# The Waxonia Desk on Krautrock

Four records for the reader who arrived here from a techno page and wants to know what a German band from 1972 has to do with anything.

- **Picks:** 4
- **Genre:** Krautrock
- **Years:** 1972–1984
- **Curator:** The Waxonia Desk
- **Updated:** 2026-08-29
- **Curator's page:** https://waxonia.com/artist/the-desk/
- **Canonical page:** https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-krautrock/

## The picks

Selected, not ranked — the order is the curator’s, and carries no claim about which is best.

### [Kraftwerk](https://waxonia.com/artist/kraftwerk/) — [Autobahn](https://waxonia.com/track/kraftwerk--autobahn/)

*1974 · Philips*

The one Detroit heard. Derrick May's line about Kraftwerk and Parliament stuck in an elevator is the most quoted sentence in techno, and this is the record that put Kraftwerk in the lift.

Also on: [Krautrock](https://waxonia.com/genre/krautrock/), [The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-the-hundred/).

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Kraftwerk%20Autobahn) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=vkOZNJYAZ7c)

### [Neu!](https://waxonia.com/artist/neu/) — [Hallogallo](https://waxonia.com/track/neu--hallogallo/)

*1972 · Brain*

The one Britain heard. Every post-punk band that drives forward without swinging is playing Klaus Dinger's beat, usually without having been told whose it was.

Also on: [Krautrock](https://waxonia.com/genre/krautrock/), [Roots](https://waxonia.com/theme/the-desk-roots/), [The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-the-hundred/).

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Neu!%20Hallogallo) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=zndpi8tNZyQ)

### [Tangerine Dream](https://waxonia.com/artist/tangerine-dream/) — [Phaedra](https://waxonia.com/track/tangerine-dream--phaedra/)

*1974 · Virgin*

The one ambient heard. A sequencer drifting out of tune for seventeen minutes, kept because it was better than the accurate take, and far more sinister than anything it went on to influence.

Also on: [Krautrock](https://waxonia.com/genre/krautrock/).

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Tangerine%20Dream%20Phaedra) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=EhQpXD2Z9WQ)

### [Manuel Göttsching](https://waxonia.com/artist/manuel-gottsching/) — [E2-E4](https://waxonia.com/track/manuel-gottsching--e2-e4/)

*1984 · Inteam*

The one the dancefloor heard, ten years late and via an Italian bootleg. An hour of one sequence, and the moment kosmische stopped being something you sat down for.

Also on: [Krautrock](https://waxonia.com/genre/krautrock/), [The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-the-hundred/).

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Manuel%20G%C3%B6ttsching%20E2-E4) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=pUfIqO5arq4)

## About the curator

The people who write the rankings on this site. We keep the lists honest, we argue about the order, and we get asked the same question more than any other: where should someone actually start. These are our answers.

Elsewhere: https://waxonia.com/

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Hand-curated by Waxonia. We host no audio; all links point to streaming platforms.