Editing Kraftwerk (section)

=== Formation and early years (1970–1973) ===
[[Florian Schneider]] (flutes, synthesizers, violin) and [[Ralf Hütter]] (organ, synthesizers) met as students at the [[Robert Schumann Hochschule]] in Düsseldorf in the late 1960s, participating in the German [[experimental music]] and art scene of the time, which ''[[Melody Maker]]'' jokingly dubbed "[[krautrock]]".<ref name="Bussy">{{cite book |last=Bussy |first=Pascal |title=Kraftwerk—Man, Machine & Music |publisher=SAF Publishing |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-946719-70-9}}</ref>{{page needed|date=April 2019}}

They joined a quintet known as [[Organisation (band)|Organisation]], which released one album, ''[[Tone Float]]'' in 1970, issued on [[RCA Records]] in the UK, and split shortly thereafter.<ref>Pascal Bussy: "Kraftwerk: Man, Machine and Music", SAF Publishing Ltd., Reprinted 1993, 1997, 1999, {{ISBN|978-0-946719-70-9}}</ref> Schneider became interested in synthesizers,  deciding to acquire one in 1970. While visiting an exhibition in their hometown about visual artists [[Gilbert and George]], they see "two men wearing suits and ties, claiming to bring art into everyday life. The same year, Hütter and Schneider started bringing everyday life into art and form Kraftwerk".<ref name="Rogers">{{cite news |first=Jude |last=Rogers |author-link=Jude Rogers |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/jan/27/kraftwerk-most-influential-electronic-band-tate |title=Why Kraftwerk are still the world's most influential band |newspaper=The Observer |date=27 January 2013 |access-date=27 January 2013 |archive-date=2 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230902181559/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/jan/27/kraftwerk-most-influential-electronic-band-tate |url-status=live }}</ref>

Early Kraftwerk line-ups from 1970 to 1974 fluctuated, as Hütter and Schneider worked with around a half-dozen other musicians during the preparations for and the recording of three albums and sporadic live appearances, including guitarist [[Michael Rother]] and drummer [[Klaus Dinger]], who left to form [[Neu!]].<ref name="Bussy" />{{page needed|date=April 2019}} The only constant figure in these line-ups was Schneider, whose main instrument at the time was the flute; at times he also played the violin and guitar, all processed through a varied array of electronic devices. Hütter, who left the band for eight months to focus on completing his university studies, played synthesizer and keyboards (including Farfisa organ and electric piano).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Michael Rother |url=https://www.redbullmusicacademy.com/lectures/michael-rother-tokyo-2014/?utm_source=chatgpt.com |access-date=2025-05-14 |website=www.redbullmusicacademy.com |language=en}}</ref>

The band released two free-form experimental rock albums, ''[[Kraftwerk (album)|Kraftwerk]]'' (1970) and ''[[Kraftwerk 2]]'' (1972). The albums were mostly exploratory musical improvisations played on a variety of traditional instruments including guitar, bass, drums, organ, flute, and violin. Post-production modifications to these recordings were used to distort the sound of the instruments, particularly audio-tape manipulation and multiple dubbings of one instrument on the same track. Both albums are purely instrumental. Live performances from 1972 to 1973 were mostly made as a duo, using a simple beat-box-type electronic [[drum machine]] with preset rhythms taken from an electric organ. Occasionally, they performed with bass players as well. These shows were mainly in Germany, with occasional shows in France.<ref name="Bussy" />{{page needed|date=April 2019}} Later in 1973, [[Wolfgang Flür]] joined the group for rehearsals, and the unit performed as a trio on the television show ''Aspekte'' for German television network [[ZDF]].<ref name="iwasarobot">{{cite book |last=Flür |first=Wolfgang |author-link=Wolfgang Flür |title='Kraftwerk': I Was A Robot |publisher=Sanctuary Publishing |year=1993 |isbn=978-1-86074-417-4}}</ref>

With ''[[Ralf und Florian]]'', released in 1973, Kraftwerk began to rely more heavily on synthesizers and drum machines. Although almost entirely instrumental, the album marks Kraftwerk's first use of the [[vocoder]] in the song "Ananas Symphonie" (Pineapple Symphony,) which became one of its musical signatures. According to English music journalist [[Simon Reynolds]], Kraftwerk were influenced by what he called the "adrenalized insurgency" of Detroit artists of the late '60s [[MC5]] and [[the Stooges]].<ref name="Reynolds">{{cite book |last=Simon |first=Reynolds |author-link=Simon Reynolds |title=Generation Ecstasy: into the world of techno and rave culture |publisher=Routledge |year=1999}}</ref>

The input, expertise, and influence of producer and engineer [[Conny Plank|Konrad "Conny" Plank]] was highly significant in the early years of Kraftwerk. Plank also worked with many of the other leading German electronic acts of that time, including members of [[Can (band)|Can]], [[Neu!]], [[Cluster (band)|Cluster]], and [[Harmonia (band)|Harmonia]]. As a result of his work with Kraftwerk, Plank's studio near [[Cologne]] became one of the most sought-after studios in the late 1970s. Plank co-produced the first four Kraftwerk albums.<ref name="Bussy" />{{page needed|date=April 2019}}