dälek (pronounced 'die-a-leck') is a hip-hop group formed in Newark, New Je… Read Full Bio ↴dälek (pronounced 'die-a-leck') is a hip-hop group formed in Newark, New Jersey in 1998. The group currently comprises MC dälek (vocals, production), Mike Manteca (electronics, production), and rEK (production). They have often toured with artists from radically different genres, such as Godflesh, Isis, Prince Paul, Melvins, De La Soul, RJD2 and Lovage.

dälek's music is dark, noisy and atmospheric, equally inspired by industrial music like Einstürzende Neubauten, the layered noise of My Bloody Valentine and the dense sound collages of Public Enemy. Their sound is often constructed through sampling and a musical base atypical of most hip-hop, making it difficult for people to classify their sound. They have been described as trip hop, glitch-hop, and metal-shoegaze-hip-hop, as well as criticized for their broad range of sound.

MC dälek described the group's music to the Chicago Sun-Times:
“It's purely hiphop, in the purest sense. If you listen to what hiphop has historically been, it was all about digging in different crates and finding different sounds, and finding different influences to create. If Afrika Bambaataa wasn't influenced by Kraftwerk, we wouldn't have 'Planet Rock'. So, in that sense, what we do is strictly hiphop.”

“If there is a difference, it's that the palette of sounds we work with is more varied than what has been called hiphop in the last 10 years. Somehow, as hiphop grew, it's been put into this box. I think it's funny when people are like "That's not hiphop. It's this and this and this." You can try to rationalize it as whatever you want to rationalize it as."

Studio albums:
• Negro Necro Nekros (1998)
• From Filthy Tongue of Gods and Griots (2002)
• Absence (2004)
• Abandoned Language (2007)
• Gutter Tactics (2009)
• Untitled (2010)
• Asphalt for Eden (2016)
• Endangered Philosophies (2017)
• Precipice (2022)

Collaborations, EPs and compilations:
• Megaton / Classic Homicide (2000) Split collaboration with Techno Animal.
• Ruin It (2002) In collaboration with Kid 606.
• Dälek vs. Velma (2002) Split collaboration with Velma.
• Derbe Respect, Alder (2004) In collaboration with Faust.
• Streets All Amped (2006)
• My Education vs. Dälek (2007) In collaboration with My Education.
• Deadverse Massive Vol. 1 (2007) Rarities 1999-2006.
• Griots and Gods - Les Eurockeennes Festival Belfort (2010) Live collaboration with The Young Gods.

3:46
Dälek Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You view my calm as lack of confidence
I found solace in your type at bottom of bottle
Volatile soul shall least conform to your corporate world
Watch as you crumble as this ancient tongue unfurls

I wish to save us all from peril
But alas, I was conceived too late
Caracas of my culture picked at by you corporate vultures

I shall stand the granite sculpture and sculptor

Chest plate ruptures upon streets
Pouring blood of centuries shall never retreat
I speak the truths you wish to hide
As you envelope yourself with your lies

Try to hide the cries of the babies, dear sweet ladies
I could never let what happened to our ancestors happen again
You try to assassinate me with your legal pen as I speak volumes
Consumed with this useless prose which surrounds me

You try to survive this pressure housed inside my mind
The blind have led the blind for way too long

The death of you has been prolonged for way too long
So here is your fucking three-minute pop song

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to dälek's song "3:46" explores the struggles of being true to oneself in a world that values conformity and corporate success. The first verse speaks to the misconception that calmness represents a lack of confidence. The singer finds solace in the struggle at the bottom of a bottle and sees the corporate world as a place where volatile souls would least conform. The ancient tongue unfurls, and the truth is revealed as the corporate world crumbles.

The singer wishes to save us from peril, but it's too late. The Caracas of the culture is being picked at by corporate vultures, and the singer stands as a sculptor shaping a granite sculpture. The second verse speaks of violence and the blood of centuries that will never retreat. The singer speaks the truths that the world tries to hide, despite attempts to silence them. They refuse to allow history to repeat itself and are consumed by the useless prose that surrounds them.

The final verse speaks to the pressure the singer faces to conform and the impact of such conformity on the blind leading the blind. The death of those who conform has been prolonged for too long. The singer stands as a symbol of resistance, refusing to produce a "fucking three-minute pop song." The lyrics demonstrate the struggle of trying to remain true to oneself in a world that values conformity and corporate success at all costs.

Line by Line Meaning

You view my calm as lack of confidence
You mistake my composure for a lack of conviction.

I found solace in your type at bottom of bottle
I sought refuge in the company of those who sought relief in alcohol.

Volatile soul shall least conform to your corporate world
My restless spirit will be the last to comply with your capitalist society.

Watch as you crumble as this ancient tongue unfurls
See how your world is shaken as I speak this time-honored language.

I wish to save us all from peril
I desire to protect everyone from danger.

But alas, I was conceived too late
Unfortunately, I was born too late to prevent harm.

Caracas of my culture picked at by you corporate vultures
My native customs have been exploited by your greedy corporations.

I shall stand the granite sculpture and sculptor
I will be both the unyielding rock and the one who molds it.

Chest plate ruptures upon streets
My heart breaks as I witness the violence in the city.

Pouring blood of centuries shall never retreat
The bloodshed caused by generations of oppression will never subside.

I speak the truths you wish to hide
I reveal the facts that you try to conceal.

As you envelope yourself with your lies
While you are wrapped up in your falsehoods.

Try to hide the cries of the babies, dear sweet ladies
You attempt to silence the weeping of the innocent, the dear women and children.

I could never let what happened to our ancestors happen again
I can never allow the atrocities my forefathers experienced to occur once more.

You try to assassinate me with your legal pen as I speak volumes
You try to assassinate my character through legal means, as I speak frankly and at length.

Consumed with this useless prose which surrounds me
I am overwhelmed by the pointless words that surround me.

You try to survive this pressure housed inside my mind
You attempt to endure the stress that I internalize.

The blind have led the blind for way too long
The ignorant have been leading others who are similarly ignorant for far too long.

The death of you has been prolonged for way too long
You have been avoiding your downfall for far too long.

So here is your fucking three-minute pop song
Here is your shallow and insincere three-minute pop song.

Contributed by Liam C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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