The influence of black artists and music genres on Krautrock‘s pioneers fed directly into the conception of electro, Detroit techno, and Chicago house, largely developed by exponents of black communities in their respective localities. A universal funk, present in the black music that inspired early Krautrock artists, through to Kraftwerk and their industrielle Volksmusik, permeated through to black communities in America. The programmed funk of Kraftwerk‘s automated computer music spoke to black pioneers in New York, Chicago, and Detroit, sparking the development of ground-breaking genres such as electro, house, and techno. Barnes explores the lineage and transnational influence of Krautrock on America‘s black communities via the tributaries of German free jazz and krautfusion.