Kraftwerk co-founder Florian Schneider dies at the age of 73

NEWS 06.05.202023:55
N1

Florian Schneider, the co-founder of the German electronic band Kraftwerk, has died of cancer at age 73.

“Kraftwerk co-founder and electro pioneer Ralf Hütter has sent us the very sad news that his friend and companion over many decades Florian Schneider has passed away from a short cancer disease just a few days after his 73rd birthday,” the band said in a statement provided to CNN by publicist Alexandra Greenberg.

Schneider and Hütter were recognized as among the most influential figures of 20th-century electronic music.

The pair began working together in 1968 and launched Kraftwerk two years later as a project involving a series of other musicians.

In 1974, the group released Autobahn, an album which won global fame.

Schneider and Hütter also founded the Kling Klang music studio in Düsseldorf, where the band's most influential albums were produced.

Musicians paid tribute to Schneider on Wednesday.

“When I first heard their song Autobahn, I was struck by how radically different it sounded from everything else on the radio,” Duran Duran member Nick Rhodes wrote on the group's website.

“It became a surprise hit in the UK and sparked my lifelong admiration for their innovation and creativity.”

Jean-Michel Jarre, the French musician tweeted: My dear Florian…Your Autobahn will never end.”

Many other electronic and pop music bands and celebrities paid their respects to Schneider.

the British electronic music band Orbital tweeted “KRAFTWERK WERE OUR BIGGEST INFLUENCE | ELECTRONIC MUSICS BIGGEST INFLUENCE, EVEN ONE OF ROCKS BIGGEST INFLUENCE.”

Lol Tolhurst – the founding member of the mega-popular band The Cure tweeted: “RIP Florian Schneider co-founder of Kraftwerk. EVERY modern musician owes something to this mans vision. I was lucky enough to see him with Kraftwerk, with my son Gray some years ago. A magical experience.Thank you, Florian.”

London-based electronic music band The Orb also said their farewells with Schneider saying “The world has lost a real pioneer. RIP Florian from Kraftwerk. Thank you for everything electronic & spiritual – on the stairs in my mums listening to autobahn. It changed me for the better . Danke Florian & may you rest peacefully forever & EVA. A heartbroken orb.”

Many others have flooded twitter in saying their goodbyes to Schneider.

Sarajevans will especially remember Florian and Kraftwerk after the band played a concert within their European 3-D tour at Skenderia Sports Centre's famous Mirza Delibasic, on February 25, 2018. The band even did a special video for the track Space Lab in which an alien space ship lands in Sarajevo, in front of the Skenderija Centre.

Schneider and Hütter were honoured with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.

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