Kraftwerk co-founder Florian Schneider quits band

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Florian Schneider, the co-founder of legendary German electronica band Kraftwerk, has quit the lineup, leaving it with just one original member.

His departure was revealed Monday on Kraftwerk's official fan Web site (kraftwerk.technopop.com.br/). No reason was given, but Schneider did not take part in Kraftwerk's 2008 world tour as he is reportedly working on other projects.

The band, headed by co-founder Ralf Huetter, is still scheduled to open for Radiohead on the British group's first tour of Latin America, which begins March 15 in Mexico City.

Schneider and Huetter co-founded Kraftwerk in early 1970, eventually expanding it to a four-piece group with a revolving lineup of musicians. They transformed electronic music in the 1970s with such synthetic yet oddly engaging tunes as "The Robots" and the 22-minute "Autobahn." David Bowie, in his own electronica phase, paid tribute to the band with his 1977 instrumental "V2-Schneider."

The Radiohead/Kraftwerk jaunt will also take in Rio de Janeiro (March 20), Sao Paulo (March 22), Buenos Aires, (March 24), and Santiago (March 26-27). Additionally, Kraftwerk have scheduled three shows in Wolfsburg, Germany, on April 25-26.

(Reporting by Dean Goodman)