Konrad "Conny" Plank

During a time period of industrial exploration in music, electronics proved to take the part of traditional instrumentation. One of the most well known innovators of this genre of progressive, avant-garde electronic music was Konrad "Conny" Plank. He is best known for his creative sound engineering and producing for such bands/artists as Kraftwerk and David Bowie. During the 1970s Plank had produced and engineered for many of the German experimental bands (known as "Krautrock"). His most noticeable work during this time was the first four Kraftwerk albums entitled Kraftwerk, Kraftwerk 2, Ralf and Florian and Autobahn. Plank was the engineer/producer to anyone who was using a synthesizer in the Cologne-Dusseldorf region. It was his creative thinking that helped Plank create his vision and unique style which he considered to be the "theatre of the mind". His experimentation was fueled by growing up in the psychedelic 60s. Working as an engineer at the West German Radio in Cologne, Plank would work with modern day music of Karlheinz Stockhausen and Mauricio Kagel, and then by night spend hours experimenting with classical musicians. This is where he learned his free-form of composition, utilizing echoes and filter changes throughout his recording. Plank worked on improvisation in the recording studio. 

Working more in the studios gives you a real appreciation for people like Conny Plank. Without his revolutionary style of recordings and helping out Kraftwerk gain their signature sound, music would be much more different. I have always under estimated the older recording of electronic music, seeing as though most of the music sound like a theremin mixed with radio frequency, until I began to gain knowledge on these pioneers of the 1960-1970s. Conny Plank used the skills he picked up from recording classical musicians and the use of new technology to create a ever lasting sound.