In the early 70s, attitudes towards machines replacing conventional instruments were very reactionary - it was generally thought that it was a cheat perpetrated by people who couldn't play proper instruments.

One commentator even stated that Kraftwerk were the death of music. In fact it was more like the birth of a new type of music.

Kraftwerk almost single-handedly went on to prove that electronic music had to be taken seriously, brushing aside any criticism as backward looking and unchallenging. <