Artists

When Florian Schneider and Ralf Hütter—two denizens of Germany’s musical underground—founded Kraftwerk in 1970, nobody could have imagined the impact they would have. But all these decades later, few corners of popular music are untouched by their influence. The sounds they crafted in the ’70s and ’80s with Karl Bartos and Wolfgang Flür resonated worldwide, influencing post-punk, synth-pop, New Wave, hip-hop, techno, and more.

Kraftwerk were among the first to use electronics as a tool for fashioning pop music. Even though their first few albums employed electronics in a more experimental way, they broke through internationally in 1974 with “Autobahn,” their mechanically paced hooks and android image positioning them as the Beach Boys of the robot revolution, pointing toward an entirely fresh musical future.

Before the ’70s were over, disciple David Bowie had released the Florian homage “V-2 Schneider” and incorporated Kraftwerk’s influence in his legendary “Berlin trilogy” of albums, and Gary Numan had channeled the band’s inspiration into the first flowering of synth-pop, which would continue to bear Kraftwerk’s mark in the ’80s.

From there, Kraftwerk’s electronic innovations went on to profoundly affect hip-hop and electro, starting with Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force’s “Planet Rock” and continuing through countless samples. This fed into the band’s influence on Detroit techno (and subsequently the international IDM scene). By the 2000s, the band’s influence was doubling back on itself via the ’80s-retro electroclash movement.

Today the majority of pop and hip-hop is created with electronics, and even artists who have never heard a note of Kraftwerk in their lives owe some of their existence to them, whether they realize it or not. Schneider left the band in 2008 and Hütter continued to lead a new lineup in occasional tours, but when Schneider passed away on April 30, 2020, at the age of 73, even though he was no longer working with the band, it marked an epoch’s end. Gathered in the accompanying playlist is a tiny percentage of the countless artists indebted to Kraftwerk’s fearless vision.

Even if you take Soundgarden off his résumé, the late Chris Cornell was one of the most dynamic and adventurous rock singers to emerge in the 90s. He explored lush psychedelia and folk-informed songwriting on solo albums like Euphoria Morning and Higher Truth, and was a must-have soundtrack guest, whether crafting sprawling acoustic gems like "Seasons" for Cameron Crowes Singles or teaming up with Joy Williams for 12 Years A Slave. He created funk-informed arena rock with Audioslave and an a Generation X-defining duet with Eddie Vedder on Temple of the Dogs "Hunger Strike." Just to prove there was no genre he feared, hes the only rock singer to have worked with both Timbaland and the Zac Brown Band, while always sounding unmistakably like himself.

Chris Maxwell has consistently stretched the boundaries of his own sound and vision as a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer, starting in the late ’80s as frontman for Little Rock, Arkansas’ Gunbunnies, and then later with NYC band Skeleton Key, crafting raucous rock experimentations. More recently, Maxwell has helped create music for several commercials and TV series, including Bob’s Burgers and Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations, and has worked alongside artists like They Might Be Giants and Fiona Apple as one-half of production duo Elegant Too. In between, he’s written and recorded two solo albums, 2016’s Arkansas Summer and 2020’s New Store No. 2, the latter a cozy mix of lush indie pop and rock. In the homespun spirit of both, the Arkansas-born artist has put together a comprehensive playlist featuring musicians who hail from his native state.

Says Maxwell of the playlist: “My own personal peep into the strange and beautiful heart of Arkansas music. Whether it’s the butter-knife slide of Cedell Davis, Pharoah Sanders’ sheets of sound, Jim Dickinson’s irreverent approach to recording, or the prepared-piano-player compositions of Conlon Nancarrow, Arkansas has always produced sounds that ignore the rules. I left off a few of the unusual suspects in favor of curveballs like The Insect Trust, whose founding member Robert Palmer not only was the first full-time rock writer for The New York Times but also grew up next door to Pharoah Sanders. I also wanted to highlight a few of the early architects of rock ’n’ roll like Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Louis Jordan as well as a few familiar names like Glen Campbell and Al Green. Some entries might need a little explaining. For instance, I had somehow missed the fact that Little Rock native Al Bell, the former owner of Stax Records, was also a songwriter behind songs like Eddie Floyd’s ‘Raise Your Hand’ as well as the Staple Singers smash ‘I’ll Take You There.’ One of the gifts of growing up in a state that often flies under the cultural radar is that you can let your freak flag fly, and with that in mind I close out the list with the incomparable Elton and Betty White.”

