After six previously failed nominations, Kraftwerk has been officially inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
German band Kraftwerk are widely regarded as the main influence behind today’s electronic dance music. Formed in 1969, they were one of the world’s first commercially successful music acts to incorporate the electronic sounds generated from things like synthesisers.
It seems crazy now, but when people first heard Kraftwerk in the ’70s and ’80s, it was also likely to be the first time they ever heard a synthesiser or drum machine.
Kraftwerk has an avant-garde approach to music and there were strong artistic concepts running through their sound, look and persona.
Originally, they were part of the experimental krautrock movement before fully embracing electronic sounds, and becoming the first electronica act. Many of the people who pioneered house and techno have referenced Kraftwerk as one of their main sources of inspiration.
The induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame comes a year after the death of their co-founder Florian Schneider, and the other members are Karl Bartos, Wolfgang Flür and Ralf Hütter.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame gave a statement saying: “Kraftwerk are the foundation upon which all synthesizer-based rock and electronic dance music is built.
“The band’s influence can be heard in the synth-pop of Depeche Mode, the electronic-rock integration of U2, the production techniques of Kanye West, and in countless EDM and dubstep artists.”
Other bands to be inducted into the hall of fame in 2021 include the Foo Fighters, Tina Turner, Jay-Z, The Go-Go’s, Carole King, Todd Rundgren and LL Cool J.
