The Truest of Synths

“After learning the news of Florian Schneider’s passing, I felt compelled to put together this cover of Neon Lights in honour of Kraftwerk’s music. Earlier in the year, we lost another pioneering giant of electronic music, a dear friend, mentor and inspiration, Andrew Weatherall. The back half of this 15-minute interpretation of Neon Lights organically took on the form of something I’d want to send to Commander Weatherall in the hope he’d play it at one of his ALFOS parties. It was made in a day and has contributions from some close friends and loved ones, Stella Mozgawa of Warpaint, Ewan Pearson, Jonti, Nick Maybury and Itsi.”

Neon Lights was originally performed by Kraftwerk and published By Kling Klang Music Inc. in 1978.

As one of the chief architects of the electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk, Florian Schneider, who has died of cancer aged 73, helped revolutionise popular music. Where guitars, bass and drums had long been considered its essential building blocks, Kraftwerk paved the way for synth-pop, techno, hip-hop and electronica, in the process proving that microchips and machines could have not only soul, but a sense of humour too. The list of artists whose work is indebted to Kraftwerk, even if they did not always know it, is endless, but includes David Bowie, Depeche Mode, Simple Minds, New Order, The Orb, Madonna, Neil Young, Jay-Z, Afrika Bambaataa, Coldplay and Daft Punk. In 1997 the New York Times described Kraftwerk as “the Beatles of electronic dance music”.

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