The German electronic music giants are set to headline this year’s festival of sound and light.

NSW Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner has announced that Kraftwerk, the German electronic music pioneers, will be the headline act for the Vivid LIVE program at Sydney Opera House during Vivid Sydney 2013.

The performances by Kraftwerk, dubbed simply THE CATALOGUE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8, will showcase what amounts to 40 years of musical and technical innovation, including new improvisations, 3D projections and animation. Kicking off with the groundbreaking Autobahn, each night looks at one of Kraftwerk’s iconic studio albums in its totality. In a typically German piece of programming, the concerts will be presented in strict order of their release — Autobahn (1974), Radio-Activity (1975), Trans Europe Express (1977), The Man-Machine (1978), Computer World (1981), Techno Pop (1986), The Mix (1991) and Tour de France (2003). Performances will also feature additional compositions from their back-catalogue.

The Sydney Opera House gigs come fresh on the back of much-praised sellout performances at MoMA in New York and the Turbine Hall at London’s Tate Modern. Kraftwerk have a famously diverse following across a whole range of musical forms – their influence has been felt...