by Wright Bryan

The Guardian has an interview with Ralf Hutter of the pioneering electronic group Kraftwerk that's worth a read. The band started in the early 1970s and was ahead of its time in both its use of technology to make music and its commentary on technology through music. What does Hutter think of today's electronic world?

Has he been liberated by the advent of caller ID, or email, or SMS? Do those things make him more communicative?
"Yes, but it hasn't changed my general attitude. You know these situations: you're talking to somebody, and everybody's on different platforms all the time, so nobody's really concentrating."
What he says next is probably not intended as his verdict on Twitter - a Kraftwerkian development, if ever there was one - but it may as well be. "Everybody is becoming like ... " - he pauses - "a Stasi agent, constantly observing himself or his friends."

For more pearls of Hutter wisdom, check out the full interview, and the accompanying multimedia feature about Kraftwerk's influence on other musicians.