Ralf Hütter (born 1946, Krefeld, Germany) and Florian Schneider (born 1947, Düsseldorf, Germany) met while they were studying improvised music in Düsseldorf, Germany. In 1967 Ralf Hütter (organ), Florian Schneider (violin, flute), Basil Hammoudi (vocals), Butch Hauf (bass) and Fred Monics (drums) formed the group Organisation, released the album Tone Float and split shortly thereafter. The album features repetitive percussion and bass drum patterns embellished with guitar, flute, violin and organ.
After disbanding Organisation, Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider adopted the name Kraftwerk. Early Kraftwerk line-ups from 1970–1974 fluctuated, as Hütter and Schneider worked with around a half-dozen other musicians, most notably Andreas Hohmann (drums; 1970), Houschäng Néjadepour (guitar; 1970), Charly Weiss (drums; 1970/71), Eberhard Kranemann (cello, bass, hawaii-guitar; 1970/71), Klaus Röder (electric guitar, electronic violin; 1974), Michael Rother (guitar; 1970-71) and Klaus Dinger (drums; 1970-71). For a short period in 1970/71 Ralf Hütter left the band to complete his degree in architecture. There were some sessions/concerts with the line-up "Schneider, Kranemann, Weiss", "Schneider, Hohmann, Kranemann, Rother, Dinger" and "Schneider, Rother, Dinger" in that time. In 1971 Rother and Dinger left Kraftwerk to form the band Neu!.
Their first three albums were more free-form experimental rock without the pop hooks or the more disciplined strong structure of its later work. Their debut album, Kraftwerk, released in 1970, and Kraftwerk 2, released in 1972, were mostly exploratory jam music, played on a variety of traditional instruments including guitar, bass, drums, electric organ, flute and violin. Post-production modifications to these recordings were then used to distort the sound of the instruments, particularly audio-tape manipulation and multiple dubbings of one instrument on the same track. Connie Plank co-produced the first four Kraftwerk albums. Emil Schult has also collaborated on many releases, contributing both lyrics and graphics.
Live performances from 1972–73 were made as a duo, using a simple beat-box-type electronic drum machine, with preset rhythms taken from an electric organ. These shows were mainly in Germany, with occasional shows in France. In 1973, Wolfgang Flür (electronic percussion) joined the group.
With Ralf und Florian, released in 1973, the band began to move closer to its classic sound, relying more heavily on synthesisers and drum machines. Although almost entirely instrumental, the album marks Kraftwerk's first use of the vocoder, which would, in time, become one of its musical signatures.
In 1974, they issued the fourth studio album, Autobahn. This critically acclaimed album marked Kraftwerk's breakthrough and established them as purveyors of electronic music. The title track is intended to capture the feeling of driving on the Autobahn: from travelling through the landscape, the high-speed concentration on the fast lane, to tuning the car radio and the monotony of a long trip. An edited version of "Autobahn" song reached #25 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and #11 in the UK.
In 1975, Karl Bartos (electronic percussion, live vibraphone, live keyboards) joined the band. The Hütter-Schneider-Bartos-Flür formation is now regarded as the classic line-up of Kraftwerk, which remained in place until the late 80s.
In 1975, Kraftwerk released the concept album Radio-Activity (German version: Radio-Aktivität). The hyphenated album title displays Kraftwerk's typical deadpan humour, being a pun on the twin themes of the songs, half being about radioactivity and the other half about activity on the radio. The title track "Radioactivity" was released as a single, and became a hit in France after it was used as the theme to a popular music show. This was the first Kraftwerk album to be entirely self-produced by Hütter & Schneider in their Kling Klang studio, and the first one to be performed by the classic line-up of Kraftwerk.
In 1977, Kraftwerk released the highly influential album, Trans-Europe Express. Critics have described the album as having two specific themes: celebration of Europe and the disparities between reality and image. Musically, the songs on this album differ from the group's earlier Krautrock style with a focus on electronic mechanized rhythms, minimalism, and occasional manipulated vocals. Two singles supported the album: "Trans-Europe Express" and "Showroom Dummies".
By the time of 1978's The Man-Machine (German version: Die Mensch-Maschine), Kraftwerk had created their own unmistakable brand of "robot pop". NME said of The Man-Machine: 'It is the only completely successful visual/aural fusion rock has produced so far". Kraftwerk spent three years building their own Kling Klang studios in the late 70s, complete with, inevitably, scores of computers. The single "The Model", gave the band a surprise hit when it topped the UK charts in 1982.
