How did Kraftwerk differ from the synth pioneers before them? There were no furrowed brows, as you had with Silver Applesâ repetitive oscillations or Tangerine Dreamâs sleepy soundscapes; no attempt to mimic existing instrumentation like Wendy Carlos and her million-selling Switched-On Bach; no squelchy camp like Hot Butter (whose instrumental âPopcornâ was a number one in â72). Kraftwerk made synthesizers sound effortless, andâcruciallyâthey made them seem part of our world. Their power was the reversal of expectation; they humanized synthesizers through their intensity of melody and tone. âWe are not into morality, but realism. Weâre not trying to create some kind of safe, âBaby I love youâ kind of atmosphere, but to put some realism into it,â Ralf HĂŒtter told Interview magazine in 1977. They were romantic realists, though, and described âAutobahnâ as the sound of cars singing.
From Chapter 42: This is Tomorrow: Kraftwerk and Electropop in Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!: The Story of Pop Music from Bill Haley to Beyoncé by Bob Stanley, out now in paperback and ebook. Listen to the Chapter 42 playlist on Spotify.