Autobahn at 50: How Kraftwerk defined modern music

50 years ago this month the German band Kraftwerk released Autobahn – an album that not only marked a dramatic departure in their sound, but went on to change the entire course of contemporary music. With the title track, a 22-minute ode to the German motorway, Kraftwerk’s founding members Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider forged a modern musical language, using electronics to articulate a new and optimistic vision of the future.To discuss Autobahn’s genesis and enduring legacy Tom Gatti is joined by Jude Rogers, journalist and author of The Sound of Being Human: How Music Shapes Our Lives, and Uwe Schütte, author of Kraftwerk: Future Music from Germany.Read: How Kraftwerk’s Autobahn remade popLISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.