Friday, April 20, 2012

Music Video: Deichkind - Leider Geil

There are a lot of bands out there that start out interesting, but that get boring after their first or second album.  There are other bands that start out slowly, but pick up speed as they go.  I would put the German hip-hop/techno collective Deichkind in this latter category.  Founded in 1999 in Hamburg, Deichkind started out as a decent, but otherwise non-noteworthy, German rap group in the same vein as Fettes Brot, Fantastischen Vier, or Blumentopf.  In this musical guise, Deichkind put out a couple of okay albums that helped them to develop a hardcore following.

Then, in 2005, things really went off the rails.  With the entry of Electric Super Dance Band in the 2005 Bundesvision Song Contest, Deichkind dove headfirst into a much more interesting and challenging relationship with techno and dance music.  Despite placing 14th out of 15 in Bundesvision, Deichkind had cast their lot, and I think for the better.  Not only were their songs becoming more challenging.  Their live shows were also demonstrating a real affinity for the dramatic, the absurd, and even the bizarre.

Now, on their newly released 5th studio album Befehl von ganz unten, Deichkind continues this experimentation in what they call "TechRap".  Perhaps this is best represented by their new single Leider Geil.  You may not like Deichkind, but they certainly won't leave you unchallenged. 

BTW, as an added bonus, if you really want to see what Deichkind is all about, check out this live version of their song Prost! from Rockpalast in 2011.