According to Empire, "Digital Hardcore initially meant the final questioning of everything, of the whole. The next step was a shorter one. The absolute negation, even to answer one's own existence with a "No". If "No" is true, then suicide can be as much as an event as pressing the buttons on your remote control." (MEAN Magazine, July 1999)
The group was founded as an attack on the increasingly neo-Nazi influenced German techno scene and consisted of three Berliners - Alec Empire, Hanin Elias and MC Carl Crack. ATR's early releases (which included songs like "Hetzjagd Auf Nazis!" / "Hunt Down the Nazis!") were surrounded by controversy in Germany due to the prevailing "no politics on the dance floor" attitude.
After signing to Phonogram, a major European label, in 1993 the band received an unusually large financial advance which they duplicitously used to set up their own record label: Digital Hardcore Recordings or DHR. ATR never delivered a commercially viable demo to Phonogram.
In 1997 ATR was joined by Nic Endo, a Japanese-American noise/soundscape artist during the Beck tour.
In 1999 ATR released 60 Second Wipe Out, an album that phased out all use of sampling and brought on board New York City rappers the Arsonists. According to Magnet Magazine, "Empire's guitar-playing values speed-thrash malevolence, and when paired with Endo's painful skronkage, the album is decidedly denser than its predecessor."
The group decided to effectively disband in 2000 and to not consider the band's future until 2003. Carl Crack died a few months later of a drug overdose. His death caused Empire some anguish and made any reformation less likely. Since the collapse of ATR the surviving members have all pursued separate and successful careers. Nic Endo and Empire have collaborated since but relations between Elias and Empire appear to remain strained despite their mutual business interests. This is because, as she states in interviews, Hanin Elias decided to set up her own record label, where she did not feel oppressed by the mostly male artists. Her record label is named Fatal Recordings.
In March 2002, ATR's album Future of War (1997) was banned in Germany. According to Alec Empire, Future of War was noteworthy because of its "left-rooted critique of the 'modern' high-tech-war, as we had seen it all some years previously during the Gulf War."
In July 3rd 2006, ATR released greatest hits compilation called Atari Teenage Riot (1992-2000).
ATR reformed in 2010 with CX Kidtronik joining the line-up for live dates and a single Activate! scheduled for release in May.
Deutschland
Atari Teenage Riot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wake up! wake up! get off your knees...
Where will the west strike next?
The war is still between east and west...
Money talks! money! you're so bored and sick!
Lets burn germany!
Building up economy of dead bodies! that's what they want!
We react very strongly to tranquilizers you know...
I need a diversion for a silent escape! harder! faster!
You know what they're after
You haven't suffered the same as i have!
Senseless neverending terror!
We make em nervous... we make em nervous! (x3)
Deutschland has gotta die!
Wake up! wake up! get off your spleen!
What will the west strike next?
The war is still between east and west...
Money talks! money knows!
You're so bored and sick!
Let's burn deutschland!
The bloody wankers tried to pull us down...
Blow'em up! blow'em up!
The bloody wankers try to pull us down but
We're gonna smash them in! (x4)
The time is right to fight!
Atari Teenage Riot's song Deutschland is a politically charged track that is critical of the German government and the economic policies that have been put in place. The lyrics call for the destruction of Germany as a way to bring an end to the greed and corruption that pervades the government and the economy. The song begins with a call to action as the singer demands that listeners wake up and get off their knees. The question is posed, where will the west strike next, and the idea that the war is still ongoing between the east and the west is emphasized.
The lyrics then focus on the role that money plays in driving the world forward, citing that it talks and that people are bored and sick because of it. The idea that building an economy of dead bodies is what those in power want is introduced. The chorus of the song is a clear and direct statement that Germany must die, uttered in German and accompanied by a count to four. The desire for a diversion from the oppressive situation is expressed, asking for something harder and faster. The senseless terror that is a part of everyday life is referenced, and the singer recounts how he has suffered more than others.
The theme of the bloody wankers who try to keep the singer and the broader community down is introduced, and listeners are called to action. The need to blow up the oppressive forces that are holding people back is expressed, and the rallying cry to smash them in is repeated four times. The song concludes with the declaration that the time is right to fight, calling for people to rise up and take action against the forces that seek to oppress and exploit them.
Line by Line Meaning
Deutschland has gotta die! (eins, zwei, drei, vier!)
We need to bring an end to Germany's current state of being.
Wake up! wake up! get off your knees...
We need to stand up and take action.
Where will the west strike next?
We are concerned about where the western countries will wreak havoc next.
The war is still between east and west...
The battle between the east and the west still rages on.
Money talks! money! you're so bored and sick!
Money controls everything, and society has become complacent.
Lets burn germany!
We need to destroy the current state of Germany.
Building up economy of dead bodies! that's what they want!
The powers that be are more concerned with profit than human life.
We react very strongly to tranquilizers you know...
We will not let ourselves be sedated or silenced.
I need a diversion for a silent escape! harder! faster!
We need a distraction to escape unnoticed, and we need to act with more urgency.
You know what they're after
We understand the motives of those in power.
You haven't suffered the same as i have!
Our experiences have been different and we have been affected differently by the state of things.
Senseless neverending terror!
We are faced with constant, meaningless violence.
We make em nervous... we make em nervous! (x3)
Our actions are causing unease among those in power.
Wake up! wake up! get off your spleen!
Once again, we need to act and not just complain.
What will the west strike next?
We are still concerned about what the western powers will do next.
The bloody wankers tried to pull us down...
Those in power have tried to stop us.
Blow'em up! blow'em up!
We need to take drastic action to fight back.
The bloody wankers try to pull us down but we're gonna smash them in! (x4)
We will not let those in power defeat us.
The time is right to fight!
Now is the time for action and resistance.
Lyrics © CACOPHONY LIMITED
Written by: ALEC EMPIRE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@benoliver7156
Atari for life! Haven't listened to it for years (well decades...), it somehow came up in my brain today, looked it up on YT, listened to it & it still kicks ass like it did when I first listened to them!!! Love you!!!!
@nintenomario
Amen Breaks. Totally fits here though.
@sdlfkjsdlkfj
thanks for your comment. I didn't know this drum loop was called that way. thank you so much!!
@ohiocore
@@sdlfkjsdlkfj See this video for a thesis-level digestion of the "Amen Break": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SaFTm2bcac
@HerrFenchel
because we programmed them, tool <3
@r3p3ntiv3
Used to be my alarm clock alarm.. Lol i can't believe I'm 37 years old today. Ahhgghhh!!
@joeyclemenza7339
i used to always a music video for this song.. and it was all about a group of masked revolutionaries storming german parliment, gagging all of the representatives, dragging them into giant trailers, then proceeding to pour gasoline onto the house floor... and striking a match just before cutting the video to black.
i would've made a great music video director. lol
@tomauberwenig2116
Man I do feel you! I was born on september 1977 and I sincerely thought that adulthood was something natural that came by itself. And being a 44 y old teenager tought me otherwise : you can remain a young f*cker for many decades of decadence, but your body reminds you the difference between your 20s and your 40s^^!
@r3p3ntiv3
@@tomauberwenig2116 so so true!! I was born in Sept 1981. I really had a troubling first few decades. Here's to the 2nd half of our lives my friend!
@tomauberwenig2116
@@r3p3ntiv3 Cheers, my Virgo mate ;-) ! as the french mock song "flou de toi" says, "la vie commence à 40 ans!"