Kraftwerk (Photo courtesy Falcon Publicity)
Electronic pioneers Kraftwerk launched their major 2022 North American 3-D concert tour recently, and they are set to perform at The Anthem in DC on Sunday, June 19.
Kraftwerk was started in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider as a multimedia project. They set up their Kling Klang Studio in Düsseldorf, Germany, where they conceived and produced all Kraftwerk albums. By the mid-1970s, Kraftwerk had achieved international recognition for their revolutionary electronic soundscapes and their musical experimentation with robotics and other technological innovations.
With their visions of the future, Kraftwerk created the soundtrack for the digital age. Using innovative techniques, synthetic voices, and computerized rhythms, their compositions have had a major international influence across a huge range of music genres: from electro to hip-hop, from techno to synth-pop, and beyond.
Stream “Trans-Europe Express” by Kraftwerk on YouTube:
In their live performances today, Kraftwerk — Ralf Hütter, Henning Schmitz, Fritz Hilpert, and Falk Grieffenhagen — make vivid their belief in the contributions of both man and machine. In recent years, starting with the 2012 retrospective of their catalogue at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Kraftwerk have returned full circle to their origins within the Düsseldorf art scene of the late 1960s. The 3-D concert series at MoMA was followed by further presentations at Tate Modern Turbine Hall in London, Akasaka Blitz in Tokyo, Sydney Opera House, Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, and Guggenheim Museum Bilbao.
In 2014, Ralf Hütter and his former partner were honored with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. The group celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2020, and, in 2021, Kraftwerk were recognized for their ground-breaking work with their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Kraftwerk 3-D
The Anthem
Sunday, June 19
Doors @ 7pm
$80/$130
All ages