I had more financial and mental leeway, there would have been many things I could have enjoyed with my son, but it was difficult. It can be read in German literary works that it is difficult to get out of a poor environment. "Minecraft" is like a simulation of building one's own country, and it has a different dimension of reality than the abstract call for peace through the Beatles' music. I remember that the building architecture of the stage of the Korean movie "Parasite" is German. Its basement is amazing. I think my son's longing for a detached house was more urgent than the children around him.

@DWHistoryandCulture

9 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing your story. We appreciate you taking the time to share your experiences with our community. Even though we can't entirely comprehend the role of Kraftwerk in this context.

@radiowaves13

2 ай бұрын

I also wonder on how architecture influences our children’s sense of themselves. Would love to talk more about it in this thread. I think there is a relationship between these things and Kraftwerk, who broadened the horizons of a generation and helped inspire new musical genres that have spread around the world.

Everyday I think about how lucky I am to have seen them in Orlando in 2022! I really hope that I can see them again

@DWHistoryandCulture

7 ай бұрын

Indeed, you were really lucky! So happy for you and we cross our fingers that you will be able to see them again soon.

First heard Kraftwerk from the movie Breakin, been listening ever since. RIP Florian Schneider

Kraftwerk was loved by adults that I knew who were fans of heavy rock, the disco-ites, the British and American pop lovers and more. Then later Soft Cell, Blondie, and even later hip hop artists. I honestly didn’t know anyone who was actively involved with music that didn’t know of Autobahn by Kraftwerk. They blew the doors off of music and created their own “master genre” which so many “sub-genres” came from. Give it up for Kraftwerk. Even Greg Hawkes in the Cars, the pinnacle of keyboard players from late 70’s/early 80’s rock n roll band, he made it work. His work speaks for itself, Berklee College of Music and eventually the Cars, no man in his bands genre so elegantly slid the keyboards and synths into rock n roll mainstream airwaves. You can draw a line straight from Kraftwerk to Greg Hawkes IMO for what it’s worth. Kudos to Kraftwerk for inspiring him to bring us the greatest mesh of rock n roll with what Kraftwerk had done. I am speechless

If you play pop guitar music, the Beatles are still part of the foundations of what you do. If you play synths, or make computer music, then so are Kraftwerk.

@Yacini4

8 ай бұрын

Beatles are Rock.

@cascade3769

2 ай бұрын

Pink Floyd were very electro before Kraftwerk though.

What a great short documentary! And Kraftwerk? They introduced me to electronic music in the early 80s (I was still a bit too young in the 70s 😊) and I still am a HUGE fan to this very day!

hug from Brazil beautiful work I also have songs inspired by Kraftwerk, everyone has!

What I remember most concerning music is Krafwerk . I remember hearing a few Songs on a Canadian Radio Station in the mid 70s and I was hooked on electronic music right then and there . I remember how much I enjoyed music from Jean Michel Jarre who used several iterations of I believe Moog and even Hammond Organs . Also Artists/Groups such as Abba, Blonde and Heart used sythesizers and I enjoyed These Artists' music as well . I would say that my favourite Genre is Techno as well as many Sub-genres such as Progressive House , Dub-step, and Industrial ,such as the music that the Group Eisenfunk composes.

@DWHistoryandCulture

7 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing your story. We appreciate you taking the time to share your experiences with our community.

If you ask someone who are the most influental bands and they don't mention the Beatles, they don't know what they are talking about. But if you ask someone and they mention Kraftwerk, they *really* know what they are talking about.

I've loved Kraftwerk since a friend introduced me to their music at 16. They've been tremendously influential to so many musicians over the years that I can't imagine much of today's music without their pioneering contributions.

I love the ethos behind Kraftwerk's early music. Their pioneering DIY take on the artform is not something most artists embrace, and to me, that is the presence of the punk rock spirit. The reason they are timeless is that they didn't follow a set path. You listen to the majority of what they play on the radio nowadays, and you'll hear their legacy. Personally, I love finding their, and the experimental nature of Krautrock's, direct influence in less commercial circles. Listen to the band Osees, or Slift from France. RIP Florian.

@DWHistoryandCulture

8 ай бұрын

It's great to hear your perspective, and we're thankful you shared it with us and the community.