In 1981 Kraftwerk released their eight studio album, Computer World (German version: Computerwelt). This album combined the use of the sequencer to create the sound now known as electro, inspiring the first producers in Detroit in creating techno, as well as innumerable other artists including Gary Numan, Depeche Mode, and New Order, among many others. This album had the theme of computers taking over the world in the future. It was a commercial success, spawning the singles "Pocket Calculator", "Computer World" and "Computer Love". For this album, the band embarked on the massive Computer World world tour.
The EP Tour De France was issued in 1983. This song was featured in the film Breakdance and became the theme for the cycling event of the same name in that year. In 1986, the ninth studio album Electric Café was released. The album received mixed reviews. Two singles were issued from the album: "Musique Non-Stop" and "The Telephone Call".
In 1987 Wolfgang Flür departed and it was replaced by Fritz Hilpert. In 1991, Kraftwerk's best known songs were collected together and re-recorded on the compilation The Mix.
The single Expo 2000 released in December 1999 came as a surprise for Kraftwerk fans. A brand new song, although low key, sparked hopes of a new album. A video was released for this track, showing the band playing in wireframe suits, but no public appearances or interviews until 2003.
In 2003 the band released Tour de France Soundtracks, its first album of new material since 1986's Electric Café. The album was recorded for the 100th anniversary of the first Tour de France bicycle race, although it missed its original release date during the actual Tour. A completely new recording was made for the "Tour De France" track, based on the original 1983 arrangement.
In June 2005, Kraftwerk released Minimum-Maximum, their first official live album. It features two CDs and tracks recorded on their world tour during 2004, including concerts in Warsaw, Moscow, Berlin, London, Budapest, Tallinn, Riga, Tokyo and San Francisco. The band also released a live DVD.
Florian Schneider officially left the band in January 2009, though news of his departure was reported as early as April 2008. His place was taken over by Stefan Pfaffe.
In 2009, the band issued The Catalogue (German version: Der Katalog), a box-set comprising eight albums by Kraftwerk that were released from 1974 to 2003. All albums were digitally remastered, with most of the cover art redesigned, including rare photographs in the liner notes that were not part of each album's original release.
Following the release of The Catalogue and Florian Schneider's departure, Kraftwerk began a series of live tours, in which they would perform the entirety of the eight albums included in that box set. These performances featured surround sound and live video in 3D with provided glasses. During these tours, in 2012, Falk Grieffenhagen replaced Stefan Pfaffe as live video operator. In 2017, Kraftwerk released 3-D The Catalogue (German version: 3-D Der Katalog), containing the live performance versions of the tracks on The Catalogue, available with visuals on Blu-ray. It won a Grammy Award that year for Best Electronic/Dance Album.
Kraftwerk's influence has been incalculable. Hundreds of artists today in nearly every electronic music subgenre bear witness to their work. They are also reclusive, rarely giving interviews and making no media appearances. To this day Kraftwerk continues to tour precisely crafted sets of their classic songs with 3-D visuals.
Official site: http://www.kraftwerk.com
Radio Activity
Kraftwerk Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
R A D I O A C T I V I T YTschernobyl, Harrisburgh, Sellafield, Hiroshima
Tschernobyl, Harrisburgh, Sellafield, Hiroshima
Stop radioactivity
Is in the air for you and me
Stop radioactivity
Discovered by Madame Curie
Chain reaction and mutation, contaminated population
Stop radioactivity
Is in the air for you and me
Morse:
Radioactivity is in the air for you and me
Radioactivity discovered by madame Curie
Radioactivity is in
Stop radioactivity
... --- ... ... --- ... ... --- ... ... --- ...
... --- ... ... --- ... ... --- ... ... --- ...
R A D I O A C T I V I T Y
R A D I O A C T I V I T Y
Tschernobyl, Harrisburgh, Sellafield, Hiroshima
Tschernobyl, Harrisburgh, Sellafield, Hiroshima
Stop radioactivity
Is in the air for you and me
Stop radioactivity
Discovered by Madame Curie
Chain reaction and mutation, contaminated population
Stop radioactivity
Is in the air for you and me
... --- ... --- ... --- ... --- ... --- ... --- ... --- ... --- ... ---
Kraftwerk's song "Radio Activity" is a commentary on the dangers and impact of nuclear power and radiation. The lyrics list several places that have experienced nuclear disasters or incidents, including Tschernobyl, Harrisburgh, Sellafield, and Hiroshima. The repeated plea to "stop radioactivity" emphasizes the need for awareness and caution when it comes to nuclear power. The song also references Madame Curie, who discovered radioactivity in the late 19th century, highlighting the history and science behind nuclear power.
