Peter Hook has paid tribute to the late Florian Schneider by hailing Kraftwerk as the main inspiration for his old bands Joy Division and New Order.
It was announced on Wednesday that Schneider, 73, had passed away in late April following a short battle with cancer - prompting tributes from a host of musicians ranging from Midge Ure to The 1975's Matty Healy.
Hook added his voice to the tributes on Thursday by writing an article for NME in which he explained how Kraftwerk inspired Joy Division and their late frontman Ian Curtis, who died in 1980, in particular.
"I was so sad to hear of Florian Schneider's death," he wrote. "My earliest memory of Kraftwerk was being given an LP by Ian Curtis. He gave me (their songs) Autobahn and then later Trans Europe Express. I was absolutely mesmerised by both.
"Ian suggested that every time Joy Division go on stage, we should do so to Trans Europe Express. We did that from our first show, until nearly our last."
Explaining Kraftwerk's influence on Joy Division's minimalist look as well as their music, he added: "Kraftwerk were such a huge influence on us, both musically and stylistically. Ian was so in awe of the way that they dressed and the way they acted as well as their music. It was the perfect triangle. If you listen to a lot of music now, you hear Kraftwerk's influence completely."
However, the rocker said New Order, who were formed by former members of Joy Division after Curtis' death, was even more in Kraftwerk's debt musically, adding: "Joy Division were very tied to Kraftwerk, but it wasn't until we got to New Order and were able to afford the toys that our primary source of inspiration became, 'Let's rip off Kraftwerk'."
The Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess also paid tribute to Schneider on Thursday by hosting one of his Twitter listening parties in honour of Kraftwerk's 1981 album Computer World.
