Kraftwerk Co-Founder's Historic Equipment Are Featured in Stateside Bidding

As a pioneer of electronic music with the group the pioneering act revolutionized popular music while inspiring artists from David Bowie and New Order to Coldplay and Run-DMC.

Presently, his synth gear along with devices that Florian Schneider used to create some of the band’s best-known songs during the '70s and '80s may bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars when they are sold this coming month.

Rare Glimpse of Unreleased Personal Work

Compositions from an independent endeavor the artist was developing shortly before his death from cancer in his seventies back in 2020 is available initially in a video about the auction.

Vast Assortment from His Possessions

In addition to his suitcase synthesiser, his wind instrument plus voice modulators – utilized by him to make his voice sound like a robot – fans can try to acquire nearly 500 of Schneider’s personal possessions at the auction.

This encompasses the assortment exceeding 100 brass and woodwind instruments, numerous Polaroid photographs, his sunglasses, his travel document for his travels through the late '70s and his VW panel van, painted in a gray hue.

His Panasonic Panaracer bicycle, which he rode during the band's video and is depicted in the release's graphics, will be auctioned on 19 November.

Auction Details

The approximate sum for the auction falls between $450K and $650K.

They were innovators – among the earliest acts with electronic gear crafting compositions entirely new to listeners.

Additional artists found their tracks astonishing. They suddenly discovered an innovative direction within sound developed by the group. It encouraged numerous artists to move in the direction electronic synth sounds.

Featured Lots

• A vocoder possibly the one Kraftwerk used on their albums during their peak and early '80s work may go for $30K–$50K.
• The portable EMS model likely the one used in early work Autobahn is valued at $15,000 to $20,000.
• The alto flute, a specific model played by him during live acts until 1974, carries an estimate of $8K–$10K.

Distinctive Objects

For smaller budgets, an assortment with dozens of snapshots he captured of his woodwind and brass instruments is available for $100 to $200.

More unusual pieces, such as a see-through, bright yellow acrylic guitar and an unusual 16-inch model of a fly, placed in his workspace, may go for $200–$400.

Schneider’s gold-framed green-lens sunglasses plus snapshots of him wearing them are estimated at $300–$500.

Family’s Words

His view was that they are meant to be played and enjoyed by others – not sitting idle or collecting dust. He wanted his tools to find their way to people who appreciate them: performers, hobbyists and admirers by the art of sound.

Enduring Impact

Considering the band's impact, a well-known drummer said: Initially, we loved Kraftwerk. Their work that made us all sit up and say: this is new. They created innovative work … fresh sounds – they intentionally avoided previous styles.”