Funker Vogt
Encyclopedia
Funker Vogt is a German electronic music
project with an aggressive style, formed by vocalist Jens Kästel and programmer Gerrit Thomas
in 1995. Other members of the band are keyboardist/manager Bjorn Bottcher, live guitarist Frank Schweigert and lyricist Kai Schmidt. The name of the band translates from German
to English
as "Radio Operator
Vogt", this being the surname of a friend of the band who was a military radio operator. The military concept of a radio operator provides a contrast with the musical roles of a DJ
or a vocalist using a microphone
.
record label
Metropolis Records
. Metropolis re-released Thanks for Nothing, followed by the We Came to Kill in late 1997. Kastel and Thomas have participated, as remixers, on Leæther Strip
album Yes, I'm Limited, Vol. 2. In 2000, Funker Vogt released Maschine Zeit, followed by the remix EP T in early 2001. Additionally to the core members of the band, concert members also include Björn Böttcher (keyboard) and Frank Schweigert (guitar, he replaced Thomas Kroll in 2004). Kai Schmidt writes most of the lyrics and manages the band through his own management company. They all hail from the town of Hamelin
in Germany
. The majority of their lyrics
revolve around the concepts of war
.
A distinctive theme is present in the band's work and stage presence; both their musicianship and their costuming are strongly reminiscent of military music and dress. This military aesthetic is also popular with the band's fanbase. However, the political stance of Funker Vogt is decidedly anti-war; the band cites "war and social injustice
" as their primary topics of discussion, noting that the goal of the album Execution Tracks, along with the accompanying video, was to "present the grotesque cruelties and the tragedy of war."
With the release of Blutzoll, Funker Vogt have completed their 'Hero Trilogy'. It began with Tragic Hero on the album Execution Tracks
, continued with Fallen Hero from Navigator, and was concluded in 2010 with Arising Hero. All 3 parts of the trilogy were released as promotional singles.
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
project with an aggressive style, formed by vocalist Jens Kästel and programmer Gerrit Thomas
Gerrit Thomas
Gerrit Thomas is an electronic musician from Hameln, Germany, specializing in club-friendly aggrotech and synthpop. He plays keyboards in the band Funker Vogt which he formed with friend Jens Kästel in 1995, as well as numerous musical side projects.-Bands:* Funker Vogt* Fictional* Ravenous*...
in 1995. Other members of the band are keyboardist/manager Bjorn Bottcher, live guitarist Frank Schweigert and lyricist Kai Schmidt. The name of the band translates from German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
to English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as "Radio Operator
Signaller
In the armed forces, a signaller or signaleer is a specialist soldier or seaman or airman responsible for military communications. Signallers, aka Combat Signallers or signalmen or women, are commonly employed as radio or telephone operators, relaying messages for field commanders at the front line...
Vogt", this being the surname of a friend of the band who was a military radio operator. The military concept of a radio operator provides a contrast with the musical roles of a DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
or a vocalist using a microphone
Microphone
A microphone is an acoustic-to-electric transducer or sensor that converts sound into an electrical signal. In 1877, Emile Berliner invented the first microphone used as a telephone voice transmitter...
.
History
The group appeared on several German compilations and, in 1996, released their debut album Thanks for Nothing. Following the release of two limited edition EPs (Words of Power and Take Care), Funker Vogt signed with the AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
Metropolis Records
Metropolis Records
Metropolis Records is a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania based record label, distributor, and mail-order store specializing in the post-industrial field such as electro-industrial, synthpop, futurepop, darkwave, and gothic musical genres....
