Electronic music is the blend of many differnt styles and forms of music composition and sound porduction.

Kraftwerk is a European music group formed in Dusseldorf Germany during the early 1970s and the late 1960s. At The height of their career, the group was a quartet; this included the two group founders Ralf Hutter and Florian Schnieder, who led the group through the mid 70s until the addition of fellow bandmates Wolfgang Flur and Karl Bartos, who joined in 1974 and 75. 

By looking at kraftwerks history and legacy we can understand the roots of electronic music composition. 

Schnieder and Hutter met in the late 1960s as students while attending Robert Schumann Hochschule, a school for music related studies located in Dusseldorf, Germany. Both Ralph and Florian were highly invested in the German experimental rock scene, later jokingly dubbed the ¨Krautrock.¨ The two were so connected with the music movement that they both joined a quintet group known as ¨Organisation¨ and made a small name for themselves as proprietors of the Krautrock movement. 

As the years progressed and the two graduated from Robert Schumann Hochschule, they were yearning for creation beyond Organization. One day in 1970, Ralf Hutter attended an exhibit by Gilbert and George Prousch in his hometown. Gilbert and George were brothers who shared a strong love for visual art; together they took the everyday life of the average individual and turned it into their composition. This strongly influenced Schneider to use his craft to synthesize his artform into a digestible and universally accessible tangible item. 

Following the Gilbert and George expedition, Hutter purchased an unnamed synthesizer and became fascinated with the groundbreaking world of electronic composition. Hutter and Florian began to hone their craft using tools and skills they acquired during their time attending the Robert Schumann Hochschule, as well as their experience of live music composition they gained during their run with Organisation and from the Krautrock scene as a whole. 

During the early days of the band, their sound could be classified as a mix of what are now known as experimental rock, electronica, funk, and sound (an extremely grotesque and eclectic form of music that is essentially making noise) and is typically only recorded live and takes little to no mixing or compositional work). They worked alongside several musicians and composers to produce their first 3 albums between 1970 and 1974. In 1974 and 75, they were joined by Wolfgang flur and Karl Bartos; the addition of these two gentlemen played a significant role in the career of the band as they were constantly looking for new ways to create and compose music that had not yet been done; they were pioneering a new galaxy of possibilities in the universe that is music creation. Kraftwerk wasn’t always a huge success in the early days of the bands career, but it is a sure fact that their work has influenced the minds of many incredible producers and innovators in the present day and their legacy lives strong long after their prime. 

According to flashbak.com, Kraftwerk performed their first live show as well as first recorded show (though the recording is extremely hard to find) in Soest, West Germany, in the year of 1970. The show was recorded by Rockpalast (rock palace), a German music television show which broadcasted on WDR (a german radio show). 

Kraftwerk is still together; however, three of the four original members are now deceased. Ralf Hutter, the first of the two originators, is continuing to perform and release music with the help of Fritz Hilpert and Henning Schmitz, two members who joined in 1984 and 1991 that played minor roles in the band until the current day. 

“Kraftwerk’s beats laid the foundations for club music: for hip-hop, synth-pop, techno and house. The sounds they invented have been sampled by hundreds of artists, from Madonna to R.E.M, from Missy Elliott to Fergie.”  This sentence is from an article titled  “Why Kraftwerk are still the world’s most influential band.” Because of kraftwerks inventive mindset and outlandish sounds (which were groundbreaking at their time) Kraftwerk unlocked the doors to electronic composition and production by simply letting their curiosity and love for pushing boundaries of creation and what is mechanically possible; For this we fellow electronic music enthusiasts or children of the synthesizer owe much appreciation for the work they have done for not only themselves,but for generations as a whole. Kraftwerk’s legend should never die, long live the fathers of house,  viva la musica electronica.