Good morning.

It’s Friday so we’re playing something more upbeat. Today we’re listening to Kraftwerk, a German krautrock band. Earlier this week one of Kraftwerk’s two founders, Florian Schneider, passed away at age 73. He and his co-founder, Ralf Hütter, started making weird electronic music together in Düsseldorf in 1970. What they created with acoustic and electronic instruments over the next 30 years would influence the pioneers of genres like house, art rock, and hip-hop. We’re playing some of Kraftwerk’s early albums that put them on the map. 1974’s Autobahn opens with their breakout hit, a 22-minute song whose radio edit reached #25 on the Billboard charts. Their next two albums are a bit more experimental and contain the seeds of much of our favorite music.

Autobahn by Kraftwerk (40m, some vocals) Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Google Play / Tidal

Radio-Activity by Kraftwerk (40m, yes vocals) Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Google Play / Tidal

Trans Europe Express by Kraftwerk (40m, vocals again) Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Google Play / Tidal

Have a really nice Friday and weekend.