Nearly 500 items from the private archive of Florian Schneider, a founding member of Kraftwerk, are going up for auction next month, offering an intimate glimpse inside the personal life of one of electronic music’s most influential figures.
Schneider, who passed away in 2020, helped shape the foundation of electronic music as we know it. Kraftwerk’s early adoption of synthesizers, vocoders and drum machines laid the groundwork for entire genres, from techno and synth-pop to hip-hop and electro.
Set for November 19th at Nashville’s Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum, the “Florian Schneider Collection Auction” will be hosted by Julien’s Auctions, with online bidding available now. Organized in collaboration with Schneider’s estate, the auction features instruments, studio gear, stage wardrobe and historic ephemera from across his storied career.
Credit: Photo courtesy of Julien’s AuctionsAmong the highlights are a rare Sennheiser VSM-201 vocoder used during the Man-Machine and Computer World sessions, an EMS Synthi AKS suitcase synthesizer from the Autobahn era and Schneider’s Robovox system, a speech synthesizer he co-developed.
Also included are personal items like his passport, 1964 Volkswagen van, the bike he rode in the “Tour de France” video, and a “Ruhe” light-up sign from Kraftwerk’s Kling Klang studio.
Credit: Photo courtesy of Julien’s AuctionsThese items are estimated to be worth between $500 and $40,000 each, with the total collection being worth an estimated $450,000 to $650,000.
“This auction fulfills Florian’s will for his instruments and personal collection to continue living beyond him,” said a spokesperson of Schneider’s estate. “He wanted his equipment to find their way to people who would truly value them: musicians, collectors and those inspired by the art of sound.”
Fans and collectors can explore the full catalog and place bids ahead of the live event here.
The post Personal Archive of Late Kraftwerk Legend Florian Schneider Going to Auction appeared first on EDM.
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