Kraftwerk: The Most influential group in Hip-Hop/Pop history, is coming to Denver, Sept 23 – Denver,

Kraftwerk wielded an enormous influence on the early years of rap music, particularly during the electro-rap era of the early '80s. You may know about Afrika Bambaataa's "Planet Rock" and its sampling of "Trans-Europe Express" and "Numbers." But this playlist hints at how pervasive the German electronic pioneers' sounds were then, from World Class Wreckin' Cru's Dr. Dre quoting"Tour De France" on "Surgery" to the Fearless Four using "The Man Machine" on "Rockin It."Relatively newer artists have used Kraftwerk sounds, too, including Jay-Z and Memphis Bleek("It's Alright"), Busta Rhymes and Pharrell Williams ("Light Your Ass On Fire"), J Dilla ("BBE (Big Booty Express)") and Timbaland ("Bounce").

Kraftwerk (German pronunciation: [ˈkʀaftvɛɐk], "power station") are a German electronic music band formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970 in Düsseldorf, and fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008.

The signature Kraftwerk sound combines driving, repetitive rhythms with catchy melodies, mainly following a Westernclassical style of harmony, with a minimalistic and strictly electronic instrumentation. The group's simplified lyrics are at times sung through a vocoder or generated by computer-speech software. Kraftwerk were one of the first groups to popularize electronic music and are considered pioneers in the field.

In the 1970s and early 1980s, Kraftwerk's distinctive sound was revolutionary, and has had a lasting effect across many genres of modern music. According to The Observer, "no other band since the Beatles has given so much to pop culture" and a wide range of artists have been influenced by their music and image. In January 2014 the Grammy Academy honored Kraftwerk with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

After a string of 2014 North American sets, German electronic innovatorsKraftwerk will bring their 3-D concert tour — which asks audiences to wear special 3-D glasses and everything — back to the States this fall. Kicking off in September, the 12-date trip will begin in Canada and end in Kansas City, Missouri, and will have the band visiting states they’ve never been to before. Check out full list of dates below.

Kraftwerk tour dates:

September 16 – Edmonton, Alberta @ Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium September 17 – Calgary, Alberta @ Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium September 19 – Portland, OR @ Keller Auditorium September 23 – Denver, CO @ Ellie Caulkins Opera House September 25 – Austin, TX @ Bass Concert Hall September 27 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium September 29 – Miami, FL @ Olympia Theater at Gusman Center October 2 – Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory October 3 – Boston, MA @ Wang Theatre October 5 – Detroit, MI @ Masonic Temple Theatre October 7 – Minneapolis, MN @ Northrop October 9 – Kansas City, MO @ Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland

THIS IS A CONCERT, NOT TO MISS!!!

-Click Here, to Get your Tickets For the Denver Show-

“For anyone of our generation involved in electronic music, Kraftwerk were the godfathers,” says Martin Gore of Depeche Mode. “Radio-Activity in 1975, Trans-Europe Express in 1977, The Man-Machine in 1978: they still sound modern today. The electronic scene blew up after those pivotal albums. There were a lot of punks who kind of moved into a futurist scene, looking for ways to take music beyond the confines of the rock genre.” The list of artists who cite Kraftwerk as an influence is a veritable who’s who of 1980s synth pop: the Human League, Ultravox, Erasure, Pet Shop Boys.

Listen to the Whole 'Trans-Euro Express' By: KraftWerk

It is Noted that this track by Kraftwerk, The Robots were the breaking, popping and locking soundtrack spun by early rap pioneers like Afrika Bambaataa, Egyptian Lover and the entirety of Detroit techno. More contemporary fountainheads like Dr. Dre, DJ Shadow, Madlib and J Dilla also repeatedly tapped them for inspiration.

With the machine invasion looming, here's an abridged list of some of the best hip-hop songs that sample Kraftwerk:

Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force, "Planet Rock" Samples: "Trans-Europe Express" and "Numbers" Before production technology was advanced enough to sample, producer Arthur Baker nicked "Trans-Europe's" melody and broke hip-hop to global audiences (which led to a lawsuit from Kraftwerk). If you ever wondered why the Roland 808 was/is the go-to drum sound of hip-hop, it starts with Baker and Kraftwerk. This song irrevocably altered the trajectory of rap, house, techno and how to properly wear dark sunglasses.

Egyptian Lover, "Egypt, Egypt" Samples: "Tour de France" Formerly one of the mainstays of seminal L.A. mobile disco crew Uncle Jamm's Army, Greg Broussard went solo, adopted a pharaonic image, sampled Kraftwerk and established the sound of early L.A. electro rap with this 1984 smash, "Egypt, Egypt." Still regularly played on KDAY, "Egypt, Egypt" ranks alongside "Walk Like an Egyptian" as L.A.'s two greatest contributions to the field of Egyptology.

JJ Fad, "Supersonic" Lifts liberally from "Numbers" "Supersonic" doesn't directly sample Kraft-werk, but the Ruthless Records classic clearly has all the hallmarks of the robot's Kraut-rock. Co-produced by Dr. Dre, DJ Yella and Arabian Prince (a close ally of Egyptian Lover), "Supersonic" remains a totemic cut still frequently referenced in pop culture, from "Fergalicious" to Eminem's "Rap God."

Jay-Z featuring Memphis Bleek, "It's Alright" Samples: "The Hall of Mirrors" A mash-up of the Kraftwerk spaceship's liftoff noises and The Talking Heads' "Once in a Lifetime," this song finds Jay-Z at his late-'90s flossy apex. Whether he was rapping over Broadway musicals or motorik beats, he effortlessly consolidated his reign as King of New York.

The Fearless Four, "Rockin' It" Samples: "The Man Machine" Supplying the groove for yet another essential early New York classic, Kraftwerk's noirish minimalism matched the futuristic, dystopian block party essence of early five-boroughs rap from The Fearless Four. As a bonus, "The Man Machine" also provided the sample for Jay-Z's first dalliance with robots on the Lil' Kim - aided "Sunshine."

Lil B, "In a Hearst" Samples: "Kometenmelodie 2" There probably are better constructed and rapped songs that sample Kraftwerk, but few references are more fitting than Lil B the BasedGod's decision to rap over an obscure loop from Kraftwerk's early years. It's more evidence of the eccentric Germans' enduring inspiration on a generation of rappers born a decade or more after "Planet Rock."

Watch KraftWerk Perform, 'The Machine Man' Live!