Kraftwerk on BBC's Tomorrow's World, 1975
Kraftwerk on BBC's Tomorrow's World, 1975

20+ great Kraftwerk videos (documentaries, TV appearances, Iggy Pop stories & more)

As a founding member of pioneering electronic band Kraftwerk, Florian Schneider‘s influence on modern culture cannot be overstated. In addition to the music, Kraftwerk’s look and style were nearly as influential and in many ways the band are synonymous with the future. There is certainly lots to watch when it comes to Kraftwerk and, in tribute to Florian, here’s a bunch of them, from live performances (including a full show from 1970), music videos, documentaries, television appearances and more. You can also watch other artists, like Iggy Pop and Grandmaster Flash, talk about the band and share anecdotes.

Watch below.

Plus: read tributes to Florian from fellow artists.

Watch a BBC documentary on Kraftwerk:

Here is Kraftwerk 50 years ago on German live music show Rockpalast:

…who became decidedly more electronic by 1973:

And here they are performing their iconic “Autobahn” on BBC series Tomorrow’s World in 1975:

Kraftwerk returned to Tomorrow’s World a few tomorrows later (1991), in robot form, promoting their album The Mix:

Here’s a BBC documentary short about the creation of “Autobahn”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0qyqpUFz8s

Kraftwerk also made it to America in 1975, here they are on syndicated live music series The Midnight Special:

Kraftwerk performing “Radioactivity” on French TV in 1978

And their hit “The Model” on German television in 1982:

One YouTuber made this chronology of Kraftwerk live performances from 1970 to 2008:

Here’s the original video for Kraftwerk’s 1975 single “Antenna”:

The video for “The Robots”

“The Telephone Call”

“The Model”

“Trans-Europe Express”

“Tour De France”

“The Robots” (The Mix version)

Here’s Iggy Pop, who is mentioned with David Bowie in “Trans Europe Express,” telling a story about Florian. Warning: contains asparagus:

Kraftwerk’s music was also very influential on early hip hop. Here’s Grandmaster Flash:

Afrika Bambaataa‘s “Planet Rock” borrowed liberally from “Trans Europe Express”:

And this:

No video, but here’s a recording of Kraftwerk’s 1975 show at Cleveland’s Agora Theatre:

Rest in peace, Florian.