...definitive statement from Kraftwerk ...

"The actual rhythm of 'Autobahn' was built around organic, musique concrète tapes of car noise, replayed on synthesizers and locked into place with rudimentary sequencers. The eventual 22-minute track was the first definitive statement that Kraftwerk had made. Its propulsive proto-electro groove was an important signifier as well. Its beat represented a metaphorical journey away from the recent past – a high-velocity transit away from the horrors of Nazism and World War II. The autobahn was inextricably linked with the dominance of the Nazis, who built links between all of the major cities in the 1930s and early 1940s. Hitler promised that he would eradicate unemployment and, partly through the road building programme, he nearly achieved this goal. The middle classes had better transport links and the mercantile classes had an abundance of new markets within easy reach. And for Hitler himself, there was the 'Totale Mobilmachung' or total mobilisation for the troops of the Wehrmacht. By 1939 3,000km of new road had been built, and as soon as the war was over the people would be able to drive wherever they wanted in the Volkswagens Hitler had promised to every family. " Karl Bartos Interviewed: Kraftwerk And The Birth Of The Modern