Recommendations of the Editorial team
Power plant: Ralf Hütter in an interview
From “Musikexpress”, April 1971:
After delighting their audience on numerous pots of pots last year, the enthusiasm now takes place on a far broad base. The decisive factor for this is the first LP from Kraftwerk. It took about two years to think of such production through favorable circumstances. The first attempt to conquer a wide audience through an LP was completely failed in Germany and in England.
You have to know the following: Kraftwerk is the former Düsseldorf group organization. Now that organization had completed its first LP in 69, they were offered to the record companies in Germany, but in vain. Finally, they managed to accommodate the production at RCA in London, which, however, had the interest after publication. Despite these circumstances, this disk is still on the market in England. Power plant is now a phenomenon in the German pop scenery. What is this phenomenon built on? Ralf Hütter, organist and guitarist of the group, visited us in the Cologne editorial team and was available to answer questions.
How do you explain the success at festivals and the even greater success of your 1st LP?
Well, brought to a simple denominator, it’s a very simple thing. Firstly, we did production ourselves. We have our own studio in Düsseldorf that is available to us for our own productions. And by identifying all indirectly or directly involved with the music, we managed to transfer a maximum of statement to the LP. Groups that reproduce their personality musically are always bought. In addition, our music is located in a stage that has not yet been completed.
Through this fact of the non -perfected, we give the listener the opportunity to reflect on their own. The music from Kraftwerk comes from concept with a minimum. We produce the music within a musical scope in which there are always opposing points and always have to be present. An example of this: high-deep, before-back, top-bottom, front-back, etc. You can best follow this schematic with the title “Ruck-Zuck”. The title is a single chase in which Florian Schneider-Esleben’s electric flute indicates the journey. Florian increases to the way-no more, until the total resolution of existing musical forms.
Have you been convinced of the success of the disc?
The success is not decisive. The only decisive factor is that the music comes about to communicate with the listener and that the listener feels addressed. This point was the decisive idea of production.
In other words, you express your own personality through your music?
Yes, that’s right, our music reflects our life. This also results from the fact that when we went to the production of the record, we lived together in a municipality, where everyone was confronted with the other day after day and thus also had to deal with the ideas of the other.
Ralf, you have now left the group from what motives?
I would like to say the following that this departure seems incomprehensible to many, but for me it is a very natural thing. You can compare my break with the group with an erotic relationship with a woman who then cools down over time. If you have reached such a point, it would be nonsensical to continue trying. It is not the case that I have now completely isolated from the group, but I still have a very good contact with power plant, which is reflected in sessions, personal conversations and others.
Do you think that after your departure, the music of Kraftwerk will change fundamentally?
No, I think that won’t be the case. Although the sound image of the group will change by adding a guitarist and bass player, but power plant will still keep its independence.
Do you already have specific plans for the future?
No, actually not, but I still have enough to do with my architectural studies that I definitely want to complete and unfortunately I have not yet found people who can also produce their personality musically. We hope that you will find these people soon so that we will hear something from you soon.