 The group began as part of West Germany's experimental krautrock scene in the early 1970s before fully embracing electronic instrumentation, including synthesizers, drum machines, and vocoders.On commercially successful albums such as "Autobahn" (1974), "Trans-Europe Express" (1977), and "The Man-Machine" (1978), Kraftwerk developed a self-described "robot pop" style that combined electronic music with pop melodies, sparse arrangements, and repetitive rhythms, while adopting a stylized image including matching suits.Following the release of "Electric Café" (1986), Wolfgang Flür left the group in 1987, followed by percussionist Karl Bartos in 1990.