Kraftwerk among this year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced their nominees for the 2019 Rock Hall class. Among the list for the fifth time is a pioneer of popular electronic music, Kraftwerk. Starting in 1970, the band became a leader in progressive rock by using synthesizers, drum machines, vocoders, and self-made instruments.
Their first three albums Autobahn (1974), Trans-Europe Express (1977), and The Man-Machine (1978) were characterized as “robot pop.” They used electronic elements with pop melodies, simple arrangements, and repetitive rhythms. Wearing matching suits had them checking off the branding portion of being a popular band.
These projects lead to the influence of many genres of modern music, including synthpop, ambient, hip hop, post-punk, techno, and club music. The Observer once editorialized, “no other band since The Beatles has given so much to pop culture.”
Kraftwerk was awarded Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014, their Autobahn album made it to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2015, and they won the 2018 Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Album for their 3-D The Catalogue live album.
First-time nominated acts include Def Leppard, Stevie Nicks, Devo, Roxy Music, John Prine and Todd Rundgren. Other nominations went to the returning Janet Jackson, LL Cool J, MC5, Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine, the Cure, Rufus & Chaka Kahn, Kraftwerk, and the Zombies. Previous nominees Kate Bush, Nine Inch Nails and Bad Brains were taken off the list.
The final list of inductees will be confirmed in December 2019 and the induction ceremony will take place March 29 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. In the meantime, fans can vote at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame website.
H/T: Billboard
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