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This innovator of electronic music with the group the German electronic band redefined mainstream melodies and impacting artists from David Bowie and New Order to Coldplay and Run-DMC.

Presently, the electronic equipment and performance items that Florian Schneider used in crafting some of the band’s best-known songs during the '70s and '80s are estimated to earn a high six-figure sum as they go under the hammer at auction next month.

First Listen into Late Personal Work

Compositions from an independent endeavor that Schneider was working on just before he died due to cancer aged 73 two years ago can be heard as a debut through a clip promoting the sale.

Vast Assortment of His Items

Alongside his suitcase synthesiser, his wind instrument and robotic voice devices – utilized by him creating mechanical-sounding vocals – collectors will get a chance to purchase approximately 500 items from his estate through bidding.

These include his set exceeding 100 wind and brass items, numerous Polaroid photographs, eyewear, the passport used on tour before 1979 and Volkswagen vehicle, given a gray finish.

His Panasonic Panaracer bicycle, which he rode for the Tour de France clip and is depicted on the single’s artwork, is also for sale on 19 November.

Sale Information

The total estimated value of the sale falls between $450K and $650K.

Kraftwerk were groundbreaking – they were one of the first bands employing synthesizers and they created music that no one had ever heard of before.

Fellow musicians found their tracks incredible. It revealed an innovative direction for compositions developed by the group. This motivated numerous artists to move in the direction of using synthesised electronic music.

Featured Lots

• A vocoder that is likely employed by the band on their albums The Man Machine in 1978 and Computer World in 1981 is expected to sell $30K–$50K.
• The portable EMS model likely employed in early work Autobahn is appraised for $15,000 to $20,000.
• The flute, a classic design that Schneider used alongside electronic gear until 1974, is valued at up to five figures.

Unique Belongings

In the affordable range, an assortment with dozens of snapshots he captured featuring his wind collection can be bought for $100 to $200.

Additional unique items, such as a see-through, vibrant yellow instrument and an unusual insect replica, which was mounted in his workspace, are priced at a few hundred.

His framed green-tinted shades along with instant photos featuring the glasses are listed at $300–$500.

Family’s Words

He felt that they are meant to be played and circulated – not sitting idle or gathering dust in storage. He hoped his instruments to be passed to individuals who would truly value them: artists, gatherers and admirers through music.

Ongoing Legacy

Recalling the band's impact, a well-known drummer commented: Starting out, they inspired us. That record which prompted us pay attention: what’s this?. They were doing unique material … entirely original – they were consciously rejecting the past.”