# Is it fair to say that Kraftwerk are the most influential band ever?



## Argus (Oct 16, 2009)

Well, is it?


----------



## Vazgen (May 24, 2011)

They didn't sell many records, but everyone who bought one later started a software company.

-Vaz


----------



## regressivetransphobe (May 16, 2011)

I wish, but marketing and hype matters more than technical innovations when it comes to influence, and the sad fact is more people count The Beatles as an inspiration. You'll be lucky if Kraftwerk is more than a brand of cheese to most friends.


----------



## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Probably, but they also unwittingly left their DNA over virtually every dodgy synthipop offering that blighted the charts ever since The Model was a hit.


----------



## kv466 (May 18, 2011)

As fair as it is to insert any of my influences in its place and call it such


----------



## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

If you mean in terms of electronica, why Kraftwerk instead of Tangerine Dream? Aside from the robotic singing there is not that much difference between them, and TD had been at it a bit longer than Kraftwerk. But for some reason people think of Tangerine Dream as some kind of New Age. They are chock full of elegantly simple dance beats. They are perhaps not as 8 bit and chippy sounding as Kraftwerk, but neither is 9/10 of today's electronica.

Or maybe I just don't like Kraftwerk that much.


----------



## regressivetransphobe (May 16, 2011)

We could dip deeper and mention Cluster, too. Like those other two bands, they started doing massive, semi-acoustic improvisations, and later grew a bit more structurally conventional while innovating with synths and paving the way to stuff like house and electropop. Popular music owes a lot to the old experimental German stuff.

But come on, Cluster aren't the most influential band ever, and I don't think Tangerine Dream are either. Kraftwerk might be near the same level as those bands musically, but they were clever and successfully sold a simple and memorable image to the public, so they're more of a household name.


----------



## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Weston said:


> If you mean in terms of electronica, why Kraftwerk instead of Tangerine Dream? Aside from the robotic singing there is not that much difference between them, and TD had been at it a bit longer than Kraftwerk.


Kraftwerk released their first album in 1969, Tangerine Dream in 1970.


----------



## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Although both influential in their own way Kraftwerk really parted company once and for all with TD when they released Autobahn. TD were more to do with lush soundscapes and letting your mind wander whereas Kraftwerk became obsessed with portraying mundane urbanism with coldness and clarity. Very broadly speaking Tangerine Dream influenced trippy groups like The Orb and trance music in general, Kraftwerk the poppier groups like Depeche Mode.


----------



## Argus (Oct 16, 2009)

Weston said:


> If you mean in terms of electronica, why Kraftwerk instead of Tangerine Dream? Aside from the robotic singing there is not that much difference between them, and TD had been at it a bit longer than Kraftwerk. But for some reason people think of Tangerine Dream as some kind of New Age. They are chock full of elegantly simple dance beats. They are perhaps not as 8 bit and chippy sounding as Kraftwerk, but neither is 9/10 of today's electronica.
> 
> Or maybe I just don't like Kraftwerk that much.


I think Kraftwerk took electronic music to a wider audience than any artist before them. Up until then most electronic music was pretty experimental stuff like Stockhausen, Leuning, Ussachevsky, Dockstader etc. There were the odd exception like Raymond Scott, some Tom Dissevelt and Dick Raaijmakers, Bruce Haack and there were the prog rock bands that used Moogs and such.

From 1962:





I think Krafwerk took the direction these guys were taking and made it that bit more dancable and melodic.

The other reason for Krafterk being chosen is just the sheer number of artists that followed that cite them as an influence. Most of those New Wave/Synthpop bands in the early 80's were more interested in the Kraftwerk style of electronic music than the other German bands. The early pioneers of electro, then into house and techno, would say they were basically fusing funk, disco and Kraftwerk. I think it accumulates into any electronic pop or dance musician either taking influence directly from Kraftwerk or being influenced by an artist who was.


----------



## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

The Kraftwerk are for sure one of the most influential bands, but what about velvet underground,rolling stones, beatles, black sabbath. I don't know if it's possible to pick just one band


----------



## Argus (Oct 16, 2009)

norman bates said:


> The Kraftwerk are for sure one of the most influential bands, but what about velvet underground,rolling stones, beatles, black sabbath. I don't know if it's possible to pick just one band


Apart from maybe The Beatles, Kraftwerk were the only one of those bands whose influence wasn't limited to various kinds of rock music (or what later became metal). You can still hear quite a big Kraftwerk influence in the charts in recent years with artists like Lady Gaga, La Roux, Rihanna, that Mark Ronson track, and you can definitely hear it in dance music even today.


----------



## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Lady Gaga, La Roux, Rihanna...hmm...I get the impression that any Kraftwerk influence in their cases possibly came diluted second or third hand via other acts rather than from Kraftwerk directly unless that is what you actually meant. But you are right, Argus - Kraftwerk's influence did and still does cover a wide spectrum of music (both the good and the questionable).


----------



## Argus (Oct 16, 2009)

elgars ghost said:


> Lady Gaga, La Roux, Rihanna...hmm...I get the impression that any Kraftwerk influence in their cases possibly came diluted second or third hand via other acts rather than from Kraftwerk directly unless that is what you actually meant. But you are right, Argus - Kraftwerk's influence did and still does cover a wide spectrum of music (both the good and the questionable).





Argus said:


> I think it accumulates into any electronic pop or dance musician either taking influence directly from Kraftwerk or being influenced by an artist who was.


So Lady Gaga or Rihanna might not heve even heard Kraftwerk's music but they will have heard some of the synthpop or electronic dance music inspired by them. You could prabably say the same for the Beatles to some extent but I don't think their influence is as readily apparent when listening to the music and is more from the our knowledge of musical heritage.

Like you said in your other post, I think Kraftwerk were the _main_ influence on the pop side of synthesizer music, whilst a host of artists influenced the more experimental side.


----------