In 1982 a friend lent me three Kraftwerk records (Radio Activit, Trans-Europe Express and Computer Word). Well...to this day I love the music on those records. When I found out that Kraftwerk had a website I sent a message to the group thanking them.

@DWHistoryandCulture

9 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing your story. We appreciate you taking the time to share your experiences with our community. Did you hear back from them?

my dad showed me Kraftwerk when i was younger and i have listened to them ever since

Kraftwerk and the Beatles influence on music is unquestionable as is James Brown.

This was an incredibly fun watch. Numbers was so popular in dance clubs when I was in college. German people are so unique that Kraftwerk could only have been standout pioneers.❤❤❤

Will this report be in Spanish DW?

@DWHistoryandCulture

8 ай бұрын

Thanks for asking. It's not been adapted yet, but might be in the future.

The parallels between Kraftwerk and Devo, from humble beginnings to worldwide stardom and the influence they have had in electronic music, can never be overstated.

You miss one central point about the Beatles which is they were one of the first bands to use the studio itself as an instrument. Their sound diversified dramatically once they stopped touring. In that sense, Kraftwerk is entirely in their shadow since they too were largely a studio band. The Beatles never stuck with a single idea for too long. They were probably the first pop band to chart a hit with only a string quartet backing (Eleanor Rigby). Yes strings have been used in many pop songs, but that track is rather revolutionary if in a quiet manner since it is closer to rock and not a crooner’s song (like with Sinatra). Anyway interesting little documentary. Synthesizers simply didn’t exist in the days of the Beatles.

@DWHistoryandCulture

8 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing your insights with us and the community.

@pedrob3953

8 ай бұрын

The Beatles were the.also first pop band to use the Moog synthesizer, on their "Abbey Road" album.

@crnacpanker

8 ай бұрын

Yes synth existed back then

@AdamTheC

7 ай бұрын

Yes, that's an excellent point and you bring up an issue with this sort of approach to comparing musicians: music is often an evolutionary process where subsequent innovations are dependent on previous developments. Kraftwerk were the beneficiaries of the ways in which the Beatles' changed the studio and changed how people thought of popular music as an artform worthy of conscious experimentation and self-expression. They went even further in these areas, so their acheivements shouldnt' be diminished, but it isn't something that can be well understood as score-board.

@TheExtremenarcissist

7 ай бұрын

Incorrect. The Beatles definitely used a Moog modular synthesizer on their Abbey Road album.

As far as our everyday lives are concerned, Kraftwerk is certainly the most influential band of all time, as the sounds that these gentlemen were the first to experiment with about 50 years ago form the basis of the soundscapes by which we are constantly surrounded today, be it in the form of system sounds from our computers, smartphones, cameras, microwave ovens or even medical imaging machines, they all sound like Kraftwerk.

@DWHistoryandCulture

7 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing your insights with us and the community.

This title ain't just a summary of the subject matter; it's a thesis statement and a molten hot take!

Love them both. But as Bartos said... "In his remarkable new autobiography The Sound Of The Machine, Karl describes how he needed to be a musician from the moment he first heard The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night. He feels there was a connection in the two bands’ image. “It was never ‘John Lennon And The Beatles’ or ‘Paul McCartney And The Beatles’,” Bartos points out. “The Beatles were always ‘The Fab Four’, a proper band. Kraftwerk had that equality, too, in how we looked. We were the perfect band, as we had no one star dominating our appearance. People like that equality.”

Being influential, and being popular are not necessarily mutually exclusive. The subjective nature of musical tastes complicates matters even more. *great video though. There are valid, legitimate arguments for both groups. Music inspires so much passion in people for various reasons, including fandom. I always love listening to people voraciously defend their favorites like a parent who’s being protective of their child.

@DWHistoryandCulture

7 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us and our community.

20 years ago this wouldn't have even been something one would say. But it's interesting that over the years it's become less and less of a controversial proposition. As the pop-culture popularity of guitar-based rock has waned, and the popularity of electronic music and hip hop increased, the influence of Kraftwerk on subsequent artists has increased significantly. I'd definitely assert that among artists born after the 70's, the music of Kraftwerk and its derivatives is more directly influential than the Beatles. Older artists and rock artists would be in the Beatles camp no question, but with the rise of hiphop as a cultural force and Kraftwerk's direct influence on that, their modern reach actually seems to be growing.

