Schneider Quits Kraftwerk, Band to Tour with Radiohead

Florian Schneider, the co-founder of Kraftwerk, has officially quit the band. While no reason was given for his departure, he did not take part in last year's world tour.

Schneider and Ralf Huetter, who is still part of the band, originally formed Kraftwerk in early 1970. The pair, along with numerous other musicians who came and went over the years, created what would become the framework for Electronica. Their second album, Krafterwerk 2 (1972) was one of the earliest discs to rely strictly on a drum machine for all rhythm parts. Two years later, they took the world by storm with the 22 minute Autobahn.

Huetter and the other current members of the band will be the opening act for Radiohead when they play Latin America from March 15 to 27 and for April 25 & 26 shows in Wolfsburg, Germany.