On February 23, Montreal electro artist Clarian (ex-Footprintz) releases his debut album, Television Days (via Balance Music), a neon-lit, synth-smeared concept album about a failed screenwriter trying to survive in Hollywood. For his Dowsers playlist, he’s put together a mix of primitive electronica, post-punk, romantic goth, and outsider pop he describes simply as "music so that when she smiles, the fear flies away in little pieces of light."

Its a little hard to believe, but Kanye West has been producing hip-hop tracks now for 20 years. In terms of longevity, hes been more relevant for a longer period of time than any modern pop producer. And, in that period, hes undergone several stylistic shifts that have taken him from being a champion of very meat-and-potatoes trad hip-hop -- albeit with a chipmunk twist -- to being a pop conduit to the outré electronic and old school psych. This article by Third Bridge Creative does a nice job at capturing these shifts, and uses data supplied by Whosampled to back up the analysis. The associated playlist provides a more rote but still compelling look at some of the most recognizable samples, placing Kanye classics next to the originals.

Classixx released their sophomore LP Faraway Reach in 2016, and signaled a more straightforward pop aesthetic for the band that was in part responsible for popularizing the tropical house sound. There’s no contextual information that accompanies this playlist, and the user is left to guess at the theme, if there is any. There’s a lilting quality to tracks like Bobby Briggs’ reggae jam “Love Come Dow” that tilts its hand to Classixx’s own beachfront fireside vibe, and the emphasis on yachty electro-pop signals that perhaps this can be seen as a key to Classixx’s sonic formula.

Veteran Atlanta-based all-girl garage punks The Coathangers can turn up the dial pretty substantially -- just listen to their latest offering LIVE to see what we mean. Hitting all the high-energy house party vibes (with a little bit of piss and vitriol stirred into the mix), the band was formulated 13 years ago as a means to have fun with their friends, so its no surprise that when we asked them for a playlist, what they delivered was all about good times for the weekend. And a reference to one of their other epic album titles.Says the band, "This playlist is all about rockin out and enjoying whatever youre doing while listening to it! Whether its a road trip, house party, or simply background music while you get to work, crank it up and rock tha hell out!!!"Check out the playlist to the right or go here.

What’s This Playlist All About? For their 2018 tour with The Jesus and Mary Chain, Trent Reznor and co. have given us a peek into the ins and outs of the show with a mix of all the music playing in between sets. According to Reznor himself: “Hit shuffle and consider drinking an overpriced beer out of a plastic cup for enhanced effect.” Always the jokester.What You Get: A predictably dark and ominous ambiance filled with moody atmospherics from Reznor and Atticus Ross’ own brilliant film scores, as well as the NIN frontman’s other project How to Destroy Angels. There’s also a lot from once collaborator and touring partner David Bowie, plus classic post-punk and synth-rock gloom from Soft Cell, New Order, Bauhaus, and Killing Joke. He also throws in a good deal of glorious electronic dance and doom from this century by greats like Liars, Beak>, and Oneohtrix Point Never.Best Surprise: The wistful whistling and haunting harmonizing of “Tumbling Tumbleweeds” from vocal Western wonders Sons of the Pioneers. Oh, and The Flamingos’ wonderfully dreamy doo-wop gem “I Only Have Eyes for You.”Which of These Bands Should NIN Tour With Next? We have to admit that a shared bill with Radiohead—represented here with their gorgeous elegy “Daydreaming”—would be pretty amazing. And let’s add Liars to that line-up, too (we know Thom loves them as well!).

