Dr. Dre Hints at Kraftwerk Inspiration on Detox

With the long-awaited first single from Detox set to debut later this month, Dr. Dre has alluded to several possible musical influences on the project. In an interview with Reuters, the acclaimed producer disclosed his focus has been on studying the avant-garde artists of the 1960’s and 70’s. “I’m just keeping my ear to the concrete,” Dre revealed. “I’ve been listening to a lot of old 60s and 70s music. Things like Kraftwerk, and Parliament Funkadelic. I’ve really been listening to a lot of Kraftwerk.” The work of the Germany-based Kraftwerk in the 70’s and early 80’s were important building blocks for the emerging culture of Hip-Hop. Their innovative use of synthesizers and robotized vocals on the songs “Trans-Europe Express” and “Numbers” formed the sampling foundation for many Hip-Hop records, such as Afrika Bambaataa’s seminal 1982 single “Planet Rock.” “Kraftwerk had a really big inspiration on the beginning of Hip-Hop,” Dre continued. “My tastes change with the season. Right now it’s Kraftwerk. I’ll see what happens this summer.” While Dr. Dre has extensively sampled and worked with George Clinton’s Parliament Funkadelic on previous tracks such as “Let Me Ride” (“Mothership Connection”), “Dre Day” (“Knot Just (Knee Deep)”), and “B###### Ain’t S###” (“Adolescent Funk”), the Compton native has not extensively utilized Kraftwerk’s music before. The band’s work can also be heard in songs from Jay-Z (“It’s Alright,” “Sunshine”), Kool G Rap (“Rhymes I Express”), De La Soul (“Ghetto Thang”), and MC Lyte (“Cha Cha Cha”). Detox’s Jay-Z assisted “Under Pressure” single features additional production credits from Scott Storch and No I.D, and vocals from Ester Dean. It’s expected to drop within the next two weeks.