@DWHistoryandCulture

8 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching. It's great to hear your perspective, and we're thankful you shared it with us and the community.

kraftwerk are the most important band in the history of modern music

@thunder_heads

3 ай бұрын

I completely agree

Wow DW has article about my favorite synth band. When Africa Bambaataa sampled TTE drove to all synth genres ever after. R.I.P Florian. Greetings from Greece. Kraftwerk is the best thing since Bethoven.

@DWHistoryandCulture

8 ай бұрын

Glad you liked the film. We upload documentaries regularly so don’t forget to subscribe.

Saw Kraftwerk live last night after being a fan for over 40 years, they blew my mind with the music and the visuals. Such amazing pioneers. RIP Florian

@DWHistoryandCulture

5 ай бұрын

Thank you very much for sharing your personal experience with us. Sending you all the best

both played a part to form us as well.

Both are influential but just remember this The Beatles and The Beachboys used electronica before Kraftwerk. Manfred Man and The Beatles were using the mellotron 3 years before Kraftwerk were even around. Kraftwerk also said that The Beachboys influenced them when they made Aurtobahn.

Going back to The Beatles, I recall the punk metal goth band Damned with certain influences. I have the Beatles essential 2cd album and the songs obviously popular at the time, Hey Jude video stands out, a bit like Madonna - the Immaculate collection which may seems a bit outdated yet she was the original Material girl.. Gary Numan from Tubeway Army switched from the punk guitar to synthesizers and 'Are Friends Electric' changed everything for the mainstream and new wave , reference Synth Britannia documentary.. Gary Numan / Jean Michel Jarre - Here for you.

@DWHistoryandCulture

6 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing!

Poland Loves Kraftwerk ;-)

Since I absolutely love New Order. And a good chunk of my CD and vinyl collection wouldn't exist without Kraftwerk. I find synthesizers more creatively freeing than a guitar. And can provide a sonic landscape.

@DWHistoryandCulture

8 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching. We appreciate you sharing your perspective with us and the community.

Well it's hard to decide! I love them both! Anyway, they both made music and that is what will last for ever and ever 😉

Excellent ! I've been saying the same thing for about 30 years... but there's a more simple way to ask the question : Who invented a new sound ? The answer is clearly Kraftwerk... period.

@TheFormerkgbchief

7 ай бұрын

True but the Beatles invented about 50 new sounds.

I’ll say CAN and Neu! are a lot influential or just as influential as both. Damo Suzuki help the punk scheme with The Fall. Jaki proved that Motorik can be just as dynamic and humane while being machine precise. Kiroli’s guitar playing, Cizkay’s production techniques and bass playing are phenomenal. Most bands in the German Kraut sub genre scene are influential in one way to another.

@DWHistoryandCulture

7 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing!

@cactaceous

4 ай бұрын

I love CAN above any band to come out of Germany in the 60’s and 70’s coined by the British music press as Krautrock. Love Neu! and Harmonia as well. Having said that, when talking about influence, as much as many bands have taken the Motorik beat and things CAN did, Kraftwerk cannot be denied for their overall contribution to the majority of music from the 80’s, the late 90’s and beyond. Electronic based music rules now in all genres and it starts popularly with Kraftwerk.

Did the video narrator really just say "Streets Ahead"? Go Community!

What about Yellow Magic Orchestra?

@DWHistoryandCulture

7 ай бұрын

Thank you for watching. In this short video, we focused on Kraftwerk and The Beatles but we might make a video about the Yellow Magic Orchestra in the future.

13:37 Kraftwerk definitely knew they were doing funk. They cited American funk music, especially James Brown, as their inspiration. But they weren't copycats like earlier white rock & roll artists imitating black music. They did something innovative with it: they combined the syncopated drum breaks of American funk with synthesized German kraut rock, creating a new sound with electro-funk. In turn, Kraftwerk's electro-funk style was embraced by American funk musicians and the rest is history.

I remember hearing the “electric cafe” album at my nephews house. It blew me away and the next day I bought my own copy. The Beatles were inspired by black artists back then, black artists like Bambaata were inspired by Kraftwerk and created hiphop. All artists in the timeline are important.

