Everyone in a while, a song will be released that sounds like it came from the future. Autobahn by Kraftwerk is one of those tracks. Kraftwerk invented an entirely new form of music. For years Kraftwerk epitomized the sound of tomorrow, but one day, not too long ago, their music started to sound pretty dusty. What happened? Here’s an exploration from Ethan Hein at Music Radar:

Kraftwerk played the leads and pads on Autobahn using an EMS Synthi AKS and an ARP Odyssey. They also used instruments custom built or adapted by Schneider and Klaus Röder, including a Vox Percussion King and a Farfisa Rhythm Unit 10. (Röder also plays violin and guitar on the album.) These drum machines were apparently played live rather than programmed, since the tempos fluctuate gently throughout the album, the sure sign of a human drummer.

In 1975, Kraftwerk performed Autobahn on the BBC, and you can see their custom-built electronic drum kit in action. Wolfgang Flür is using metal sticks to play on the metal pads, and when they make contact, it closes an electrical circuit that triggers the corresponding synthesized drum sound, possibly from a customized Maestro Rhythm King.

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