Kraftwerk (pronounced German for "power station") is a German musical group which has made significant contributions to the development of experimental and electronic music. The band was founded by Florian Schneider-Esleben and Ralf Hütter in 1970, but became widely known as a quartet consisting of Wolfgang Flür and Karl Bartos alongside the founding members.
The techniques Kraftwerk introduced, together with the equipment they adopted, are now commonplace in modern music. They have been a major influence on the popular music of the end of the 20th century, often considered of comparable status to The Beatles.
Kraftwerk was founded in 1970 by Florian Schneider-Esleben (flute) and Ralf Hütter (keyboards), the pair setting up their Kling Klang studio in Düsseldorf. The two had met as students at the Düsseldorf Conservatory in the late 1960s, participating in the experimental music scene of the time which the UK music press dubbed "Krautrock".
Early Kraftwerk line-ups (1970-1974) fluctuated, Hütter and Schneider working with around half a doz...
| years active | 1970–present |
| country | Germany |
| status | Active |
| music genre | Electronic music Krautrock |
| current members | Ralf Hütter Florian Schneider Fritz Hilpert Henning Schmitz |
| past members | Wolfgang Flür Karl Bartos |
| website | Official Website |
