Kraftwerk's Florian Schneider has died, it has been confirmed.
The German musician helped form the group in 1970, emerging from the underground nexus that permeated West German culture at the time.
Drawn towards the possibilities offered by electronic instrumentation, Kraftwerk created an entirely new language, one that would be dissipated by techno, hip-hop, synth pop, and countless other genres.
A group with an incalculable impact on popular culture, Florian Schneider left Kraftwerk in 2008 – as fan myth has it, seemingly following a row over a bicycle pump.
News of Florian Schneider's passing has been rumoured online all day, with Billboard now having confirmed the news. He was 73 years old.
A full tribute to Florian Schneider will run on the site in the next few days.
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