Over 450 items belonging to Florian Schneider, the late Kraftwerk co-founder, are set to go under the hammer at Julien’s Auctions this November. The collection, which reflects Schneider’s lifelong fascination with technology and sound design, offers fans a rare opportunity to own pieces of electronic music history. The auction will take place on November 18 in Nashville, Tennessee, as well as online through the Julien’s Auctions platform.
Among the standout items are Schneider’s 1964 Volkswagen van, his Panasonic bicycle featured in Kraftwerk’s 1984 ‘Tour de France’ music video, and several woodwind and brass instruments, including the Orsi alto flute that appeared on the back cover of Kraftwerk’s 1970 self-titled debut album. Moreover, the catalog includes an entire rack case of Votrax speech synthesizer units, the very machines Kraftwerk used to create the robotic voices that introduced their live shows from 1981 to 2002.
Born in 1947, Schneider co-founded Kraftwerk with Ralf Hütter after meeting at the Düsseldorf Conservatory. A classically trained flautist turned electronic visionary, he became one of the genre’s most forward-thinking innovators. Throughout his career, he patented several inventions, including the Robovox, a vocal processing device that shaped Kraftwerk’s pioneering sound. As a tribute, David Bowie named his 1977 track ‘V-2 Schneider’ in Schneider’s honor.
Although Schneider left Kraftwerk in 2008, his legacy continues to influence generations of musicians. This auction not only celebrates his creativity but also highlights a chapter of music history that forever changed electronic sound.