. Metropolis re-released Thanks for Nothing, followed by the We Came to Kill in late 1997. Kastel and Thomas have participated, as remixers, on Leæther Strip
Leæther Strip
Leæther Strip is a Danish musical project founded on January 13, 1988 by Claus Larsen. Its influence has been most felt in the electronic body music and electro-industrial genres. Perhaps to a certain extent, it may have influenced various film score productions. Leæther Strip was one of the...
album Yes, I'm Limited, Vol. 2. In 2000, Funker Vogt released Maschine Zeit, followed by the remix EP T in early 2001. Additionally to the core members of the band, concert members also include Björn Böttcher (keyboard) and Frank Schweigert (guitar, he replaced Thomas Kroll in 2004). Kai Schmidt writes most of the lyrics and manages the band through his own management company. They all hail from the town of Hamelin
Hamelin
Hamelin is a town on the river Weser in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Hamelin-Pyrmont and has a population of 58,696 ....
in Germany
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...
. The majority of their lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
revolve around the concepts of war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
.
A distinctive theme is present in the band's work and stage presence; both their musicianship and their costuming are strongly reminiscent of military music and dress. This military aesthetic is also popular with the band's fanbase. However, the political stance of Funker Vogt is decidedly anti-war; the band cites "war and social injustice
Social injustice
Social injustice is a concept relating to the claimed unfairness or injustice of a society in its divisions of rewards and burdens and other incidental inequalities...
" as their primary topics of discussion, noting that the goal of the album Execution Tracks, along with the accompanying video, was to "present the grotesque cruelties and the tragedy of war."
The Hero Trilogy
See the main article: The Hero TrilogyWith the release of Blutzoll, Funker Vogt have completed their 'Hero Trilogy'. It began with Tragic Hero on the album Execution Tracks
Execution Tracks
Execution Tracks is an aggrotech album by Funker Vogt. 12 of the 14 songs start with a track prefix "Execution" followed by the song number.-Track listing:# "Civil War" - 7:25# "The Voices of the Dead" - 5:24# "The International Killer" - 6:10...
, continued with Fallen Hero from Navigator, and was concluded in 2010 with Arising Hero. All 3 parts of the trilogy were released as promotional singles.
Studio albums
- Thanks for Nothing (1996)
- We Came to KillWe Came to Kill-Track listing:#"Time Of Dreams"#"Take Care!"#"Stupid Incident"#"Father"#"Under Control"#"Wartime"#"Killing Fields"#"Nothing New"#"Fantasies"#"Siegeszug"#"Funker Vogt 2nd Unit"#"Take Care! "#"Time of Dreams "...
(1997) - Killing Time AgainKilling Time Again-Track listing:CD 1CD 2#"Killing Fields "#"Evil's birth"#"Vision"#"The Race Is On"#"Killing Fields "#"Evil's Birth "#"Black Hole "#"Words Of Power "#"Take Care "#"The Third War"...
(1998) (part new material, part remixes) - Execution TracksExecution TracksExecution Tracks is an aggrotech album by Funker Vogt. 12 of the 14 songs start with a track prefix "Execution" followed by the song number.-Track listing:# "Civil War" - 7:25# "The Voices of the Dead" - 5:24# "The International Killer" - 6:10...
(1998) - Maschine ZeitMaschine Zeit-Track listing:#"Sins" – 6:24#"Gunman" – 4:46#"Black Market Dealers" – 5:33#"Maschine Zeit" – 6:20#"Nuclear Winter" – 4:10#"Under Deck" – 5:48#"Cold War" – 4:50#"The Journey" – 5:54#"Nothing to Include" – 6:31#"The Last" – 4:41#"Zeit" – 4:48...
(2000) - T (2000/2001) (contains 4 new tracks and 10 remixes)
- SurvivorSurvivor (Funker Vogt album)-Track listing:CD 1CD 2#"Date of Expiration"#"This World"#"History"#"Obscure Pictures"#"Compulsions"#"Prisoners of War"#"Final Thrill"#"Fallen Man"#"Stolen Thoughts"#"Lügner"#"Faster Life"#"Red Queen"#"Refugees"#"This World "...
(2002) - RevivorRevivor-Track listing:#"Final Thrill "#"History "#"Lügner "#"Prisoners of War "#"Faster Life "...
