Robots Don’t Die
By Zac Langridge
It was a bit of a gut-punch to say the least, as I’d never before experienced a musician, or indeed, an artist in general that I admire pass away in my lifetime. Sure there’s Bowie, Gene Wilder, Alan Rickman, Carrie Fisher and Micheal Jackson…
But a member of Kraftwerk passing away? Kraftwerk? That’s impossible!
It’s as impossible as a member of Daft Punk dying.
Because they’re robots. Robots don’t die!
Legacies don’t die either.
That’s why the original lineup of Kraftwerk, the classic lineup, will always be in my heart… in our hearts.
Because look at where we are now. Look at where we were in the eighties, nineties and noughties… all the way up ‘till now. Music that anyone can dream of, that can’t be created with a guitar or a piano. Music that surpasses imagination, that blends science and art into a seamless tapestry.
All that originated from them. The forefathers.
Sure, not all of it was their doing, but they certainly utilized it and pushed it further.
In a sense, I owe them my childhood.
All the music I was raised on - Air, Sacred Spirit, Lazy Sunday, St Germain and some of Pink Floyd, among many others - all involving the wonderful machines known as synthesizers and sequencers. All electronic music, in one form or another, sold under a different genre. World, space pop, rock, jazz, and so on.
My childhood. A product of its time, yet timeless.
And here we are now, with bombastic EDM concerts and raves taking place in stadiums packed with cheering people. A huge culture shaped into one raw, primal organism of sound and joy and life.
All thanks to them.
I’m glad I became obsessed with Kraftwerk when they were all alive. Glad I had the feeling, the subconscious knowledge in my mind that I could enjoy their music while all the original members, the pioneers, the godfathers, were still alive and well on this earth.
That’s changed now.
It’s funny, I once remember thinking to myself about a year ago: ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if the four original members teamed up once more, for a final album, or tour?’
There goes that possibility.
I never actually expected that reunion to happen, of course, considering the falling out several of the members had. But there’s always that hope…
I’m glad I grew into Kraftwerk, and had two full years of blissful enjoyment of their music, not having to deal with the underlying reality that one of them is no longer with us. Grounding me in reality that we’re all human after all.
Even those that dress up as robots and make music like robots.
Robots with souls.
French souls. German souls.
It feels ironic that Florian, of all Kraftwerk members, should be the one to go first, because he was the one out of the original four that made the biggest impression on me.
It was roughly in either April or July of 2018, and I decided to finally listen to a Kraftwerk song. I’d heard their hit song ‘The Model’ many times, but had never delved much into their catalogue, despite knowing they were pioneers of electronic music. So I found a Youtube video of ‘The Robots’, the song playing over the original sleeve of the album it came from, ‘The Man Machine’ in stark red, black and white.
My first genuine taste of Kraftwerk.
I’ll always remember that cover. Karl standing at the front, alert and statue-like, resembling a soldier; Karl second up, expression stern and knife-like, as if signifying his leadership of the group; Wolfgang at the back, a good-natured expression on his face, definitely the lady’s man of the group. And Florian…
That sly smile of his always left an impression on me. I don’t know why. It just conveyed so much, and seemed to work with the music. ‘The Robots’, despite being a song about machines, is not scary or dark, neither detatched or cold. It’s almost assuring, with a fun, upbeat tune and a chorus that almost seems to say: ‘Hey. Don’t be afraid. The robots are here, and they’ll take care of you. You’re in safe hands.’ Florian’s smile went well with the feelings I had listening to that song for the first time.
It went well with the comments down below too: ‘If you asked me what a German person looked like, I’d show you this album cover’.
Punctual, private, smartly dressed, but not without a sense of humour.
It’s odd, because Florian hadn’t been a part of Kraftwerk for years, and Karl and Wolfgang had departed even further back. Ralf’s the only original member still there, so it’s not like other three members’ passings will affect the performances and music from the band in the future.
But when the original members are gone, how can Kraftwerk itself go on? As a comment stated on Youtube: ‘It’s more like Ralfwerk now.’ Even if Ralf ends up being the last one left, it won’t feel the same, knowing that the others who helped him revolutionize the music landscape have passed, and that their spots have well and truly been taken up.
Like Daft Punk, Kraftwerk began to show themselves in public less and less, and often utilized mechanical dummies as stand-ins for interviews. So, as fans, we automatically step back and go no further in clamouring for personal information in order to understand the men behind our music. No need to violate their privacy, or scream for their autographs. No need to treat them like the celebrities they could be, like Elton John or Paul McCartny…
Because they’re robots.
But robots don’t die. They simply recharge their batteries and keep on going.
Celebrities die. Humans die.
Daft Punk keep on funking. Kraftwerk keep on werking. Because they’re not like people to us. Hidden behind those facades, they’re collective ideas. Feelings, emotions, songs, music… They let their art speak for themselves.
So if Kraftwerk’s name and identity can be felt in their legacy, then they will continue to live on. In our minds and in our hearts.
Robots don’t die.
Great art doesn’t die.
Great legacies don’t die.
THE END
Dedicated to the late Florian Schneider (1947-2020), as well as Ralf Hutter, Karl Bartos and Wolfgang Flur.
Love your werk!
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