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This innovator in the electronic genre and his ensemble the pioneering act revolutionized popular music and impacting artists including Bowie, New Order, Coldplay, and Run-DMC.

Now, his synth gear along with devices that Florian Schneider used to create some of the band’s best-known songs during the '70s and '80s could fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars as they go under the hammer at auction next month.

Exclusive Preview for Late Personal Work

Music related to his own venture he had been creating shortly before his death after a cancer diagnosis aged 73 back in 2020 is available for the first time in a video about the auction.

Wide Array from His Possessions

In addition to the compact synthesizer, the wooden flute plus voice modulators – utilized by him to make his voice sound like a robot – fans have the opportunity to acquire nearly 500 of Schneider’s personal possessions in the sale.

This encompasses his collection of more than 100 wind and brass items, numerous Polaroid photographs, his sunglasses, the passport for his travels through the late '70s and his VW panel van, painted in a gray hue.

The bike he rode, featured during the band's video also pictured in the release's graphics, is also for sale on 19 November.

Auction Details

The approximate sum of the sale is $450,000 to $650,000.

Kraftwerk were groundbreaking – as pioneers with electronic gear crafting compositions that no one had ever heard of before.

Additional artists considered their music “mind-blowing”. They suddenly discovered this new pathway within sound that Kraftwerk created. It inspired numerous artists to explore synthesizer-based tunes.

Notable Pieces

• One voice modulator probably employed by the band on their albums from the late '70s and early '80s work could fetch $30K–$50K.
• An EMS Synthi AKS believed to be employed for Autobahn the famous record is valued at a mid-range sum.
• The flute, a classic design that Schneider used alongside electronic gear until 1974, carries an estimate of $8,000 to $10,000.

Quirky and Personal Items

In the affordable range, a group of about 90 Polaroid photographs photographed by him showing his musical tools can be bought at a low estimate.

More unusual pieces, such as a see-through, vibrant yellow instrument and a “very unique” insect replica, which was mounted at his studio, are priced at $200 to $400.

Schneider’s gold-framed eyewear with green lenses plus snapshots showing him with these could sell for $300–$500.

Official Message

His view was that they are meant to be played and shared – not left unused or gathering dust in storage. He hoped his tools to go to individuals who appreciate them: artists, gatherers and admirers by the art of sound.

Ongoing Legacy

Reflecting on their contribution, a well-known drummer commented: “From the early days, we loved Kraftwerk. Their work which prompted us sit up and say: what is this?. They produced unique material … fresh sounds – they intentionally avoided the past.”