Florian Schneider
Florian Schneider | |
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Schneider live in Ferrara, Italy, 2005 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Florian Schneider-Esleben |
Born | French occupation zone in Germany (now Baden-Württemberg, Germany) | 7 April 1947
Died | 21 April 2020 Düsseldorf, Germany | (aged 73)
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
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Instruments | |
Years active | 1968–2008, 2014–2015 |
Associated acts |
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Florian Schneider-Esleben (7 April 1947 – 21 April 2020) was a German musician. He is best known as one of the founding members and leaders of the electronic band Kraftwerk, performing his role with the band until his departure in 2008.
Early life[]
Schneider was born on 7 April 1947[1] in the French occupation zone in southern Germany, near the Bodensee,[a] in what would become the state of Baden-Württemberg in 1952. His parents were Paul Schneider-Esleben, an architect, and his wife Evamaria (née van Diemen-Meyerhof).[2] His family moved to Düsseldorf when he was three years old.[3][4] Schneider was Jewish on his mother's side.[2][5]
Career[]
Schneider founded Kraftwerk with Ralf Hütter in 1970.[6] They met in 1968 while studying at the Academy of Arts in Remscheid, then at the Robert Schumann Hochschule in Düsseldorf, playing improvisational music together in the ensemble Organisation.[6] Before meeting Hütter, Schneider had played with Eberhard Kranemann in the group Pissoff from 1967 to 1968.[7] From 1968 to 1969, Schneider played flute, with Hütter on Hammond organ, Kranemann on bass and Paul Lovens on drums.[8]
Originally, Schneider's main instrument was the flute, which he would treat using electronic effects,[9] including tape echo, ring modulation, pitch-to-voltage converters, fuzz and wah-wah, allowing him to use his flute as a bass instrument. He also played violin (similarly treated), electric guitar (including slide guitar), and made use of synthesizers (both as a melodic instrument and as a sound processor).[6] Later, he also created his own electronic flute instrument. After the release of Kraftwerk's 1974 album, Autobahn, his use of acoustic instruments diminished.[9]
David Bowie titled his "Heroes" instrumental track "V-2 Schneider" after Schneider,[10] and was heavily influenced by Kraftwerk's sound during his "Berlin period" in the late 1970s.[9]
Schneider, speaking in 1991, said: "I had studied seriously up to a certain level, then I found it boring; I looked for other things, I found that the flute was too limiting... Soon I bought a microphone, then loudspeakers, then an echo, then a synthesizer. Much later I threw the flute away; it was a sort of process."[3] Although he had limited keyboard technique, he apparently preferred to trigger the synth sounds through a keyboard (later, developments in sequencing limited the need for hands-on playing).[11]
Schneider's approach was concentrated on sound design (in an interview in 2005, Hütter called him a "sound fetishist")[12] and vocoding/speech-synthesis. One patented implementation of the latter was christened the Robovox, a distinctive feature of the Kraftwerk sound.[11] Hütter said of Schneider's approach:
"He is a sound perfectionist, so, if the sound isn’t up to a certain standard, he doesn’t want to do it. With electronic music there’s no necessity ever to leave the studio. You could keep making records and sending them out. Why put so much energy into travel, spending time in airports, in waiting halls, in backstage areas, being like an animal, just for two hours of a concert? But now, with the Kling Klang studio on tour with us, we work in the afternoon, we do soundchecks, we compose, we put down new ideas and computer graphics. There’s always so much to do, and we do make progress."[12]
Schneider was also known for his comical, enigmatic interviews, although he only seldom gave permission to be interviewed.[citation needed]
In 2015, Schneider and Dan Lacksman, with the help of Uwe Schmidt, released an electronic ode, "Stop Plastic Pollution", for ocean environment conservation as part of the Parley for the Oceans campaign.[13]
Departure from Kraftwerk[]
Schneider did not perform on any of the dates of the Kraftwerk 2008 world tour, with his last performance with the band being in November 2006 in Spain. His position onstage was subsequently filled by Stefan Pfaffe, an associate working for the band as a video technician.[14] According to a close associate of the group, Schneider left Kraftwerk in November 2008.[15] On 6 January 2009, NME confirmed Schneider's departure.[16]
Reputedly, Schneider's departure followed a dispute with Hütter over a bicycle pump,[17] a rumour which some sources describe as unfounded.[18]
Death[]
Schneider died from cancer on 21 April 2020,[19][20] fourteen days after his 73rd birthday, having suffered from the illness for a short time.[21]
Legacy[]
On 12 May 2021, Kraftwerk was announced as one of the inductees of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[22]
Notes[]
References[]
- ^ Barr, Tim (31 August 2013). Kraftwerk: from Dusseldorf to the Future With Love. Random House. p. 25.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Weisbeck, Markus (21 August 2015). "The Model". frieze.com. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Bussy, Pascal (1993). Man, Machine and Music. SAF. pp. 15–17.
