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.
Speak Volumes
Dälek Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Spit concrete bile, Speak volumes on this child
False facades grin upon my last smile
Spit concrete bile, Speak volumes on this child
False facades grin upon my last smile
Spit concrete bile, Speak volumes on this child
False facades grin upon my last smile
Spit concrete bile...
Essence erodes into mess you believed to be real
Listen to Hendrix played backwards on reel to reel
This world lost its feel when art lost its grasp
Should have paid attention in class kid
Fed off tit of deceased and still a bastard
Asked for it all and received a swift nil
Built on the ashes you burned,
Placed in urns
Along with the lessons i've learned
Amount to paradox
I am where you were
Before you was my victim
Breath Clorox while I rock social unconscious like Shirley Chism.
False facades grin upon my last smile
Spit concrete bile, Speak volumes on this child
False facades grin upon my last smile
Spit concrete bile, Speak volumes on this child
False facades grin upon my last smile
Spit concrete bile, Speak volumes on this child
False facades grin upon my last smile
Spit concrete bile...
Lost my rhythm within context of diseased cortex
Search for more sex and violence
Was met with ill silence
Childhood idols fell hard like third world tyrants
Reviving center core
Who these you adore?
Lost in urban lore.
Cleanse perception's doors
Respect that film noir
Existence?
I enter/exit poor.
False facades grin upon my last smile
Spit concrete bile, Speak volumes on this child
False facades grin upon my last smile
Spit concrete bile, Speak volumes on this child
False facades grin upon my last smile
Spit concrete bile, Speak volumes on this child
False facades grin upon my last smile
Spit concrete bile...
Voyeur's voyage considers six the blessed
Minus 55 in thousands
Two scream for fiction as they laughing
33rd degree, new continents we mapping
Ask what happened as I bleed my vocal orifice
We breath too much nonsense,
We breath too much nonsense.
The lyrics of dälek's "Speak Volumes" suggest a desperation to break past the facade of societal norms and expectations. The repetition of "False facades grin upon my last smile/Spit concrete bile, Speak volumes on this child" paints a picture of the singer being suffocated by the lies and facades they are surrounded with. The lyrics go on to suggest a loss of connection with art and signs of intellectual curiosity due to the singer being fed off of the remains of the deceased - this could be a metaphor for the way in which society feeds and profits off of past traumas and tragedies. The lyrics also suggest a struggle with addiction, both to sex and violence, as well as to societal norms and expectations. The final line of the song, "We breath too much nonsense," could be interpreted as a culmination of all these struggles, and a rejection of the lies and facades that society uses to suffocate individuals.
Line by Line Meaning
False facades grin upon my last smile
Deception and falsehood hide behind my facade of happiness
Spit concrete bile, Speak volumes on this child
My message is harsh and truthful, revealing the harsh realities of the current state of society and the impact it has on the youth
Essence erodes into mess you believed to be real
The true nature of reality is distorted by societal norms and expectations, leading to disillusionment and decay of the self
Listen to Hendrix played backwards on reel to reel
An attempt at gaining deeper understanding through alternative means, such as reversing cultural artifacts
This world lost its feel when art lost its grasp
Art has lost its meaning and impact on society, resulting in a disconnect from authenticity and emotion
Should have paid attention in class kid
The education system has failed in preparing individuals for the harsh realities of the world
Fed off tit of deceased and still a bastard
Society thrives on glorifying death and destruction yet still remains ugly and imperfect
Asked for it all and received a swift nil
The pursuit of materialism and greed leads to empty fulfillment and disappointment
Built on the ashes you burned,
The legacy we build upon is often a result of the destruction and pain inflicted upon others
Placed in urns
The memories of the past are often lost and forgotten
Along with the lessons i've learned
The lessons and experiences of the past are valuable, yet often disregarded in the pursuit of progress
Amount to paradox
The paradoxical nature of existence and the conflicting emotions it evokes are difficult to reconcile
I am where you were
I am now where you once were, experiencing the same complexities of life
Before you was my victim
The past has influenced the present and shaped who we become
Breath Clorox while I rock social unconscious like Shirley Chism.
The impact of my message is strong and provoking, shaking the foundations of societal norms and expectations
Lost my rhythm within context of diseased cortex
The deterioration of mental health and the impact it has on the ability to function in society
Search for more sex and violence
Society is obsessed with glorifying violence and sexuality
Was met with ill silence
Attempts at reconciling the harsh realities of the world are met with apathy and disinterest
Childhood idols fell hard like third world tyrants
The disillusionment and disappointment of realizing that heroes and idols are flawed and imperfect
Reviving center core
Attempting to reconnect with authentic truths and values in order to find purpose and meaning
Who these you adore?
The idols and ideals that are worshipped often hold no true value or substance
Lost in urban lore.
The complexities of urban life and its impact on the human psyche
Cleanse perception's doors
The need to re-evaluate and cleanse the lenses through which we perceive the world in order to gain a deeper understanding of reality
Respect that film noir
The dark undertones and stark realities portrayed in film noir are a reflection of the harshness of reality
Existence?
The questioning of the purpose and meaning of life
I enter/exit poor.
The fleeting and transient nature of wealth and status in the grand scheme of existence
Voyeur's voyage considers six the blessed
The obsession with voyeuristic tendencies and the glorification of the mundane
Minus 55 in thousands
The individual and trivial nature of human existence in the grand scheme of the universe
Two scream for fiction as they laughing
The absurdity and contradictions of human existence and societal norms
33rd degree, new continents we mapping
The pursuit of discovery and knowledge as a means of advancing humanity
Ask what happened as I bleed my vocal orifice
The desperation for answers and understanding in the midst of chaos
We breath too much nonsense,
The inundation of meaningless and trivial entertainment and media on human existence
Contributed by Eva K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.