UNCLASSIFIED: AUTOBAHN At 50

Released on 1 November 1974, Autobahn was the album that marked the moment when Kraftwerk fully embraced electronic pop music and honed the futuristic, mechanized aesthetic that would become famous. The record was an international success in spite of some decidedly mixed early reviews; and its influence has been felt across a wide variety of genres in the half century since. Herself a visitor of the band’s iconic Kling Klang studios in Düsseldorf, Elizabeth Alker considers Kraftwerk’s classical roots, placing the album in the context of Twentieth-Century German Classical Music (the musicians themselves have cited the expressionism of Schönberg and Stockhausen’s experiments with sound as key influences.) And, as can be heard in the iconic title track, which unfolds over twenty minutes, the band were borrowing from traditions of structuring music that harken back to older, classical forms, too (in the bringing back and development of themes). Elizabeth also plays contemporary tracks that share a musical kinship with Autobahn, and owe it too, perhaps, a debt of gratitude.

Available on BBC Sounds for 23 days and counting, at this time.