Why Isn't Kraftwerk A Household Name?! They're the Godfathers of Electronic Music

It really boggles my mind why these guys aren't a very well known band (at least as well known as say Pink Floyd, Zeppelin, The Doors, Stones, Beatles, etc. Different music obviously but you get the point). I fully acknowledge that Kraftwerk wasn't the first Electronic Music artist ever or the first artist to use synthesizers & electronics in their music (She wasn't the first, but I'd say Wendy Carlos' Switched on Bach really stands head & shoulders above any artist who's used synths & electronics before) 7 there are other great electronic artists/bands like Tangerine Dream who were their contemporaries as well (I'm a big TD fan too), however Kraftwerk essentially showed that you can make popular music using solely electronics & synths.

I mean, these guys didn't just influence electronic music, they also influenced hip hop as well with Afrika Bambatta's (spelling?) Planet Rock among others. I didn't experience the 80's but I always get the impression that most popular 80s music had extensive use of synths & electronics & you can just hear the influence Kraftwerk had on that.

These two videos I believe encapsulate Kraftwerk's influence overall on music as a whole.





I listen to Kraftwerk fairly regularly as well (I'd say Autobahn, Ralf & Florian & Trans Europe Express & Computer World are my favorites).

I know a lot of people hate electronic music & lump it all together with acts from the EDM scene & say it's not real music (They've clearly never listened to Kraftwerk, Carlos' Switched on Bach or Tangerine Dream) so I can understand the neglect electronic music gets, however a vast majority of contemporary music utilizes synths/electronics on some level (at least a lot of popular music).

I'm a big fan of electronic music in general but I just don't understand why Kraftwerk isn't a very well known band like some of those other bands mentioned above.

They should be.

Tour de France will be fresh fifty years from now. Judge me.
 
Giorgio Moroder is more of a pioneer in the genre IMO.
 
TOUR DE FRAAAAAAAAAAANCE


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The way I got into them was by way of New Order, Yaz and Depeche Mode in the 80s. When I started digging into electronic music I found Kraftwerk and Yello. Although I really did enjoy certain tracks I never really fell in love with Kraftwerk.
 
I think I saw one of them tapping his toe.

 
Giorgio Moroder is more of a pioneer in the genre IMO.

Ya know, I listened to some of his catalog & I wasn't too crazy about it. That said, I really did like his album "From Here to Eternity". That has definitely gotta be his magnum opus. I listened to the album before that one & his "E=MC2" album & wasn't very impressed. I can totally see how he's a pioneer just from that "FHTE" album tho, it's a great album.
 
I had a co-worker who went to Coachella back in the day. Since we were Active Duty (I was his direct supervisor), I told him to have fun and not to keep his @$$ out of trouble (the inhaled kind).

He said "Yeah, some group named Kraftwerk is going to be there."

I said... "If you like any electronic music at ALL (and he loved electronic music), you MUST see Kraftwerk.

He came back and said that was the best advice anyone ever gave him.
 
I had a co-worker who went to Coachella back in the day. Since we were Active Duty (I was his direct supervisor), I told him to have fun and not to keep his @$$ out of trouble (the inhaled kind).

He said "Yeah, some group named Kraftwerk is going to be there."

I said... "If you like any electronic music at ALL (and he loved electronic music), you MUST see Kraftwerk.

He came back and said that was the best advice anyone ever gave him.

I hope I get the opportunity to see them one of these days. Even tho it’s just Ralf Hutter (spelling?) & the other founders left, they’re still a must see band. It looks like most of their tours are in Europe & overseas these days tho. Hopefully they do a States tour before it’s too late, Ralf’s getting up there in age.
 
Ya know, I listened to some of his catalog & I wasn't too crazy about it. That said, I really did like his album "From Here to Eternity". That has definitely gotta be his magnum opus. I listened to the album before that one & his "E=MC2" album & wasn't very impressed. I can totally see how he's a pioneer just from that "FHTE" album tho, it's a great album.

His work on the Scarface soundtrack and score is too notch, too.
 
I had a co-worker who went to Coachella back in the day. Since we were Active Duty (I was his direct supervisor), I told him to have fun and not to keep his @$$ out of trouble (the inhaled kind).

He said "Yeah, some group named Kraftwerk is going to be there."

I said... "If you like any electronic music at ALL (and he loved electronic music), you MUST see Kraftwerk.

He came back and said that was the best advice anyone ever gave him.
you ever check out YMO?
 
People don’t remember the caveman musicians from back in the day? Probably more influential than Floyd or the Stones Psh don’t talk to me

You people and your bands from the past century...1800 music was where it was at
 
I'm a little late to the conversation but I have a few ideas on why they aren't too well known. Take them how you wish.

Anything considered avant-garde at the time of its inception doesn't seem to go over too well with the mainstream. I guess that's why it would be considered avant-garde. Kraftwerk, to me at least, was much more cutting edge than Black Sabbath, The Beatles, and Floyd. Add that with the "this electronic shit has no soul sentiment", which still persists even today, and it gets pushed out to the fringes even further.

There's a HUGE electronic music history to look at and, as such, it's tough to nail down the fathers of the genre. Who were Kraftwerk influenced by? Most likely Stockhausen, Reich, Glass, and Babbitt to name a few. Each one of those brought something unique to the table. After Kraftwerk there are people like Aphex Twin, BT, Bjork, OMD and many others that followed up Kraftwerk's contributions with their own.

I agree that, nowadays, it's difficult to find something new and fresh in the electronic music genre, especially with all its genre splits. Everyone wants to be super special, which, in the end, makes them all just another band that few want to listen to. Of course, if one looks to the mainstream electronic music of today, one would never find the "Kraftwerk" of this generation simply because they were not doing what would get airplay.

Oh, and Kraftwerk did not write the Popcorn Song...
 
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