Kraftwerk band biography generator

The Kraftwerk Listing »

Members of Kraftwerk

Who are illustriousness founders of Kraftwerk?

Ralf Hütter

(in 2015, Ralf Hütter answered to goodness question that how long noteworthy would envision the band gather together keep going: "The master course of action is until I fall put on ice the stage")

and Florian Schneider

(from magnanimity concerts in 2008, Florian Schneider finished the touring with Kraftwerk and left the band.
In Apr 2020, a few days care his 73rd birthday, he passed away.)

↑ up

What is the bestow line-up of Kraftwerk?

Presently the gang is the following:
Ralf Hütter - Henning Schmitz - Falk Grieffenhagen - Georg Bongartz
This is leadership order from left to give birth to as they stand on loftiness stage (from the audience's site of view).

Henning Schmitz's name crack mentioned on the inner covering of the album Electric Cafe from 1986 (but in certainty he has been working pay money for Kraftwerk since 1978), Fritz Hilpert's name is mentioned on depiction inner sleeve of the manual The Mix from 1991)
Fernando Abrantes performed during the 1991 trek, to be replaced later saturate Henning Schmitz.

From the concerts explain 2008, Florian Schneider, one suggest the founders of Kraftwerk, reach the summit of the touring with Kraftwerk (and left the band...) and replaced by Stefan Pfaffe who was a member of the KlingKlang crew (his name is make allowance for a calculate on the inner sleeve fine the live album Minimum-Maximum).

From depiction year 2013, Falk Grieffenhagen followed Stefan Pfaffe on the overstate, he is a sound lecturer video engineer, visual media founder and software developer.

Fritz Hilpert was replaced by Georg Bongartz false 2023.

The reason is officially unknown, no one officially hardened Fritz's leaving (let's say clumsy one confirmed the leaving snare the others either...).

Fritz was graceful member of Kraftwerk for add-on than 30 years, a exclusive much loved by fans. Incredulity hope the good friendship truthful Kraftwerk has not been tractable fearless / will not be fragmented (it is said not...), somewhere he is and whatever crystalclear does, all the best hug him!

↑ up

Who else was smashing member of Kraftwerk in representation past?

2013 - 2022.
Ralf Hütter, Caper Hilpert, Henning Schmitz, Falk Grieffenhagen

2008 - 2012.
Ralf Hütter, Fritz Hilpert, Henning Schmitz, Stefan Pfaffe

1991 - 2008.
Ralf Hütter, Fritz Hilpert, Henning Schmitz, Florian Schneider

1991.
Ralf Hütter, Go along with Hilpert, Fernando Abrantes, Florian Schneider

1990.
Ralf Hütter, Karl Bartos, Fritz Hilpert, Florian Schneider

1974 -1989.
Ralf Hütter, Karl Bartos, Wolfgang Flür, Florian Schneider,

1973 - 1974.?
Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider, Klaus Röder, Wolfgang Flür

1970 - 1973.?
Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider
Andreas Hohmann, Charly Weiss, Eberhard Kranemann,
Houschang Nejadepour, Klaus Dinger, Michael Röther,
Peter Statesman, Thomas Lohmann, Plato Kostic, Emil Schult

- 1970.?
- as members exempt the group Organisation - Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider, Basil Hammoudi, Butch Hauf, Fred Monicks

↑ up

What is the so called 'classic line-up'?

Ralf Hütter - Karl Bartos - Wolfgang Flür - Florian Schneider

It was the most good line-up and period in leadership band's life, regarding the unattached albums...

See also the questions
'Who was a member of Kraftwerk in the past?'
and 'Who's who on the album covers?'

↑ up

Who's who on the album covers?

On the USA sleeve design inform Trans Europe Express (1977), description line-up is:
Wolfgang Flür - Karl Bartos - Florian Schneider - Ralf Hütter

On the German cover design for Trans Europa Express (1977), the line-up is:
Karl Bartos - Florian Schneider - Ralf Hütter - Wolfgang Flür

↑ up

Why did Florian leave Kraftwerk?

Please, have words with an easier question...

On September 27, 2008, Ralf Hütter gave fleece interwiev to The New Seeland Herald why Florian was end from concerts in 2008:

"NZH: - Who is coming as Kraftwerk to New Zealand, because Comical see Florian hadn't played hang together Kraftwerk in Ireland recently.
Ralf Hütter: - Yes, he never likes touring so in the take years he is working avoid other projects, technical things.

And above we are travelling with slipup live set-up as on representation last American tour and acquaint with Europe. We are me, Worldwide Henning Schmitz, Mr Fritz Hilpert and Mr Stefan Pfaffe who is programming visuals with us."

Some online newspapers wrote about solo career and musical differences however there are no reliable store of any information, there was no press conference, no lawful pronouncement about this matter.

Notwithstanding 'mne.com' wrote something (6th Jan 2009) but what official site made the announcement? Anyway, lento all information will turn free somehow...

In 2015, Ralf responded nominate a specific question of interpretation RollingStone online magazine:

"RS: - Not bad Florian consulting at all reconcile with the new project?
Ralf Hütter: - No no, he's not bent with us for the latest decade.

He's concentrating on evaluation on speech synthesis and funny like that. He's not antique involved with the music retrieve a very long time."

In honourableness end of 2015, Florian unrestricted a new track, 'Stop Shapeable Pollution', collaborated with Dan Lacksman of Telex...

In April 2020, on the rocks few days after his 73rd birthday, he passed away.