@DWHistoryandCulture

7 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing your story. We appreciate you taking the time to share your experiences with our community. And we definitely agree with you that all artists contribute their part.

I don't think German bands set out to create "Krautrock" music. It was a term slapped on them (by UK/US?).

@brdrnda3805

9 ай бұрын

The term was coined by the British Music press but German bands also used it (but more in an ironic, self-deprecating way)

Kraftwerk are the perfect band ❤️🖤 Thankyou, goodnight

They showed people that synthesizer music can be popular. Musicians knew they couldn't compete with the Beatles but they could possibly make a song like Kraft werk

CAN a eu aussi une énorme influence sur les groupes . The Fall, Joy Division, A certain Ratio, Happy Mondays ont été influencé.

@DWHistoryandCulture

8 ай бұрын

Thanks for taking the time to comment. We kindly ask our viewers on this channel to engage with topics in English so that both DW and the community have the chance to respond. For further information, please refer to DW's netiquette policy: p.dw.com/p/MF1G Thanks for watching!

@roelandrutgers

7 ай бұрын

Quite right about CAN! But why not reply in English? I'm not English either but if I didn't speak basic level English I would use Google translate. 'Shaking my head'.

@MrJeepsters

7 ай бұрын

@@roelandrutgers KRAFTWERK had a big influence on British synth pop. A few years ago, I saw documentary called "Synth britannia"*, never translate in french. There was an interview of Andy Mc Cluxley from OMD. He told he saw a concert (when he was younger) of KRAFTXERK in Liverpool and came out sunned. He decided buy synthesizer. Peter hook, from New Order, Joy Division, told they listen to Kraftwerk before going on stage. Every british "techno pop"have been influenced by KRAFTWERK. The kind of influence is clearly technologic, the beatles influence is more melodic. When you listen to british synth bands and kraftwerk, you notice immediately the difference of level (sound quality), you see the influence too.

There is no comparison, the Beatles were a great band, but Kraftwerk have been much more influential, on hiphop (Afrika Bambaataa's Planet Rock) on synthpop, techno. Their music was more of the 21st century than the 20th. Having said that, it is a myth that they made their own instruments. They just used Minimoogs and other electronic instruments (even toys). The diy drum kit shown in the video is just a simple switch- the drumsticks had a wire running to the drum machine. When the stick touched the pad, the circuit closed triggering the sound. This was just an old organ style preset machine, but they just modified it, they didn't make it. Other instruments that tbey used, that I know of of were the Casio VL-1, Stylophone, Vako Orchestron, Yamaha DX7, Linndrum, Roland Tr-808, Synclavier, Kawai K5000, Emu Proteus and no doubt more.

@DWHistoryandCulture

9 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing your insights with us and with the community!

such a great question: were they?. hmmmm they both were, playing the same game but doing it in their own way. amazing music

It's quite impossible for me to make such a comparison - both have conquered a rather unique position in modern music. Both have started from a more established ground which was in both cases quite modern and progressive at their time. However both, the Beatles' album "Revolver" as well as Kraftwerk's album "Autobahn" have become landmarks each by defining a new style and approach to music. And as a note of caution there was so much going on between 1960 and 1980 - Jimmy Hendrix, Velvet Underground and Nico, Steppenwolf, Deep Purple, Moody Blues, Procul Harum, David Bowie, ELO - that in retrospect I can't help but wonder how so much and such diverse stuff could could be created in such short time. My list is anything but complete and only providing a tiny glimpse at a few examples of a huge galery of iconic musicians)

@DWHistoryandCulture

8 ай бұрын

It's great to hear your perspective, and we're thankful you shared it with us and the community.

I always wondered what cars They drove privately...

In 1971 my Dad bought a TI calculator that could add, subtract, multiply, divide AND print! It cost close to a hundred bucks. Seven years later I started college and any computer on campus was in a lab. A 64 was novel. The Beatles had stood popular music on its head AND broken up before either of these events. ‘ nuff said A California (epicenter of technology) kid, POCO fan

@DWHistoryandCulture

6 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment.

For more than 15 years, all of my phones ringtone are, for my wife, first 15 seconds from Das Model and from everyone else, the first 10 seconds from Die Mensch-Maschine. No matter if they were: IOS, Android or even Windows operating systems.

