Few acts have done as much to advance the cause of electronic music as Kraftwerk. They were among the most prominent progenitors of the genre when they burst onto West Germany’s krautrock scene in 1970. Since then, Ralf Hutter and his rotating cast of support have inspired multiple generations of artists to meld human creativity with computerized capabilities to create a whole new world of sound. This world has long since left the confines of the warehouses in Dusseldorf, Detroit, and London. Nowadays, electronic music is as likely to draw colorful ravers to a blacktop in San Bernardino as it is a more buttoned-up crowd to the Hollywood Bowl, or, in the case of Kraftwerk, to a nine-night retrospective at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of their album Autobahn, Ralf and company set up shop inside the Frank Gehry-designed building for a series of performances spanning their entire eight-album catalog. Each of the first eight shows was curated around a specific album, alongside a selection of other songs from their discography. The ninth night would feature a compilation of tracks spanning Kraftwerk’s five decades in music.
All of the performances mesmerized audiences with visuals and sounds that were at once retro and more relevant than they’ve ever been. “Computer World” and “Home Computer” harkened back to the early days of home computing, with images of a PC splashed across a massive screen behind the band. Having those tracks kick off the proceedings during the seventh night also showed just how prescient Kraftwerk proved to be—especially now that seemingly everyone carries a personal computer in their pocket.
“Spacelab”, with its visuals of spacecrafts launching to and from Earth, presaged the current proliferation of satellites and other orbital objects that surround our planet. Songs like “The Man-Machine” and “The Robots” connected all too clearly to the modern-day anxiety around artificial intelligence. And with the world currently facing catastrophic conflicts on multiple fronts, amid an overall rise in aggressive tensions, the fear of a nuclear disaster portrayed in “Radioactivity” felt as real as it ever has, at least since the end of the Cold War.
Kraftwerk’s relevance extends beyond recurring themes of existential dread, though. Their music can actually be quite playful and jovial at times—as best exemplified by the joy ride-inspired Autobahn and the motivational bops of Tour de France Soundtracks. Perhaps most exciting about any Kraftwerk show, particularly for younger generations, are the bits of the band’s long-reaching influence that excite eardrums everywhere.
Though “Trans-Europe Express” is a classic in its own right, the song has taken on even greater significance over the years, thanks to the artists who have sampled it. First came Afrika Bambaataa and Soulsonic Force, who were angling for a Kraftwerk tribute when they produced “Planet Rock” in 1982. A quarter century later, the rapper Common incorporated “Planet Rock”—and, by extension, “Trans-Europe Express”—in the title track of his 2008 album Universal Mind Control.
Arguably the most famous and recognizable of Kraftwerk’s influences came in 2005, when Coldplay built its song “Talk” around the melody from “Computer Love”. Those attendees at Kraftwerk’s Disney Hall shows who weren’t previously familiar with that relation were quickly awakened to it as soon as the band busted into the song’s widely known refrain.
Any opportunity to see Kraftwerk live doubles as a window into the history of modern music. Though the group’s latest American sojourn is over, fans of the electronic pioneers can catch them in Austria, Switzerland, Finland, and Japan in July, before Kraftwerk returns to its native Germany in September to delight fans in Dresden. For a full list of upcoming shows and to purchase tickets, visit the band’s website.
Kraftwerk – Walt Disney Concert Hall – Los Angeles, CA – 5/25/24
[Video: Kraftwerk Archives]