Kraftwerk announce ‘Radio-Activity’ 50th anniversary reissue alongside UK and Ireland tour

Kraftwerk have announced a 50th anniversary reissue of their landmark album ‘Radio-Activity’, marking five decades since one of electronic music’s most influential releases.

Originally released in 1975, ‘Radio-Activity’ marked a defining shift in Kraftwerk’s sound. Moving further into fully electronic territory, the album explored themes such as nuclear energy, radio waves, and communication, while introducing elements of musique concrète and early synth-driven composition. As a result, it helped lay the groundwork for genres that would follow, from electro to techno.

At the same time, the band will mark the anniversary with a 17-date UK and Ireland tour, their first run across the region in nearly a decade. The tour begins in Dublin on May 17, followed by stops in cities including Belfast, Glasgow, Sheffield, Brighton, Bristol, and multiple nights in London’s Royal Albert Hall and Manchester Apollo.

Last year, The legacy of Florian Schneider, co-founder of electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk, reached new heights as Julien’s Auctions hosted The Florian Schneider Collection – a landmark sale that drew global collectors and delivered extraordinary results. The Kling Klang Sennheiser VSM-201 vocoder, preserved in its original case, soared to $256,000, more than eight times its estimate. Soon after, a stage-played EMS Synthi A – the suitcase synthesizer synonymous with Kraftwerk’s groundbreaking live sound—reached $115,200, surpassing expectations by over fourteen times.

Fifty years later, Kraftwerk ‘Radio-Activity’ doesn’t feel like a relic, it still sounds like a blueprint.