Throwback: Happy Belated 77th Birthday, Florian Schneider!

Aries season is a very busy period in music history. And it continues through April: 

• The 75th anniversary of the birth of the legendary Gil Scott-Heron was on April 1
• The 85th anniversary of the birth of R&B and soul legend Marvin Gaye was on April 2
• The 111th anniversary of the birth of legendary bluesman Muddy Waters was on April 4 
• Pharrell Williams celebrated his 51st birthday on April 5
• One of the most beloved figures of the Outlaw Country movement, 
• Merle Haggard was born 84 years ago on April 6
• Robert Glasper celebrated his 46th birthday on April 6
• The 109th anniversary of Billie Holiday‘s birth was on April 7
• John Oates, of Daryl Hall and John Oates fame celebrated his 75th birthday on April 7 
• The 60th anniversary of Biz Markie‘s birth was on April 7
• A Tribe Called Quest‘s Q-Tip one of hip-hop’s greatest emcees and producers celebrated his 54th birthday on April 10

I’m a huge Kraftwerk fan.

If you listen to them in their proper context, the German electronic outfit created the sound of the future. Without their mind-blowing adoption of the synthesizer as a melodic instrument and sound processor in 1974 — 1974 y’all! — the things we love wouldn’t be possible now. 

It shouldn’t be surprising that I’ve played Kraftwerk while in Germany, The Netherlands and even in Montréal. Listening to them brings back very fond memories of riding the S-bahn 3 into Frankfurt’s Haupwatche section; of riding the Dutch railways back and forth between Dordrecht and Amsterdam; and of riding Montréal’s Métro.

The past handful of days have been extremely busy. And as a result, I somehow forgot that the 77th anniversary of  Kraftwerk’s co-founder Florian Schneider was on April 7.

And the best way to celebrate is to play his influential work. 

Happy birthday, Florian! Happy birthday, wherever you are!