Kraftwerk founder Florian Schneider dies at age 73

Florian Schneider, co-founder of highly influential electronic pop group Kraftwerk, has died at the age of 73, Rolling Stone reports. The German quartet set the template for synthesiser music in the 1970s and 80s, and were the godfathers of kraurock. They achieved both musical innovation and commercial success, and inspired scores of artists across genres ranging from techno to hip-hop. The long list of artists to have been influenced by Kraftwerk included David Bowie, Depeche Mode, New Order, Daft Punk, Coldplay, Jay-Z, Dr Dre... Alexis Petridis is quite clear about Kraftwerk: "They may well be the single most influential band since the Beatles".