Autobahn, a historic electronic music song, was performed live by Kraftwerk in 1975 on Burt Sugarman’s The Midnight Special.
In 1970, electronic music pioneers Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider founded the legendary band Kraft. To this day, Ralf Hütter and other musicians tour the world as Kraftwerk.
Unlike today, Kraftwerk initially performed with classic analog synthesizers. This can be admired very nicely in a new video uploaded to the YouTube channel of the 70s American show The Midnight Special, hosted by Burt Sugarman.
Kraftwerk Autobahn At The Midnight Special Show
On July 18, 1975, Kraftwerk (Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider, Wolfgang Flür, and Karl Bartos) were guests at Burt Sugarman’s The Midnight Special.
Kraftwerk performed Autobahn, but not in the full 22-minute or single version, but in a special 8-minute live version
A highlight of this almost-forgotten footage from the 70s is watching the musicians play the synthesizers.
The video shows Ralf Hütter playing the bass line on the legendary Moog Minimoog, while Florian Schneider plays the iconic melody on the ARP Odyssey Mk1 Whiteface. Karl Bartos and Wolfgang Flür play on the self-built e-drums.
It’s fascinating to see how Kraftwerk played everything live back then, without presets, plus improvising on their instruments. It’s nothing like Kraftwerk’s current tour, where everything is synchronized with the visuals.
The video is a historical treasure and a true gem for all synthesizer enthusiasts, and I hope it stays online forever. In 1975, it was the future; today, it’s vintage, but still so fascinating.
More information here: Kraftwerk
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