(2003) (remix album) - Navigator (2005)
- Aviator (2007)
- Blutzoll (2010)
DVD
- Warzone K17Warzone K17Warzone K17 is an aggrotech album by Funker Vogt, released on April 21, 2009.-Track listing:Disc One# "Intro"# "Date Of Expiration"# "Child Soldier"# "Final Thrill"# "Thanks For Nothing"# "Take Care"# "Killing Ground"# "City Of Darkness"...
(2009) - Live Execution '99 (2010) (Also features the album T in DVD Audio)
Singles
- Words of PowerWords of Power-Track listing:#"Words of Power "#"The 3rd War "#"Thanks For Nothing "#"Words of Power "#"The 3rd War "#"Thanks For Nothing "...
(1997) - Take CareTake Care (single)"Take Care" is an aggrotech Single by Funker Vogt.-Track listing:#"Take Care "#"Take Care "#"Take Care "#"Take Care "#"Fantasies "...
(1997) - Tragic Hero (1998)
- GunmanGunman (single)"Gunman" is an aggrotech single by Funker Vogt.-Track listing:#"Gunman "#"F-117A "#"Gunman "#"Gunman "#"Nuclear Winter "-Personnel:*Gerrit Thomas...
(2000) - SubspaceSubspace (single)-Track listing:#"Subspace " – 5:26#"Subspace " – 3:33#"Subspace " – 5:45#"Subspace" – 5:31...
(2001) - Date of ExpirationDate of Expiration"Date of Expiration" is an aggrotech single by Funker Vogt.-Track listing:#"Date of Expiration "#"Date of Expiration "#"Second World"#"Date of Expiration "#"Traumatic Event"...
(2002) - Red Queen (2003)
- Fallen Hero (2005)
- White Trash (2008)
- Arising Hero (2010)
Maxi-Singles
- Velvet Acid Christ Vs Funker Vogt: The Remix Wars - Strike 4Velvet Acid Christ Vs Funker Vogt: The Remix AssaultThe Remix Assault is an aggrotech maxi by Funker Vogt and Velvet Acid Christ.-Track listing:...
(1999) - Code 7477Code 7477"Code 7477" is an aggrotech maxi by Funker Vogt.-Track listing:#"Funker Vogt "#"Funker Vogt 2nd Unit "#"Black Hole "#"Funker Vogt "#"Funker Vogt 2nd Unit "#"Black Hole "...
(2001)
Compilations
- Always and Forever Volume 1Always and Forever Volume 1Always and Forever Volume 1 is a two-disk aggrotech compilation album by Funker Vogt. It contains the previously released Words of Power EP , Take Care single , and Killing Time Again EP , all digitally remastered. The other tracks are previously unreleased songs or remixes.-Track listing:...
(2005) - Always and Forever Volume 2Always and Forever Volume 2Always and Forever Volume 2 is a two-disk aggrotech compilation album by Funker Vogt. Released only on Repo Records . This is a 2 CD set featuring Tragic Hero, Gunman and Code 7477 disks bundled with a bunch of titles that were previously unreleased.-Track listing:...
(2006)
Side projects
- RavenousRavenous (band)Ravenous is a synthpop band from Germany. Formed in 1995, it is the first of many projects by Gerrit Thomas, who is more well known for his industrial band Funker Vogt...
- FictionalFictional (band)Fictional is the name of a German musical project formed by Gerrit Thomas , serving as a balance between two other projects he is involved in, Funker Vogt and Ravenous...
- Fusspils 11Fusspils 11Fusspils 11 is the name of a German aggrotech, industrial, and EBM musical project collaboration of Ravenous and Funker Vogt members Gerrit Thomas, Jens Kaestel, Björn Böttcher, Tim Fockenbrock, Kai Schmidt, and Peggy Johanson. Their two albums to date have been completely in German.-External...
- Z.E.T.A. X