Franz Ferdinand

United Kingdom, 2002–now

Glasgow art-rock band led by Alex Kapranos, formed in 2002 with the stated aim of making 'music girls can dance to'. Their self-titled debut ('Take Me Out') fused angular post-punk guitars with a taut dancefloor pulse, a defining sound of the mid-2000s indie wave.

MusicRoots documents 6 artists who influenced Franz Ferdinand and 0 artists Franz Ferdinand influenced in turn. Every connection cites a published source.

Who influenced Franz Ferdinand?

• Talking Heads — Franz Ferdinand's angular, funk-tinged post-punk draws on Talking Heads' rhythm-forward art-punk, cited among their core influences.
• Kraftwerk — Kraftwerk's electronic pulse is part of the danceable machine-rhythm Franz Ferdinand built into their guitar pop.
• Orange Juice — The Glasgow band Kapranos names first, and a touchstone he says was as much about attitude as sound — Postcard's way of putting records out mattered as much as the records.
• Josef K — The jerky rhythm and the dry wit are Josef K's. Paul Haig put it less modestly: without Josef K, Franz Ferdinand would not have existed.
• Wire — The angular half of the lineage — post-punk written as short, hard, deliberately shaped songs.
• The Beatles — Cited by the band among their influences, with Talking Heads and Kraftwerk.