Electronic Music Innovations

I decided to do this entry on Ralf Hutter and Florian Schneider of kraftwerk. I chose them to write about because ther are composers, technical innovators, and artists. I figured as a guy who knows next to nothing about electronic music they would be the easiest to write about.

            Ralf and Florian met while in school in Dusseldorf but they did not know they would become two of the most influential artist/producers/inavators in electronic music. After a little while as a “normal” band, Ralf and Florian decided to go a different direction of their own.  They took on machines and help push forward the electronic revolution. This electronic revolution grabbed the attention of Ralf and Florian, this was a new unique sound that was one that they could make their own. They took non-traditional instruments to start to create their sounds.

           

            Their uses of electronic sounds to create their music left them open to create their own “instruments”.  There was never really any products that were available to them to create the sound they were looking for. This meant they were able to create and modify their own instruments to create sounds that they wanted. Until the introduction of electronic, the doors were opened for electronic instruments to be used in music. Some electronic instruments had found their way into popular musc before then. Instruments like the Theremin had been used in parts of popular music but it wasn’t till kraftwerk and the expansion of electronic music did these types of “instruments” become wildly accepted.  The other part about their music that has made them so influential was the fact that their music is electronic. Because their music was electronic that meant the music was “tight”. It didn’t have the flow of music played by a human. These precise beats lead their music to be easily sampled. Samples and sounds of Kraftwerk can still be heard in music today and not just other electronic music but even in Rock and Hip Hop music. Kraftwerks music is still being sampled some 40 years after it was first played, Kraftwek is one of the most influential bands of the Electonic Revolution.

            This music doesn’t really do anything for me as a listener, maybe because I am not a 26 year old musician living in post war Germany in the early 70’s or maybe because to me to be a musician you have to play an instrument. I am not going to sit here and say that they aren’t an influential band because their music can still be heard sampled in many songs but to me they aren’t something that I as a listener or as a professional they more then likely will not be an influence on my music.