The Dusseldorf legends announce New York residency
The band that paved their way for so many live bands over the last few decades, Kraftwerk, have announced eight live nights at The Museum of Modern Art in New York starting in April. Cementing their position as art-pop pioneers, the four piece Dusseldorf band will be revisiting their back catalogue performing their best loved music alongside projected 3D imagery.
In an exhibition entitled Retrospective 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8, the band will play each of their eight albums.
They begin with 1974’s Autobahn on 10 April and finish a week later, with 2003’s Tour de France Soundtracks. Even their greatest hits collection, The Mix, will be performed. The intention, according to Moma, is to “coalesce” Kraftwerk‘s oeuvre into a single “work of art”, bringing together “melodic music and ambient sound, elaborate stage sets, live performance and performance by robots, their trademark videos and logo-like still imagery”. All their music will be specially adapted for what Moma is billing as an exhibition, entitled Kraftwerk Retrospective 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8.
Besides their back catalogue, Kraftwerk will also perform “original compositions intended to showcase the group’s influence on contemporary culture”, the New York Times reports. As always, Kraftwerk will be led by Ralf Hütter, who co-founded the group in 1970. Since the departure in 2008 of Florian Schneider, Hütter is the only remaining member of Kraftwerk’s original lineup.
“Kraftwerk is an influential force not only in music, but also in visual culture,” Klaus Biesenbach, Moma’s chief curator at large, said. “Through their experimentation with how images and sound are shaped by the latest recording and visualisation tools, they have anticipated the impact of technology on everyday life, and have captured the human condition in an era of rapidly changing mobility and telecommunication.”
The performances will run April 10-17 in The Donald B. and Catherine C. Marron Atrium at the museum. In addition to this, Kraftwerk will also play additional songs from other albums at each show. Tickets go on sale on the February 22 on the Museum of Modern Art website http://www.moma.org/
