DIE KRUPPS (GERMAN EBM/CROSSOVER BAND)

Die Krupps is a German industrial metal/EBM band, formed in 1980 by Jürgen Engler and Bernward Malaka in Düsseldorf.

History

 

The band's name translates as "The Krupps" and comes from the Krupp dynasty, one of Germany's main industrial families before and 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.
Critics worldwide hail them alongside Kraftwerk and Einstürzende Neubauten as pioneers of Electronic and Industrial music, bands like Front 242 and Nitzer Ebb called them their inspiration, and their musical ideas found their way into the sound of a wide spectrum of music, from Depeche Mode to the innovative pioneers of Detroit Techno. Also seen as one the pioneers of fusing metal music and electronic music.
Ralf Dörper who was part of the initial line-up which created the highly acclaimed early recordings "Stahlwerksynfonie" and "Wahre Arbeit Wahrer Lohn" in 1981 left the band in 1982 to found the band Propaganda. Propaganda became one of the few German bands which were internationally successful in the 80s. In the mid 80s Jurgen Engler went to work on his record label Atom-H signing bands who played mainly thrash metal and hardcore punk.

 This influence would play a key part in the musical change in the 90s. In 1989 Ralf Dörper initiated a collaboration with Nitzer Ebb on an old Die Krupps track (i.e. Machineries of Joy, a newer version of their early '80s track Wahre Arbeit Wahrer Lohn) which he produced together with Jürgen Engler. The chart-success of the record (Billboard-Charts) led to the reactivation of Die Krupps fronted by Engler and Dörper.

The initial sound on the bands first album Stahlwerksynfonie showed a mix of industry factory noises with metallic percussion and real instruments. Later on the Wahre Arbeit, Wahrer Lohn ep and the Volle Kraft Voraus! album in 1982 the band's sound moved toward a less experimental sound but rather a more synthesizer based sound while still keeping the metallic percussion. With the release of Entering the Arena the band almost completely abandoned the metallic percussion and went for a more 80s new wave sound.

Die Krupps were key in the Europe wide progression of Electronic Body Music culminating with the collaboration in 1989 with British band Nitzer Ebb. In 1992, they began to utilize guitars and more sounds derived from heavy metal music, with the release of their album I and the EP Tribute To Metallica, which consisted of covers of Metallica songs. Combining electronic and metal elements 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 - The Final Option (with an album cover influenced by Deep Purple's Machine Head) in 1993. A more experimental and pensive III - Odyssey of the Mind followed in 1995. After the release of the heavily thrash metal influenced album Paradise Now in 1997 (unofficially known as IV), the band disbanded.
Jürgen Engler founded the project DKay.com and released two albums in 2000 and 2002, Decaydenz and Deeper into the Heart of Dysfunction.
Die Krupps celebrated their 25th anniversary with appearances in some major European festivals as well as solo appearances in 2005 and 2006. In fall 2007, two 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. Both albums were combined as the 2-disc "Too Much History". A collection of completely recorded old classics including four then new songs on their Greatest Hit album "Too Much History" in 2007. The Great Divide, 5 Millionen with two cover songs Ich Bin Ein Ausländer by Pop Will Eat Itself and Der Amboss by Visage (which was originally released two years before as a b-side to the rerelease of Wahre Arbeit, Wahrer Lohn).

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. and Volle Kraft Null Acht in 2009 a remix album of Volle Kraft Voraus!.
In 2010, Die Krupps released an EP entitled "Als wären wir für immer", which comprises two original electronic based tracks, two original metal based tracks, and a cover of Propaganda's 80's hit, "Dr Mabuse". At that Time the first true new material since 1997. To celebrate thirty years of "True Work, True Pay" Die Krupps announced a joint European tour with Nitzer Ebb in spring 2011.
In 2013 they released their first full new album since 1997, an Industrial/EBM LP, called "The Machinists Of Joy" and Two years later, in 2015, they released heavy metal influenced album - "V - Metal Machine Music". In 2016 the band recorded Stahlwerkrequiem a sequel/recording of the bands first album Stahlwerksynfonie. Later that year saw the released of "Live Im Schatten Der Ringe" a live album originally recorded in 2014.

Members

 

• Jürgen Engler – vocals, guitar, synthesizers and programming, metallic percussion (1980-1985, 1989-1997, 2005-present)
• Ralf Dörper – synthesizers and programming (1980-1982, 1985, 1989-1997, 2005-present)
• Marcel Zürcher – guitar (2005-present)
• Hendrik Thiesbrummel - live drums (2016-present)
• Nils Finkeisen - live guitar (2015-present)

Former members

 

• Bradley Bills - live drums (2013-2014)
• Rüdiger Esch - bass guitar (1989-1997, 2005-2011)
• Christoph "Nook" Michelfeit - drums, electronic percussion
• Bernward Malaka - bass guitar (1980-1982)
• Frank Köllges - drums
• Eva Gossling - saxophone (1981)
• Christina Schnekenburger - keyboards
• Walter Jäger - ?
• Christopher Lietz - programming, samples (1995-1997)
• Lee Altus - guitar (1992-1997)
• Darren Minter - drums (1993)
• George Lewis - drums (1997)
• Oliver Röhl – drums
• Achim Färber – drums
• Volker Borchert – drums (1992, 2015-2016)

Discography

Albums

• Stahlwerksynfonie (1981)
• Volle Kraft Voraus! (1982)
• Entering the Arena (1985)
• I (1992)
• II - The Final Option (1993)
• The Final Remixes (1994)
• III - Odyssey of the Mind (1995)
• Paradise Now (1997)
• The Machinists of Joy (2013)
• V - Metal Machine Music (2015)
• Stahlwerkrequiem (2016)
• Live Im Schatten Der Ringe (2016)

Singles and EPs

• Wahre Arbeit, Wahrer Lohn (1981)
• Goldfinger (1982)
• Risk (1985)
• Machineries of Joy (1989)
• Germaniac (1990)
• Metal Machine Music (1992)
• The Power (1992)
• A 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 Assembly (1996)
• Fire (1997)
• Rise Up (1997)
• Black Beauty White Heat (1997)
• Wahre Arbeit, Wahrer Lohn / Der Amboss (2005)
• Volle Kraft Null Acht (2009)
• Als wären wir für immer (2010)
• Industrie-Mädchen (2012)
• Risikofaktor (2013)
• Nazis On Speed (2013)
• Robo Sapien (2014)
• Battle Extreme / Fly Martyrs Fly (2015)
• Kaltes Herz / (2015)
• Die Krupps & Caliban – Alive In A Glass Cage (2016)

Anthologies

• Metall Maschinen Musik 91-81 Past Forward (1991)
• Rings of Steel (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)

Compilations appearances and tributes (Partial)

• Extended Electronics (2006)
• This Is Industrial Hits Of The '90s (2007)
• Advanced Electronics Vol. 8 (2010)
• The Dark Box - The Ultimate Goth, Wave & Industrial Collection 1980-2011 (2011)
• Russian Industrial Tribute To Die Krupps (2013)
• Elektrozorn Vol. 1 (2014)