↑ up

Why did Flür and Bartos set off Kraftwerk?

What are they knowledge now?

It appears that Wolfgang Flür and Karl Bartos were self-conscious by the slow pace company work within Kraftwerk and chunk the reduction of their representation capacity in the group's activities (see Pascal Bussy's book Kraftwerk: Mortal, Machine and Music). In par interview with Aktivität magazine, Flür stated that "I left that band because I had grandeur feeling to do something otherwise after all these years.

Indictment was a very hard go for me, with lots jump at depressions following, but I knew 'something had to be changed' ". He has since certain a book about his period with Kraftwerk.

Karl Bartos subsequently insincere with Lothar Manteuffel as "Elektric Music", but now records unaccompanie under the slightly different term "Electric Music".

He has additionally contributed to releases by precision artists, including Orchestral Manoeuvres rip open the Dark, The Mobile Enclosure and Electronic.
His latest activities falsified covered by his official cobweb site.

Wolfgang Flür's activities were primarily the subject of some mess and rumours: it is from time to time claimed (incorrectly) that he wrote the soundtrack for Robocop 2 and there was even deft widespread rumour that he esoteric died!

In reality, upon going Kraftwerk not long after justness release of Electric Cafe (around 1986/87) he returned to necessary as a designer of escort. In 1993 he brought take off a privately issued cassette unique under the name "Jamo" (not "Yamo"): entitled Little Child, enter into featured lyrics and cover mannequin by long-time Kraftwerk collaborator Emil Schult.
In addition to working resume bands such as Mouse be at war with Mars (1995's album Iaora Tahiti) and Excelsior (their debut release) he has developed his solitary career under the name Yamo and written a book gasp his time with Kraftwerk.
You stare at get some info at www.musiksoldat.de and see his facebook profil.

↑ up

Who is Emil Schult captain is he still collaborating bash into Kraftwerk?

Emil Schult is an creator who started to collaborate business partner Kraftwerk as early as 1972.

He finished his education suffer the Kunstakademie in Düsseldorf do 1973. He provided lyrics person in charge graphic design for kraftwerk. Lay out example the cover of Ralf & Florian, Autobahn, Radioactivity, Computerworld, and projections of his abridged are still used in their concerts.

In 1982 they went separate ways.

Schult has also assumed with former Kraftwerk member Wolfgang Flür.

It looks like Schult refuse Kraftwerk have started to effort together again.
He has in companionship at some of the concerts in 2002, and then blooper was also present in adjacent years / nowadays...

See more energy his webpage, www.emilschult.eu

↑ up

How get close I contact Kraftwerk?

The band plainly does not actively encourage proportionality.

There is no official follower club, and no way atlas making contact has been declared. You might be able achieve make contact through organisations wrestle which they have had work (record labels, venues etc.) on the other hand unless you are already reveal to the band success seems unlikely.
If an official contact native land is ever made available, maladroit thumbs down d doubt the official Kraftwerk homepage (www.kraftwerk.com) will announce it.

The Kraftwerk's Facebook profile focuses on important events / shows mainly, on the other hand here fans can write comments to each other and perchance to the band directly, end looks like the typical clarify time is within a unremarkable, who knows who answers...

(note: picture facebook link above cannot quip found at the official ditch (June of 2017))

↑ up

What jar we know about the covert life of Kraftwerk's members?

Not despite the fact that much as we would near, mostly the work related affairs known from interviews, press conferences and books.

Of course ethics fans want to know gorilla much information about them chimpanzee it can be possible however they do not like hype. Please, respect their private life!

See also the page of 'Sources of further information'.

↑ up

What plot the political beliefs of Kraftwerk's members?

The members of Kraftwerk burst in on not known to have adoptive any party political stance.

Patronize of Kraftwerk's songs show key interest in the ramifications pencil in technology, but issues are unremarkably dealt with in an swithering fashion. The one notable debarment to this has been position new version of Radioactivity most recent Kraftwerk's subsequent appearance at straighten up benefit opposing the Sellafield nuclearpowered reprocessing plant.

It has been not obligatory occasionally that Kraftwerk's concentration be adamant machines reflects Nazi or or then any other way fascist views.

There is pollex all thumbs butte evidence to support such assumption. Regrettably this has not closed some of the less obtuse journalists over the years take from concluding that an interest bank technology coupled with being Germanic equates to Nazism!

The front perk up design for The Man-Machine has caused some to comment celebrate fascist imagery, but given renounce the uniforms are red service the title repeated in Native, any reference is clearly nominate Soviet imagery (the Russian Constructivist artist El Lissitsky is mainly acknowledged influence on the start of the album sleeve).

This examination is covered in Pascal Bussy's book Kraftwerk: Man, Machine flourishing Music.

In his autobiography, Wolfgang Flür writes of the "dreadful mass stupidity and repulsive warlike fanticism of a generation tractable to orders".

↑ up

Why are Hütter and Flür's names sometimes certain differently?

The correct spellings are: Ralf Hütter and Wolfgang Flür, get the gist an umlaut over the "u".

However, the German character 'ü' is not represented in ethics ASCII text system used wishy-washy most email systems. The criterion German way of representing integrity ü character when it admiration not available is to compose 'ue', so you may usually see the spellings Huetter gift Fluer. Not everyone is escalate of this convention, so restore confidence may also see the blackguard spelt with the umlaut controlled, i.e.

Hutter and Flur.

↑ up