Welcome to our curated collection of quotes by Florian Schneider, the pioneering musician and co-founder of the influential electronic band Kraftwerk. Schneider’s innovative contributions to electronic music have left an indelible mark on the industry, inspiring countless artists and reshaping the landscape of contemporary music. As a visionary figure in the realm of experimental soundscapes, Schneider’s work transcends mere musicality, embodying a fusion of technology, artistry, and imagination.
Florian Schneider’s artistic journey is characterized by a relentless pursuit of sonic exploration and boundary-pushing creativity. With Kraftwerk, he helped pioneer the electronic music genre, blending synthesizers, drum machines, and futuristic imagery to create a distinct and mesmerizing sound. Schneider’s influence extends far beyond the realm of music, permeating popular culture and influencing diverse fields such as art, design, and technology. His legacy serves as a testament to the transformative power of artistic innovation and the endless possibilities of human expression.
We don’t make a distinction between an acoustic instrument as a source of sound and any sound in the air outside or on a manufactured tape. It’s all electric energy, anyway. Florian Schneider
Our method of speaking is interrupted, hard-edged… a lot of consonants and noises. Florian Schneider
A person doing experimental music must be responsible for the results of the experiments. They could be very dangerous emotionally. Florian Schneider
Emotion’ is a strange word. Florian Schneider
We’re just private people. Florian Schneider
Kraftwerk has become historic and is now exposed in museums. Florian Schneider
The image of the robot is very important to us, it’s very stimulating to people’s imaginations. Florian Schneider
We are more like vehicles, a part of our mensch machine, our man-machine. Sometimes we play the music, sometimes the music plays us, sometimes… it plays. Florian Schneider
Kraftwerk isn’t a band. It’s a concept. We call it ‘Die Menschmaschine,’ which means ‘the human machine.’ Florian Schneider
I found that the flute was too limiting. Soon I bought a microphone, then loudspeakers, then an echo, then a synthesiser. Much later I threw the flute away; it was a sort of process. Florian Schneider
In Paris, the people go in the Metro, they move, they go to their offices, 8 a.m. in the morning – it’s like remote control. Florian Schneider
As for ourselves, we love our machines. Florian Schneider
We are not the band. I am me. Ralf is Ralf. And Kraftwerk is a vehicle for our ideas. Florian Schneider
There is no beginning and no end in music. Some people want it to end. But it goes on. Florian Schneider
We always found that many people are robots without knowing it. The interpreters of classical music, Horowitz for example, they are like robots, making a reproduction of the music which is always the same. It’s automatic, and they do it as if it were natural, which is not true. Florian Schneider
Our studio is in the middle of an oil refinery. There’s smoke and fire around it and when you emerge from the studio you hear this hissing sound all around you. Florian Schneider
