Die Krupps
Encyclopedia
Die Krupps is a German
industrial rock
/EBM
band, formed in 1980 by Jürgen Engler and Bernward Malaka
in Düsseldorf
.
s with metallic percussion
. Die Krupps were key in the Europe wide progression of Electronic Body Music culminating with the collaboration in 1989 with British band Nitzer Ebb
on a re-release of Wahrer Lohn/Wahre Arbeit. In 1992, they began to utilize guitar
s and more sounds derived from heavy metal music
, with the release of their album I (as in the number One). It was a pioneering move which led to a number of other bands using the electronic/metal combo as a template in keeping with a deeper industrial sound. The band continued in this vein through the 1990s, releasing II (number two, with a cover heavily influenced by Deep Purple's Machine Head
). A more experimental and pensive III followed in 1995. After the release of the heavily metal-influenced album Paradise Now in 1997, the band disbanded.
One of their more famous releases is the EP
Tribute To Metallica where they recorded covers of Metallica
songs in their trademark heavy electronic synthesizer-style.
Jürgen Engler announced later the founding of a new project DKay.com
and released 2 albums in 2000 and 2002.
Ralf Dörper founded the band Propaganda
in 1982 after leaving Die Krupps. In 1989 he returned to Die Krupps.
Die Krupps celebrated their 25th anniversary with appearances in some major European festivals as well as solo appearances in 2005 and 2006.
The band's name translates as "The Krupps" and comes from the Krupp
dynasty, one of pre-war Germany's main industrial families. The band is actively anti-Nazi
and may have chosen this name to highlight the role of the Krupps in arming the Nazis during World War II
.
In some interviews the band stated that Visconti's
1969 movie The Damned—a depiction of the fictitious German industrial dynasty of the Essenbecks—was the main inspiration.
In fall 2007 2 greatest-hits albums were released to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Die Krupps: "Too Much History - The Electro Years Vol. 1" and "Too Much History - The Metal Years Vol. 2", both in digipak format. One of the albums showcases the band's electro side, and the other showcases the band's metal side. Both albums were combined as the 2-disc "Too Much History".
The influential back-catalogue of Die Krupps has been remastered and expanded. So far four of their previous albums "Stahlwerksynfonie" "Volle Kraft Voraus", "I" and "Final Option" have been re-released.
To celebrate 30 years of "True Work" Die Krupps announced a joint European tour with Nitzer Ebb in spring 2011.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
industrial rock
Industrial rock
Industrial rock is a musical genre that fuses industrial music and specific rock subgenres. Industrial rock spawned industrial metal, with which it is often confused...
/EBM
Electronic body music
Electronic body music or industrial dance is a music genre that combines elements of industrial music and electronic dance music...
band, formed in 1980 by Jürgen Engler and Bernward Malaka
Bernward Malaka
Bernward Malaka is an internet entrepreneur and consultant. He was also active as publisher and musician.In 1976 Malaka was co-founder and bass player of German punk band Male. He founded the band Die Krupps in 1980, which had international success and a substantial impact on the development of...
in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
.
History
Their initial sound throughout the 1980s combined synthesizerSynthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s with metallic percussion
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
. Die Krupps were key in the Europe wide progression of Electronic Body Music culminating with the collaboration in 1989 with British band Nitzer Ebb
Nitzer Ebb
Nitzer Ebb is a British EBM group formed in 1982 by Essex school friends Vaughan "Bon" Harris , Douglas McCarthy , and David Gooday .-Band name:...
on a re-release of Wahrer Lohn/Wahre Arbeit. In 1992, they began to utilize guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s and more sounds derived from heavy metal music
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
, with the release of their album I (as in the number One). It was a pioneering move which led to a number of other bands using the electronic/metal combo as a template in keeping with a deeper industrial sound. The band continued in this vein through the 1990s, releasing II (number two, with a cover heavily influenced by Deep Purple's Machine Head
Machine Head (album)
Machine Head is the sixth studio album released by the English rock band Deep Purple. It was recorded through December 1971 in Montreux, Switzerland, and released in March 1972....