In 2017, the perpetually restless and increasingly prolific post-punk veterans Wire released their 16th album, Silver/Lead, and hosted three editions of their roving curated festival DRILL (in Los Angeles, Leeds, and Berlin). Here, the bands main singer/guitarist Colin Newman reveals the songs that inspired him most this past year. "A list of a few things that have been catching my ear this year. Some artists will be on everyone’s list, some will be on no one’s! It includes one artist celebrating his 50th (10 more than Wire!), one artist who actually thinks Michael McDonald is cool, one band who played in DRILL : LA, and one person who played in the pinkflag guitar orchestra, oh and the best band in Brighton (my hometown) right now. You don’t need me to tell you it’s been an unsettling year but luckily not for music."—Colin Newman of WireNote: Colin also wanted to include Wands "Plum," but it isnt available on Spotify.Photo: Mike Hipple

The sound of Run the Jewels is crafted from El-Ps beats. But Killer Mikes singular balance of brash confidence and vulnerability—not to mention his love of 80s and 90s rap from all regions—has vaulted the duo to a level of popularity that would’ve seemed improbable back when mutual friend Jason DeMarco of Adult Swim initiated their unlikely union five years ago. Listening now to Mikes Pledge Allegiance to the Grind series a decade later or El-Ps Fantastic Damage 15 years after it detonated this month back in 2002, there isnt a straight line to draw between the two. How do you blend Alec Empire and T.I., Trent Rzeznor and Sleepy Brown, Mars Volta and Young Jeezy? Obscure yet joyous moments—like 2002 El-P rapping over Missy Elliots "Gossip Folks" and 2011 Mike floating on Flying Lotus "Swimming"—predicted how they could inhabit each others worlds. But many left-field rap collaborations are one-time novelties, not dynasties.Now that Run The Jewels has become a staple of festivals, Marvel comic book covers, and soundtracks for TV shows and video games, its worth noting how much Mike and Els work ethic hasnt changed in the combined 38 years theyve worked in the music industry. Mikes discography pre-RTJ was 10 deep (counting studio albums and mixtapes) while El-P was at nine (if you include the two Company Flow albums). Their unifying love of Ice Cube, EPMD, Public Enemy, Wu-Tang, and Run-DMC has crystallized into subwoofer H-bombs as a duo, while their individual catalogs are snapshots of young rappers proving themselves. El-Ps biggest single in the Def Jux days featured a video of him being flanked by shotguns and hand cannons in post 9/11 New York during a neighborhood trek for smokes. Killer Mike was shoehorned onto hits by Outkast, Bone Crusher, and JAY-Z, but his biggest single was about the urban myth of Adidas namesake.El-P stated his intention early, back in 1997 on the inner artwork of Company Flows debut album Funcrusher Plus: "Independent as fuck." Killer Mike concurred, starting in the mid 2000s with his eyeopening mixtape series after stalling out with major labels. El-P came up during the great indie rap boom of the late 90s/early 00s: Stones Throw, Anticon, Def Jux, Rawkus, Fondle Em, etc. while Mike was slangin CDs hand to hand, everywhere from strip clubs to barber shops to mom and pop record stores, in the vein of Atlanta success stories like Ludacris, DJ Drama, Lil Jon, and Lil Flip. The models of independence varied wildly between New York and Atlanta, but the idea was the same: Your career has to be earned.Now that theyre playing Made In America Festival this year, its interesting to look back at their best work (compiled in the YouTube playlist below) and hear a redheaded maverick from Brooklyn holding his nuts while making Philip K. Dick and Vangelis into viable hip-hop ingredients, and the son of a Southern police officer running through brick walls with a Bible and a blunt in his hands.https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEAFD97JV-MKrgVHuWwn991Vc4r2fzKjj