BERLIN, Germany (VIP-NEWS) — Florian Schneider, the co-founder of legendary German electronica band Kraftwerk, has quit the lineup, leaving it with just one original member.
His departure was revealed Monday on Kraftwerk's official fan Web site
No reason was given, but Schneider did not take part in Kraftwerk's 2008 world tour as he is reportedly working on other projects.
The band, headed by co-founder Ralf Huetter, is still scheduled to open for Radiohead on the British group's first tour of Latin America, which begins March 15 in Mexico City.
Schneider and Huetter co-founded Kraftwerk in early 1970, eventually expanding it to a four-piece group with a revolving lineup of musicians.
They transformed electronic music in the 1970s with such synthetic yet oddly engaging tunes as "The Robots" and the 22-minute "Autobahn." David Bowie, in his own electronica phase, paid tribute to the band with his 1977 instrumental "V2-Schneider."
The Radiohead/Kraftwerk jaunt will also take in Rio de Janeiro (March 20), Sao Paulo (March 22), Buenos Aires, (March 24), and Santiago (March 26-27). Additionally, Kraftwerk have scheduled three shows in Wolfsburg, Germany, on April 25-26. According to Reuters