). A more experimental and pensive III followed in 1995. After the release of the heavily metal-influenced album Paradise Now in 1997, the band disbanded.
One of their more famous releases is the EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
Tribute To Metallica where they recorded covers of Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
songs in their trademark heavy electronic synthesizer-style.
Jürgen Engler announced later the founding of a new project DKay.com
Dkay.com
DKay.com is an industrial band formed by Jürgen Engler in the late 1990s.-History:DKay.com was formed by Jürgen Engler after the initial split of Die Krupps in 1997. He recorded the album 'Decaydenz' with a variety of guest musicians, including Julian Beeston on two tracks, as well as Adam...
and released 2 albums in 2000 and 2002.
Ralf Dörper founded the band Propaganda
Propaganda (band)
Propaganda is a German synthpop group, formed in 1982. They were one of the initial roster of acts signed to Trevor Horn's ZTT label, between 1984 and 1986, during which they released the critically acclaimed album A Secret Wish....
in 1982 after leaving Die Krupps. In 1989 he returned to Die Krupps.
Die Krupps celebrated their 25th anniversary with appearances in some major European festivals as well as solo appearances in 2005 and 2006.
The band's name translates as "The Krupps" and comes from the Krupp
Krupp
The Krupp family , a prominent 400-year-old German dynasty from Essen, have become famous for their steel production and for their manufacture of ammunition and armaments. The family business, known as Friedrich Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp, was the largest company in Europe at the beginning of the 20th...
dynasty, one of pre-war Germany's main industrial families. The band is actively anti-Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
and may have chosen this name to highlight the role of the Krupps in arming the Nazis during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
In some interviews the band stated that Visconti's
Luchino Visconti
Luchino Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo was an Italian theatre, opera and cinema director, as well as a screenwriter. He is best known for his films The Leopard and Death in Venice .-Life:...
1969 movie The Damned—a depiction of the fictitious German industrial dynasty of the Essenbecks—was the main inspiration.
In fall 2007 2 greatest-hits albums were released to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Die Krupps: "Too Much History - The Electro Years Vol. 1" and "Too Much History - The Metal Years Vol. 2", both in digipak format. One of the albums showcases the band's electro side, and the other showcases the band's metal side. Both albums were combined as the 2-disc "Too Much History".
The influential back-catalogue of Die Krupps has been remastered and expanded. So far four of their previous albums "Stahlwerksynfonie" "Volle Kraft Voraus", "I" and "Final Option" have been re-released.
To celebrate 30 years of "True Work" Die Krupps announced a joint European tour with Nitzer Ebb in spring 2011.
Members
- Jürgen Engler – Vocals, guitar, synthesizers & programming
- Ralf Dörper – Synthesizers & programming
- Marcel Zürcher – Guitar
- Rüdiger Esch – Bass
- Nook – Drums, electronic percussion
Former members
- Bernward MalakaBernward MalakaBernward Malaka is an internet entrepreneur and consultant. He was also active as publisher and musician.In 1976 Malaka was co-founder and bass player of German punk band Male. He founded the band Die Krupps in 1980, which had international success and a substantial impact on the development of...
- Bass - Frank Köllges - Drums
- Eva Gößling - Saxophone
- Christina Schnekenburger - Keyboards
- Walter Jäger - ?
- Christopher Lietz - Programming, Samples
- Lee AltusLee AltusLee Altus is an American heavy metal guitarist. Altus first came to public attention in the mid-80s with his original band, Heathen, where Altus displayed his highly technical neoclassical guitar playing style...
- Guitar - Darren Minter - Drums
- George Lewis - Drums
- Oliver Röhl – Drums
- Achim Färber – Drums
Albums
- Stahlwerksymphonie (1981)
- Volle Kraft Voraus!Volle Kraft Voraus!-Track listing:# "Volle Kraft voraus" - 3:44# "Goldfinger" - 3:21# "Für einen Augenblick" - 4:14# "Tod und Teufel" - 2:45# "Das Ende der Träume" - 3:34# "Neue Helden" - 3:08# "Wahre Arbeit, wahrer Lohn" - 5:24# "Denn du lebst nur einmal" - 3:28...
