Kraftwerk presents Der Katalog at Neue National Galerie Berlin / Tuesday 06.01. - 13.01.2015

This is one band who truly needs no introduction, such is the magnitude of their creative inspiration, innovation and influence. For many this is one of the longest awaited live concerts to take place in Berlin. A concept that started in 2012 at the MoMa in New York will now be brought to Berlin with legendary electronic pioneers Kraftwerk playing their entire catalogue with one album being presented in its entirity on 8 consecutive nights at the Neue Nationalgalerie. The unparalelled music is accompanied by a full 3D visual show to create an unmissable spectacle for fans of Krautrock and early electronic music or simply good pop.

httpv://https://youtube.com/watch?v=VXa9tXcMhXQ

Kraftwerk (German pronunciation: [ˈkʀaftvɛɐk], “power station”) are a German electronic music band formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970 in Düsseldorf, and fronted by them until Schneider’s departure in 2008.The signature Kraftwerk sound combines driving, repetitive rhythms with catchy melodies, mainly following a Western classical style of harmony, with a minimalistic and strictly electronic instrumentation. The group’s simplified lyrics are at times sung through a vocoder or generated by computer-speech software.

httpv://https://youtube.com/watch?v=qBGNlTPgQII

Kraftwerk were one of the first groups to popularize electronic music and are considered pioneers in the field.In the 1970s and early 1980s, Kraftwerk’s distinctive sound was revolutionary, and has had a lasting effect across many genres of modern music. According to The Observer, “no other band since the Beatles has given so much to pop culture” and a wide range of artists have been influenced by their music and image. In January 2014 the Grammy Academy honored Kraftwerk with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

httpv://https://youtube.com/watch?v=tfIDGqMigV0

Kraftwerk are seen as “electro-pop” pioneers. At their beginning, the band was inspired by the avant-garde compositions of Karlheinz Stockhausen. Hütter has also listed the Beach Boys as a major influence. Kraftwerk’s lyrics deal with post-war European urban life and technology—traveling by car on the Autobahn, traveling by train, using home computers, and the like.

httpv://https://youtube.com/watch?v=jT4cbAqDBs4

Usually, the lyrics are very minimal but reveal both an innocent celebration of, and a knowing caution about, the modern world, as well as playing an integral role in the rhythmic structure of the songs. Many of Kraftwerk’s songs express the paradoxical nature of modern urban life—a strong sense of alienation existing side-by-side with a celebration of the joys of modern technology. All of Kraftwerk’s albums from Radio-Activity onwards have been released in separate versions: one with German vocals for sale in Germany, Switzerland and Austria and one with English vocals for the rest of the world, with occasional variations in other languages when conceptually appropriate.