FLORIAN SCHNEIDERIn Our Time

Rafet Arslan: Understanding Kraftwerk Revolution

We heard the news on the death of one of the founders of German electronic music group Kraftwerk, Florian Schneider on May 6th 2020. Thereupon, Istanbul based artist who produces multi disciplinary work and curator Rafet Arslan joined my small investigation on the electronic music pioneer Kraftwerk.
Rafet is also a member of the “cyberpunk” project named Robotik Hayaller (Robotic Dreams) where they integrate punk, dark wave, kraut and progressive with their current sci-fi imagery.
HOW DID FLORIAN SCHNEIDER & KRAFTWERK REVOLUTIONIZE POPULAR MUSIC? 

To understand this revoution, one should look at the concert that aired live at the German TV WDR in 1970. In the beginning audience reacts with a mood that goes between surprise, anxiety and distress to the noise they are exposed to. The revolution is hidden in the primitive reaction they show with clapping and nodding with the first mechanic rhythm that rises.

It is also enough to compare the list of hit songs of the year 1970 and the sound space of this song to understand this breaking.

MACHINES MAKING MUSIC. REPETITIONS. TECHNOLOGY. WHICH IDEAS FLOURISH IN KRAFTWERK'S MUSIC?

The proto-cyber pririt in the core of romantism, Čapek's R.U.R. game and surrealist phantasy are the first pioneers. Later comes the sound and noise web that provokes daily live with the perspective of the future now” calling ambient, techno and post-punkAnd from behind rises Kraftwerk saying “We are the band of Metropolis”.

3 essential Kraftwerk songs?

Showroom Dummies

The Hall of Mirrors

Trans-Europe Express

IF YOU WERE TO CHOOSE ONE?

Showroom Dummies. Because the desire of dummies coming to life breaking the showroom window is to go to the club and dance. This desire undoubtedly carries the dreams of the surrealist revolution that blow an uncanny desire to inanimate or mechanical, to the post-industrial city.

BONUS: IS THERE A NEW ROBOTIK HAYALLER PROJECT COMING?

Two days after the first death news came from Covid-19 in Turkey, the latest video of Robotik Hayaller get into circulation. Now that the post-apocalyptic circumstances that we’ve been waiting for so long has arrived, we discuss how to continue to the sound and noise in digital life. This discussion will undoubtedly be followed by action.

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