Overall, Kraftwerk has had a tremendous impact on electronic music with their use of music technology innovations. Kraftwerk had many self-made instruments and electronic devices that were custom built that defined the electronic and robotic style of the band. The main members/composers of Kraftwerk were Ralf Hutter and Florian Schneider. They created an electronic drum kit that had sensor pads and was played with metal sticks to trigger the electronic sounds. The use of electronic drum kits, as well as other electronic devices, created very new and unique sounds that would interest many artists to create similar sounds that Kraftwerk produced.
The musical style and image from composers Ralf Hutter and Florian Schneider can be heard through various genres of music. The use of synthesizers and electronic sounds from Ralf and Florian have influenced several artists to create similar styles of music. For example, Gary Numan mimics the style/image of Kraftwerk in his song Cars. David Bowie tributes Kraftwerk and member Florian Schneider on his album Heroes and artists such as Chris Martin from Coldplay have requested permission to use certain melodies created by Kraftwerk in their music. One innovation that defines the musical style of composers Ralf Hutter and Florian Schneider is their use of the vocoder. This effected the band’s vocals and added to the list of why Kraftwerk greatly impacted electronic music. Another innovation that Kraftwerk composers Ralf and Florian used was a music sequencer. This was used on their album Trans-Europe Express for more control over the rhythmic electronic sounds produced.
The creativity and distinctive sounds from the Kraftwerk composers holds a strong impression on me as a listener and industry professional. They brought a whole new style of music to the world and showed how computer/electronic sounds can produce very powerful music. Ralf Hutter and Florian Schneider have inspired many musicians, including myself, to utilize synth and electronic sounds into music.
This post was very informative. I like that you not only included the impact they had on music, but also wrote about how they made their own instruments not only because they thought it was fun but also because electronic instruments weren't as widely available back then. The musicians you listed that they have influenced are nice because they are musicians that you might not necessarily expect to be influenced by Karftwerk. Your post is very well organized and states clearly how Kraftwerk have influence the music industry, as well as giving information that might give someone unfamiliar with their music a better understanding of the band.
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