Hot Chip and Kraftwerk

In this Who Made Who? triplew.me's Mick D looks at Kraftwerk and their influence on the band Hot Chip, just one of many bands the seminal Germans have influenced over their career.

Part of the attraction of Hot Chip is the familiar feeling that you get when listening to their electro pop sound.   Although they provide a fresh spin on multiple genres you cannot help but get that feeling that you might have heard this before.  Much of this can be attributed to the smooth vocal stylings of lead singer Alexis Taylor, but we here at triplew.me think that the blips, beeps and electro drums that support most Hot Chip songs relate directly back to THE electronic pioneers, Kraftwerk.

Influence

In a Radio One interview, Alexis Tayor speaks of the influence of Kraftwerk on Hot Chip.  In relation to Kraftwerk’s song 'Neon Lights', he says, it's “a simple pop statement, that makes me feel incredibly warm when I listen to it. …I’ve been inspired by that track to write our song Colors, where I wanted to make something that feels so simple and direct, so bright and human, at the same time as using soft synth sounds.”

Kraftwerk (German for “Power Station”) formed in Germany in 1970, by two university students, Florian Schneider (flutes, synthesizers, electro-violin) and Ralf Hütter (electronic organ, synthesizers).  Since that time they have produced minimalist, repetitive, cutting-edge music with catchy robotic vocals, which were well ahead of their time, and continue to be relevant today.  Although a number of musicians have passed through its ranks, the “classic” line up for the band included Schneider, Hütter, joined by Wolfgang Flür and Karl Bartos who were hired as electronic percussionists.

Kraftwerk - Cutting Edge

From early on, Kraftwerk abandoned popular instruments of the time (guitars, bass) and started using synthesizers, sequencers and drum pads, many of which they invented and built themselves.  If you have a chance we recommend that you check out some Kraftwerk videos on YouTube and you will see that these drum machines look like a combination of tin foil and hotplates, played by a couple of chopsticks connected to the machine by wires.  Many of the vocals for their songs were sung through a vocoder or other electronic effects, providing a distinctive “voice of the machine” style.

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In 1974, the band had commercial success with the album (and its title track) “Autobahn”; a song which is apparently inspired by the sounds of traveling along the German expressway.  Over its history, the band has produced 10 studio albums, along with other miscellaneous singles, remixes and box sets. The majority of these were produced between 1970 to 1986, and since that time the band have released less material and become more reclusive.  However Kraftwerk continue to create music and perform live up until present day, including touring in 2009 as the support act for Radiohead.

Inspiring the Live Performances

Hot Chip also reflect the Kraftwerk influence in their live setup.  During many performances, Hot Chip band members can be seen lined up along the front of the stage; not the usual formation for a live band.  This influence may have come from Kraftwerk, who traditionally performed with the four main members in a single line, playing their synthesizers and home made instruments in a robotic, almost stationary way.  Al Dole, guitar and synth player for Hot Chip, explains during a BBC radio interview that with Kraftwerk you were“..not dealing with a traditional band with a hierarchy, a drummer at the back, a lead guitarist who comes out the front, and a lead singer and this kind of thing.  Everybody is just presenting themselves in this quite straight forward way, and everyone has an equal part to play, just like the machine coming together.”  Kraftwerk, took this even further, with some performances including the use of motorized replicas of the band members performing onstage during the song "The Robots".

Perhaps comparing Hot Chip to Kraftwerk, is a little unfair, as they are recognized as one of the most influential bands in the history of electronic and rock music.  As early as David Bowie, in the mid 70’s with his No 1 album “Station to Station” (which he credits Kraftwerk as being the major influence), continuing through the electronic music of the eighties, through to influencing hip hop, rock and electro of the present day.  This can be seen by the vast array of bands who have openly discussed the influence Kraftwerk has had on their music including Depeche Mode, Joy Division, New Order, Duran Duran, Franz Ferdinand, Jay-Z, Bjork, Rammstein, Underworld, and U2. Interestingly, Coldplay received permission from Kraftwerk to use the melody from "Computer Love" as the opening guitar riff of their single "Talk". They also credited Kraftwerk as a major influence on their 2005 album, X&Y.

For anyone that has not experienced Kraftwerk, we at triplew.me recommend that you check them out.  Much like Hot Chip, you will not be disappointed.

WHAT A VIDEO...KRAFTWERK CIRCA 1976

What do you think?  Can you hear some of Kraftwerk's groundbreaking beats coming through Hot Chip's work?