Originally Posted by Wikipedia

Krautrock is a generic name for the experimental music scenes that appeared in Germany in the late 1960s and gained popularity throughout the 1970s, especially in Britain. The term is a result of the English-speaking world's reception of the music at the time and not a reference to any one particular scene, style, or movement, as many krautrock artists were not familiar with one another. BBC DJ John Peel in particular is largely credited with spreading the reputation of krautrock outside of the German-speaking world.


Largely divorced from the traditional blues and rock & roll influences of English and American rock music up to that time, the period contributed to the birth and evolution of electronic music, ambient music, alternative music and New Age music. Key artists associated with the tag include Can, Amon Düül II, Ash Ra Tempel, Faust, Popol Vuh, Cluster, Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, Neu!, and Kraftwerk.

Originally Posted by RYM

Krautrock is a term coined by the British music press, and is generally used to refer to the progressive and experimental groups of late 1960s and early 1970s Germany.

These groups combined a variety of influences and styles, including British and American psychedelic rock groups, the free jazz of Ornette Coleman and Albert Ayler, experimental classical composers (most notably Karlheinz Stockhausen as well as the minimalists Terry Riley and Steve Reich). The desire to eschew conventional song structure and melody also led to some groups developing a more mechanical sound and feel for their compositions, which also often made use of early synthesizers and other electronic instrumentation.

Although they all differed in their approach to their music, the underlying link between all the Krautrock groups was the attempt to take the rhythm ("motorik" was the name given to the steady 4/4 beat used by many groups) and energy of American rock music and disassociate it as much as possible from its Rhythm & Blues roots, instead drawing inspiration from other sources.

Kraftwerk are far and away the most commercially successful of all the Krautrock groups, finding major commercial success when they developed their sound into a pioneering form of Synth Pop combining catchy synthesizer melodies with the motorik rhythm.
Critically, however, many Krautrock groups are held in high esteem by the vast majority of commentators. Albums by groups such as Amon Düül II, Can, Faust, NEU!, Popol Vuh and Tangerine Dream are regarded as classics in the experimental and progressive rock canon.

It should be noted that, although Krautrock has come to be accepted as the general term for the music of this style, it was (and is) percieved by some as a xenophobic or derogatory term, since "Kraut" is an ethnic slur against Germans. As a result, some of the so-called Krautrock groups have distanced themselves from the term, instead referring to their music as German Progressive Rock or Kosmische Musik.