Musicologist studies British fixation with German band

A professional musicologist from Edge Hill University takes a look at the British fascination with the influential German band Kraftwerk in a new book out now.

Richard Witts, Senior Lecturer in Media, Music and Sound at the University and ex leader of 1980s band The Passage, has written a chapter for the new publication Kraftwerk: Music Non-Stop.

When they were creating and releasing their most influential albums in the mid to late 1970s, Kraftwerk were far from the musical mainstream - and yet it is now impossible to imagine the history of popular music without them.

The collection of original essays, including Richard's, looks at their legacy and influence within the music industry.

"My chapter is titled Vorsprung durch Technik - Kraftwerk and the British fixation with Germany and is about the impact that the German electro band had on Liverpool and Manchester.  This book is the first academic study of the world-famous po-faced electronica group. I include quotes about Kraftwerk's impact from regional musicians around the time of their first visit to Liverpool and Manchester in 1975, including one from my old friend Peter Hook of the band New Order.

"I wrote it in Edinburgh, little thinking that I would be here in Lancashire when the book came out, because I poke fun at a Merseyside band, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), never considering I may bump into them again! I think that my final sentence gives a flavor of my critique of the West Kirby duo...if Krafwerk is a Mercedes, OMD is a Trabant."

The book scrutinises Kraftwerk's cultural influence from all angles. While their immediate influence might have been on a generation of synth-based bands, such as OMD, Human League and Depeche Mode, their influence on the emerging dance culture in urban America has proved longer lasting and more decisive.

It is available to purchase on the Continuum website continuumbooks.com.