The lyrics suggest that radioactivity is "in the air for you and me," indicating that the dangers of nuclear power are not confined to the locations of the incidents listed in the song. The reference to "chain reaction and mutation, contaminated population" emphasizes the long-term impact of radiation exposure beyond just physical harm. The use of Morse code in the song is also symbolic, as it was used in the early days of radio communication and highlights the connection between technology and radioactivity.
Line by Line Meaning
-.. .. --- .- -.-. - .. ...- .. - -..--
Radioactivity
Tschernobyl, Harrisburgh, Sellafield, Hiroshima
These are cities that are famous for nuclear disasters and incidents.
Stop radioactivity
Kraftwerk is advocating that we should all be putting an end to the spread of radioactive materials.
Is in the air for you and me
Radioactivity is a danger that we all face, regardless of our location or lifestyle.
Discovered by Madame Curie
This lyric acknowledges the pioneering work of the physicist and chemist Marie Curie, who was responsible for discovering radioactivity in the late 19th century.
Chain reaction and mutation, contaminated population
The song highlights some of the serious consequences of exposure to radioactive materials, including mutations and contamination of people and the environment.
Morse:
This indicates that the next few lines are being communicated through Morse code.
Radioactivity is in the air for you and me
This is a repeat of an earlier lyric, using Morse code to emphasize the message.
Radioactivity discovered by madame Curie
Another Morse code repeat of an earlier lyric.
Radioactivity is in
A partial repeat of an earlier lyric, used to build tension and anticipation.
R A D I O A C T I V I T Y
This is a repeat of the song title, spelled out using the NATO phonetic alphabet.
Tschernobyl, Harrisburgh, Sellafield, Hiroshima
Another repeat of a previous line, listing cities famous for nuclear disasters.
Stop radioactivity
Another repeat of a previous line, encouraging an end to the spread of radioactive materials.
Is in the air for you and me
Another repeat of a previous line, emphasizing the universal danger of radioactivity.
Chain reaction and mutation, contaminated population
Another repeat of a previous line, highlighting some of the serious consequences of exposure to radioactive materials.
Stop radioactivity
A final repeat of a previous line, urging people to take action to put an end to the spread of radioactive materials.
... --- ... --- ... --- ... --- ... --- ... --- ... --- ... --- ... ---
A series of Morse code dots and dashes that spell out the word 'SOS', indicating an urgent call for help.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LUCA ANTOLINI, ANTONIO DONA', CRISTIANO GIUSBERTI, MAURIZIO GUBELLINI, PAOLINO NOBILE, GIANLUCA PERUZZI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Denille161
I’m proud to say my wife and I got to see them in 1979. At one point, in the middle of them playing’ we are the robots’ , out walks...Kraftwerk. We’d been watching 4 robot automatons moving and playing the keyboards . The place went into total meltdown! Incredible band. Florian? Rest in peace you genius man. 🥰
@dwellceller
Florian
@suzylux
in 1979!! They are such legends ;)
@suzylux
@Rhizosphere "Women screamed in shock" 😂
@toefire4206
Had the Family in the Car n on the Toronto Autoban,,,Was a joy ride
@rohanpoddar2562
Lucky you. My dream was to see them live unfortunately it will never come true. 😔
@axeldroge2785
They have written music history.
Rest in peace Florian Schneider.
@j.maxell3030
Quien?...un grupo de Krautrock?...
El que escribio la historia de la música y la cambio para siempre es Giorgio⚡Moroder con el inicio de la EDM y sus ramificaciones: House, Techno, Synthpop, NRG, Freestyle, Italo, New Beat, Trance, Ácid, Electro, Eurobeat...incluida la base electronica primaria de la "ebm" y lo más sofisticado de la Industrial.
@peterheldeskog5043
They ARE the Music History ;)
@j.maxell3030
@@peterheldeskog5043 Un grupo de Progressive Krautrock Alemán?
No sabes sobre el desarrollo, evolución e historia de la música electrónica.