Deichkind

Long before the Will It Blend? mini-series achieved widespread Internet fame, high school friends Philipp Grütering and Malte Pittner from Germany launched the provocative Deichkind project to stage their own mixing experiments. Originating in Bergedorf on Hamburg’s outskirts, the pair enlisted producer Sebastian Hackert and DJ Phono in 1997, seeking to invigorate the nation’s traditionally staid rap landscape—an effort the scene initially rejected. Early shows, which mixed art-hop performed in Low German, repeatedly forced the MCs to abandon the stage while dodging tomatoes and half-empty beer cans.

North German resolve eventually prevailed, bringing aboard MC Buddy Inflagranti, whose accordion afforded greater defense against airborne produce. Three years later the second EP, Kabeljau Inferno (“Codfish Inferno”), opened doors nationwide and earned a 1999 contract with Warner’s Showdown label. Months afterward the debut album Bitte Ziehen Sie Durch reached stores across Germany, while single “Bon Voyage” placed the band on countless summer festival bills. Work with Nina, Dendemann, and Nico Suave slowly won over steadfast hip-hop listeners drawn to the group’s blend of rap and any other style that surfaced. The 2002 follow-up Noch 5 Minuten Mutti (“Five More Minutes of Mom”) retained the trademark skits and witty rhymes yet failed to enlarge the audience.

Nearly three years of silence ended when the act resurfaced at Stefan Raab’s Bundesvision Sound Contest clad in silver astronaut suits. New single “Electric Superdance Band” attempted to fuse techno, electro-pop, and hip-hop, but phone votes awarded last place among fourteen entrants. More than a year passed before third album Aufstand im Schlaraffenland (“Riot in Paradise”) signaled a permanent break from hip-hop. The ensuing synth-driven disco-pop alienated core fans, prompting Pittner and Inflagranti to exit; bassist Porky Codex and Hamburg rapper Ferris MC took their places. The revised lineup issued fourth album Arbeit Nervt (“Work Sucks”) in 2008. The next year brought the death of longtime producer and friend Sebi Hackert, nearly dissolving the band, yet it returned in 2012 with fifth studio album Befehl Von Ganz Unten.