Correction to Mr Hutter's name - its RALF not RALPH!!! Sorry to be so picky but you have 2 get it right!! Giorgio was a pioneer in his own right. they were around at the same time. OMD have been officially on record of saying if Kraftwerk hadnt existed, then OMD Wouldnt have existed.

@EricOehler01

8 ай бұрын

Andy McClusky even did vocals on a song for Karl Bartos's first Elektric Musik album!

Both are brilliant, in a macroscopic and sonically level, taking in consideration the contemporary pop music state. Kraftwerk electronic influence is more present but both bands are like 51% and 49% in this battle

@DWHistoryandCulture

7 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment.

Kraftwerk were heavily influenced by The Monkees' 1967 song _Daily Nightly_ . The Monkees were the first group to use a Moog synthesizer in a pop song. Go check out The Monkees' Robot Sound.

@DWHistoryandCulture

4 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing this insight!

Kraftwerk is still a major influence on electronic music till this day

The early kraftwerk split, the two members who left formed Neu!

Both: House. Techno etc owe a lot to Kraftwert, much modern pop and rock the Bettles. What Kraftwet did do was the introduction of the synthesizer. Technological innovations are a big driver in music in general. Think of valve technology and solid wood bodies producing the development of amps and the Fender Strat. Kraftwert certainly opened up todays' world with

@DWHistoryandCulture

7 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

XTC had a tune called Mechanik Dancing... obvious reference to robot dancing and voguing ... influenced by Kraftwerk... me an me chums used to do it for fun ... it's what I usually default to at parties with dancing, lol !!!!

@DWHistoryandCulture

9 ай бұрын

Thank you very much for sharing your personal experience with us. Sending you all the best

@archangelmusic13

9 ай бұрын

xtc were much more influenced by the beatles, as their music proves, and also their alter ego sgt pepper band, the dukes of stratosphear

@biffphuddle6581

9 ай бұрын

@@archangelmusic13 was just talking about that song, not overall

The Beatles actually take it. Basically, the Beatles were the final artistic catalyst that ignited the Pop/Rock creative explosion that emerged in 1971. The 15 or so years of terrific music from 1970 to the mid-80s was a direct consequence of the Beatles influence. Consider: their final release, Let it Be, was in 1970. Kraftwerk was one of a great number of artists that benefitted from the arrival and "maturity" of the The Beatles....but Kraftwerk has been a HUGE influence on House/EDM/New Wave and other synth heavy creators and performers to this day.

@DWHistoryandCulture

8 ай бұрын

It's great to hear your perspective, and we're thankful you shared it with us and the community.

I wonder who Kraftwerk were influenced by. I remember seeing them in the 70's on UK tv, some years later "The Model" was the 2nd single I bought. My music taste is dominated by noisy guitar stuff but quality is quality, and Kraftwerk were hugely important.

@DWHistoryandCulture

7 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment.

They should not have overdubbed the original speech of Florian and Karl with the translation. Especially speech recordings of Florian are so rare they should have remained untouched and just subtitles being added.

@DWHistoryandCulture

8 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching and for the feedback!

Interesting video, but it doesn't go much into the actual influences each band had which is the whole point of the video. How would music be if the Beatles or Kraftwerk didn't happen? For me there were a bunch of bands that were doing similar stuff to the Beatles, the Beatles were just good at pumping out a chain of great songs that the others couldn't match, but I am not sure it changed music going forward anywhere close to the influence of Kraftwerk who are the basis of what became most EDM genres we have today.

This is pretty silly, Tomorrow Never Knows had more influence to modern Techno music than anything these guys ever did.

In der Berger Alle 9 war ich auch mal, während Karl die Tasten eines Klaviers betätigte, sprach er von dem Wunsch, mal einen Evergreen zu haben, um dann frei arbeiten zu können 🎶 Hat ja geklappt alter “Komplize“ 😅 So steht es jedenfalls in seiner Autobiografie, auf Seite 45 😉

Kraftwerk and Beatles def had an impact on me

Of course they were ❤

According to a new video released by DW, Kraftwerk is more influential than The Beatles. Or so the Germans would have us a believe.