Kraftwerk

A conceptual group like Kraftwerk didn’t emerge from a vacuum, and the makers of Kraftwerk and the Electronic Revolution go to great lengths to contextualize the band’s evolution by painting it as part of a vibrant German cultural renaissance. This documentary presents the seminal electronic pioneers as part of a continuum that began with the destruction of German national identity in the wake of the Second World War. Extensive attention and interview material with period acts like Kluster, Tangerine Dream and Can help present a convincing ethno-musical argument that posits early synthesizer music as the next logical step after the avant-garde tape experiments by Pierre Schaeffer and electronic classical compositions by Karlhein Stockhausen. Casual fans might find this three-hour documentary too detailed and rambling but anyone intrigued by this ever-important era of musical development will discover a compelling and generous portrait of Kraftwerk and other bands, who did nothing less than undertake the monumental task of changing Germany’s international image in the early ’70s.