(1982) - Entering the ArenaEntering the ArenaEntering the Arena is the third album by the German industrial/EBM band Die Krupps.-Track listing:# "Risk" - 3:54# "Rise and Fall" - 5:32# "Communication Breakdown" - 3:02# "Risky Soul Version" - 6:34# "Gladiators" - 5:26# "Your Voice" - 5:38...
(1985) - II (Die Krupps album)-Track listing:# High Tech/Low Life# Metal Machine Music# Doppelgänger# The Dawning Of Doom# Ministry Of Fear# One# Simply Say No# Disclipes Of Disclipine# The Power# Rings Of Steel-Credits:* Jürgen Engler - Vocals, Keyboards, Guitar, Samples...
(1992) - II: The Final OptionDie Krupps II: The Final OptionDie Krupps II: The Final Option is an album by the German band Die Krupps. It was released in 1993. A double CD special edition was released the same year, containing the same track listing with demo versions on the second CD.-Track listing:...
(1993) - The Final Remixes (1994)
- III: Odyssey of the MindIII: Odyssey of the MindDie Krupps III: Odyssey of the Mind is the fifth album by the German band Die Krupps. It was released in 1995.-Track listing:# "The Last Flood" - 5:34# "Isolation" - 4:13# "Odyssey of the Mind" - 5:06# "Eggshell" - 4:51# "Scent" - 4:19...
(1995) - Paradise NowParadise Now (album)Paradise Now is the seventh album by German band Die Krupps. It was released in 1997.-Track listing:# "Moving Beyond"# "The Gods Of Void"# "Paradise Now"# "Black Beauty White Heat"# "Reconstruction"# "Behind"# "Taste Of Taboo"# "Rise Up"# "Fire"...
(1997) - Volle Kraft Voraus!Volle Kraft Voraus!-Track listing:# "Volle Kraft voraus" - 3:44# "Goldfinger" - 3:21# "Für einen Augenblick" - 4:14# "Tod und Teufel" - 2:45# "Das Ende der Träume" - 3:34# "Neue Helden" - 3:08# "Wahre Arbeit, wahrer Lohn" - 5:24# "Denn du lebst nur einmal" - 3:28...
Re-release (2008) - I Re-release (2008)
Singles and EPs
- Wahre Arbeit, Wahrer Lohn (1981)
- Goldfinger (1982)
- Machineries of Joy (1989)
- Germaniac (1990)
- Metal Machine Music (1992)
- The Power (1992)
- Tribute to Metallica (1992)
- Fatherland (1993)
- To the Hilt (1994)
- Crossfire (1994)
- Bloodsuckers (1994)
- Isolation (1995)
- Scent (1995)
- Remix Wars Strike 2: Die Krupps vs. Front Line AssemblyFront Line AssemblyFront Line Assembly is a Canadian electro-industrial band formed by Bill Leeb in 1986 after leaving Skinny Puppy. Influenced by early Industrial acts such as Cabaret Voltaire, Portion Control, D.A.F., Test Dept, SPK, and Severed Heads, FLA has developed its own unique sound while combining...
(1996) - Fire (1997)
- Rise Up (1997)
- Black Beauty White Heat (1997)
- Paradise now (1997)
- Wahre Arbeit, Wahrer Lohn (2005)
- Volle Kraft Null Acht (2009)
- Als Wären Wir Für Immer (12/2010)
Anthologies
- Metall Maschinen Musik 91-81 Past Forward (1991)
- Rings of SteelRings of SteelRings of Steel is a compilation album by German industrial rock/EBM band Die Krupps. It was released in May 1995 via Cleopatra Records and targeted torwards the US markets....
(1995) - Metalmorphosis of Die Krupps (1997)
- Foundation (1997)
- Too Much History. The Electro Years (Vol. 1) (2007)
- Too Much History. The Metal Years (Vol. 2) (2007)
- Too Much History. Limited edition double CD set (2007)