Wednesday 12th December 2012 by Adam Tait

Inspired by Kraftwerk: the artists we'd be without

Gary Newman to Bjork - a generation of musicians influenced by the German stars

Depeche Mode: Still going strong, Depeche Mode are one of the longest running British electro bands. They've had nearly 50 songs in the UK singles charts and 12 top ten albums, and Q have even called them 'the most popular electronic band the world has ever know', but none of it would've happened without Kraftwerk.

Bjork: The ever inventive and unpredicable songstress Bjork. The singers ecletic range of influences has seen her garner respect in rock, jazz, classical and folk music, as well as an elctronic musician, but she lists Kraftwerk as one of her key influences in everything she does.

Orchestral Manoeuvuers In The Dark: Founding members of OMD Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys have stated that Kraftwerk were a major influence on their early work and covered 'Neon Lights' on their album Sugar Tax.

Joy Division/New Order: Both New Order and predecessor Joy Division were heavily influenced by Kraftwerk, with Ian Curtis showing his band mates records that would shape their future sound. New Order sample Kraftwerk's 'Uranium' on Blue Monday.

Afrika Bambaataa & The Soul Sonic Force: The first time that elctro and hip-hop met was on Bambaataa's Planet Rock. The now classic track used aspects of both 'Trans Europe Express' and 'Numbers' in it.

Gary Numan: Now considered to be one of the foremost pioneers of elctronic music in the UK, Gary Numan's science fiction infused elctro-punk was largely influenced by Kraftwerk.

David Bowie: Without a doubt one of the most iconic artists of our time, David Bowie's 'V-2 Schneider', released as a B-side to Heroes and on the Heroes album, is a tribute to Kraftwerk's founding member, Florian Schneider.

Aphex Twin: Richard D James, also known as Aphex Twin, cites Kraftwerk as a major influence on his music, and calls Computer World a very influential album on his sound, setting him up for his twisted, pioneering brand of UK electro.

The Orb: The Orb's Dr Alex Paterson lists Kraftwerk's The Man-Machine as one of his 13 favourite albums of all time and as an influence on the ambient electro he produces.

The Belleville Three: Juan Atkin, Kevin Saunderson (pictured) and Derick May, collective referred to as the Belleville Three, are credited with inventing techno music in Detroit. They did this by combining the repetive sounds on Kraftwerk with funk music.

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That Kraftwerk still command almost unrivalled respect within the music listening public was proved once and for all this morning when ticket demand for their February shows promptly crashed Tate Modern's website.

That was something less than surprising given the gigantic impact the Germans have had on a diverse range of music since forming more than 40 years ago.

Without Kraftwerk, there would arguably be no electronic music at all, at least not in the way we know it today. That means no techno, no trance, no chill out, no dubstep and a whole host of less obvious developments in music that owe their origins to Kraftwerk.

As a group truly deserving of the name 'pioneers', Gigwise takes a look at some of the musicians who wouldn't be where they are without Kraftwerk.