People say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but in the event of the robot apocalypse Kraftwerk’s Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider better hope robots say that, too. Originally labeled “krautrock,” the catchall for Germany’s psychedelic rock movement in the 1970s, classical music students Schneider and Hütter soon moved into less populated territory, harnessing the power of then high-tech drum machines and synthesizers to create sleek, minimalist symphonies that have influenced practically everything since and still sound like transmissions from the future perfect. Kraftwerk’s performance at the Tobin featured Hütter and three other musicians, but the stage setup, including neon lighting and appropriately retro-futuristic 3D visuals, could’ve functioned on its own.
September 12, 2016