- ^ Bruchhäuser, Wilfried W. (1985). Komponisten der Gegenwart im Deutschen Komponisten-Verband: ein Handbuch [Contemporary composers in the German Composers Association: a handbook] (in German). . p. 650.
- ^ "Florian Schneider obituary". The Times. 13 May 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (6 May 2020). "Florian Schneider, Kraftwerk co-founder, dies aged 73". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
- ^ Kranemann, Eberhard (1 May 2002). "Kraftwerk". Eberhard Kranemann. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
- ^ Toop, David (2016). Into the Maelstrom: Music, Improvisation and the Dream of Freedom: Before 1970. London: Bloomsbury Press. p. 201.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Eede, Christian (6 May 2020). "RIP Kraftwerk's Florian Schneider". The Quietus. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
- ^ Carr, Roy; Murray, Charles Shaar (1981). Bowie: An Illustrated Record. p. 92. ISBN 0-906008-25-5.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Wilson, Scott (24 June 2017). "7 pieces of gear that prove Kraftwerk are technological trailblazers". Fact Mag. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "MOJO magazine – Ralf Hütter – August 2005". Technopop. 28 January 2006. Archived from the original on 28 March 2007.
- ^
- Jones, Daisy (8 December 2015). "Kraftwerk's co-founder made this track to save the oceans". Dazed. Internet Archive: Dazed Media. Archived from the original on 22 April 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
- Roland, Mark (31 December 2015). "Florian Schneider and Dan Lacksman". Electronic Sound. Pam Communications. Archived from the original on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
- ^ Kelly, Emma (6 May 2020). "Kraftwerk founder Florian Schneider dies aged 73". Metro. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
- ^ "Kraftwerk back in studio". Irish Examiner. 9 December 2009. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
- ^ "Kraftwerk co-founder quits band". NME. 6 January 2009. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
- ^ Van Isacker, Bernard (6 May 2020). "R.I.P. ex-Kraftwerk member Florian Schneider – news is confirmed". Side-Line. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
- ^ "Remembering Kraftwerk founder and cycling fan Florian Schneider". Canadian Cycling Magazine. 8 May 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
- ^ Cosh, Colby (8 May 2020). "Remembering Kraftwerk's Florian Schneider, the prophet of the post-human". National Post. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ^ Schneider-Esleben, Claudia (8 May 2020). "Florian Schneider 7.4.1947 – 21.4.2020". Instagram. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ^
- "Kraftwerk founder Florian Schneider dies at 73". BBC News. 6 May 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
- Alvarez, Bruno (6 May 2020). "Florian Schneider, une légende de la musique électronique, est décédé" [Florian Schneider, electronic music legend, dies]. Ouest-France (in French). Retrieved 6 May 2020.
- Chan, Anna (6 May 2020). "Kraftwerk Co-Founder Florian Schneider Dies at Age 73". Billboard. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
- "Kraftwerk-Gründer Florian Schneider-Esleben ist tot" [Kraftwerk founder Florian Schneider-Esleben is dead]. Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). 6 May 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
- Sweeting, Adam (7 May 2020). "Florian Schneider obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
- ^ Seah, Daniel (17 May 2021). "Kraftwerk to finally be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 2021". MusicTech. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Florian Schneider. |
- 1947 births
- 2020 deaths
- 20th-century German male musicians
- 21st-century German male musicians
- German electronic musicians
- German flautists
- Kraftwerk members
- Musicians from Düsseldorf
- Robert Schumann Hochschule alumni
- Deaths from cancer in Germany
- German people of Jewish descent