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.
We Lost Sight
Dälek Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Situation tense as I test my tolerance
Volatile verbs fall between common words
Daily drama frays nerves
Humans move in herds, seems so obscured
I observe minute movements confused wit your speech
Heard a tinge of fear when you preach
Actual parables pertain to non factual events
That are pushed as past tense
Kept thought concise when I vent but can't focus
Concrete terrain turned molten
Turmoiltous days fall consecutive on shoulders of men
Got enough weight without being condemned
We lost sight of how to use these mics
What scripts we write
How to choose our fights
(We lost sight)
We lost sight of how to use these mics
What scripts we write
How to choose our fights
(We lost sight)
We lost sight of how to use these mics
What scripts we write
How to choose our fights
(We lost sight)
We lost sight of how to use these mics
What scripts we write
How to choose our fights
(We lost sight)
Yo, wearily I dragged bruised knuckles
Wearing Lee jeans and nameplate belt buckles
Grip a 58 with that same strange conviction
Give a fuck who listens
Long as I'm rippin'
Verses laced wit wisdom
Born of foul conditions
Content wit fire hydrants when we're children
Never guessed at summers end half would be in prison
Past 30 years, thankful that I'm living
Lost sight of heaven when my men slept in caskets
Tap straight to pain that's how my rhymes are crafted
Love my Brown Bastards
Display survival tactics
Actions always louder than vocals amplified
Hopeful that my seeds won't be vilified
There's always iller rhymes
Living in horrid times
Habitat produce youth equipped with iller minds
We lost sight of how to use these mics
What scripts we write
How to choose our fights
(We lost sight)
We lost sight of how to use these mics
What scripts we write
How to choose our fights
(We lost sight)
We lost sight of how to use these mics
What scripts we write
How to choose our fights
(We lost sight)
We lost sight of how to use these mics
What scripts we write
How to choose our fights
(We lost sight)
We lost sight of how to use these mics
What scripts we write
How to choose our fights
(We lost sight)
We lost sight of how to use these mics
What scripts we write
How to choose our fights
(We lost sight)
The lyrics of dälek's "We Lost Sight" depict a sense of frustration and disillusionment with the state of the world and the music industry. The singer laments on the lack of consequences and the tense situations that human beings find themselves in. The lyrics criticize the common patterns of human behavior, comparing it to the herding of animals. The singer observes the confusion that arises from the language of others and how fear seeps into everyday conversations. The songs bring to attention that past events that are told in the guise of parables, which causes confusion for the listener; sometimes, the events portrayed as past tense are non-existent.
The lyrics in the second verse focus on the singer's personal struggles, depicting a sense of hopelessness and despair. The singer describes the memories of the past, where children would play around fire hydrants, unaware of the grim reality that awaited some of them, trapped within the walls of prisons. The singer expresses that the rhyming might be the only way to tap into this pain and speak about it, hoping that their words can have an impact. The lyrics also talk about the power of actions over words; how fruitful it is for the younger generation to have good role models to emulate to create a brighter future.
Line by Line Meaning
I never learn, concerned there's no consequence
I keep making the same mistakes and worrying about the lack of punishment
Situation tense as I test my tolerance
I'm in a stressful situation and seeing how much I can handle
Volatile verbs fall between common words
My language is full of strong, unstable words mixed in with everyday language
Daily drama frays nerves
The constant stress of everyday life is wearing me down
Humans move in herds, seems so obscured
People follow each other in groups, it's hard to see individuality
I observe minute movements confused wit your speech
I'm watching small gestures and behaviors and puzzled by your words
Heard a tinge of fear when you preach
I sensed a hint of fear in your words when you were speaking
Only seems natural
It feels like it's just instinctual
Actual parables pertain to non factual events
The stories we tell have a deeper meaning and don't necessarily need to be true
That are pushed as past tense
We tell these stories as if they've already happened
Kept thought concise when I vent but can't focus
I try to express my thoughts clearly when I'm upset but my mind is scattered
Concrete terrain turned molten
The stable ground has become unstable and unpredictable
Turmoiltous days fall consecutive on shoulders of men
Men are burdened with a series of chaotic and difficult days
Got enough weight without being condemned
We already have enough problems without being judged
We lost sight of how to use these mics
We've forgotten how to effectively communicate through music
What scripts we write
The lyrics we create
How to choose our fights
Knowing which battles are worth fighting for
(We lost sight)
Repeated chorus emphasizing the theme
Yo, wearily I dragged bruised knuckles
I'm exhausted and my hands are injured
Wearing Lee jeans and nameplate belt buckles
I'm dressed in casual, trendy clothing
Grip a 58 with that same strange conviction
I hold a microphone with a unique passion
Give a fuck who listens
I don't care who hears me
Long as I'm rippin'
As long as I'm performing well
Verses laced wit wisdom
My lyrics are filled with valuable insights
Born of foul conditions
My experiences in difficult environments shaped my art
Content wit fire hydrants when we're children
We were easily entertained by simple things like water from hydrants when we were young
Never guessed at summers end half would be in prison
We never imagined that many of us would end up in jail
Past 30 years, thankful that I'm living
I'm grateful to be alive after all these years
Lost sight of heaven when my men slept in caskets
We lost hope when our friends died
Tap straight to pain that's how my rhymes are crafted
I draw from my own pain to create my lyrics
Love my Brown Bastards
I have affection for my fellow artists of color
Display survival tactics
We show how we've learned to survive in harsh conditions
Actions always louder than vocals amplified
Our actions speak louder than our music
Hopeful that my seeds won't be vilified
I hope my children won't be persecuted for their race or art
There's always iller rhymes
There are always better lyrics out there
Living in horrid times
We're existing in a terrible era
Habitat produce youth equipped with iller minds
Our environment creates young people with even more challenging situations and mentalities
Contributed by Lauren F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
ardley216
This sounds like Massive Attack mixed with Jesu. Both awesome. Therefore this is doubly awesome! :)
Dom Inator
By the way; thank you for commenting back. You brought me right back to this amazing track.
schink24
Thing is, someone can still properly enjoy music even whilst being close-minded. True, he's only going to enjoy a single song or artist instead or searching for more, which is quite sad, but he won't enjoy the music less. The appreciation will be the same, it'll only be and appreciation of a far more restricted range of sounds.
paul cotter
Nice modest guys to chat too...great music also, Dālek are real people.
qtfamac
GREAT TUNE !!! Thx uploader, I see new Dalek album has come !!!!!
manasmith
Normally not a fan of hip hop, this group or artist or whatever... Its very good.
A Massive Erect Dick
this song has the same effect on me as those videos that are supposed to make you high with just sound (binural beats)
Beastinmyskull
Gotta love this!
Stiv One The FLAVORS
beautiful music
ShepherdPi
Dalek is the mix of both with organised disharmony... these guys break the rules of music and make is sound good. Yeah its dark but so is this world when the lights go out.