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.

black smoke rises
Dälek Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I miss the burning of my flesh.
Content in simple earthly pleasures
Meaning only in breath you censor.
Walk amongst the blessed,
Digress into false posture to assume role of coal-walker.
I seek my lost muse...
What must she feel right this instant?
Does my name even bring about vague distant memories?

Blurry bloodshot eyes scan a familiar candle lit room
I am consumed by these questions all too often upon my sad weary tongue.
Perhaps she will visit me
Here again someday
Only to find I am not the one she remembers
If she even remembers.

Black smoke rises to a heaven i do not know.
Slowly gaze to take in our sorrow.
Why question a life only borrowed?

I am surprised by my lack of resolve.
I thought I could be pure.
I thought I could endure winding lonesome road which still lies ahead.
I sit with hands upon chin in disbelief
Grieve the passing of my content.
I breath contempt for my surroundings.
Without consent grasp the hand of what man might be passing.
Do you hold the book housing answers?
Straight faced with laughter
Only comprehends my plight after.
Son I must have burnt that chapter.
I only want to recapture what was once mine.
Nothing is yours.
Shall I be lured upon same crossroads as Robert Johnson?
Only if you believe in myth.

Black smoke rises to a heaven i do not know.
Slowly gaze to take in our sorrow.
Why question a life only borrowed?

I miss that burning of your flesh.
I thought you once to be pure
How could we endure simple earthly pleasures when your own soul you censor?
I lost all truth as I tread that winding road
What I feel eternal is the bliss of my quiet grief.
I am but a distant memory.
The candle of thought long has been extinguished.
No man has no answer.
Let me rest this sad weary tongue.
My only true possession.

Black smoke rises to a heaven i do not know.

Slowly gaze to take in our sorrow.
Why question a life only borrowed?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of dälek's song "Black Smoke Rises" express an intense sense of loss, confusion, and isolation. The first verse presents a speaker who misses something that used to hurt him, suggesting that he may be longing for a past pain that gave him a sense of meaning and purpose. He seems to be searching for that sense of direction and identity in earthly pleasures and in censoring his own emotions to only focus on breathing. The second half of the verse reveals that he is haunted by someone - perhaps a lost love - and wonders if he is even a memory to her anymore. The mention of "blurry bloodshot eyes" suggests that he may be struggling with addiction or depression, making his search for meaning all the more difficult.

The chorus of the song is a meditation on the sorrow and impermanence of life. The black smoke rising to an unknown heaven represents something that is lost or dying, perhaps the singer's hope or sense of purpose. The question "why question a life only borrowed?" implies that the singer believes that life is fleeting and temporary, and that questioning its meaning is pointless. The sense of futility and despair in the chorus is mirrored in the second verse, in which the singer expresses his surprise at his own lack of resolve and inability to stay pure. He seems to be grieving a loss of something that once gave him contentment, and is angry and resentful of his current surroundings. The mention of Robert Johnson and the crossroads myth suggests that he may feel as if he has sold or lost his soul along the way.

Overall, "Black Smoke Rises" is a powerful song that explores themes of loss, alienation, and the search for meaning in a seemingly meaningless world. The lyrics are filled with vivid imagery and metaphors, and the sparse, atmospheric production of the music adds to the sense of unease and disorientation.

Line by Line Meaning

I miss the burning of my flesh.
I miss the pain that I felt before because it was the only thing that made me feel alive.

Content in simple earthly pleasures.
I find joy in the small things in life.

Meaning only in breath you censor.
You only find meaning in life by holding in your breath and censoring yourself.

Walk amongst the blessed,
Walk among people who seem to have everything.

Digress into false posture to assume role of coal-walker.
Fake your way to fit in with people who seem better than you.

I seek my lost muse...
I am searching for my inspiration.

What must she feel right this instant?
What is my inspiration feeling right now?

Does my name even bring about vague distant memories?
Do I even matter to my inspiration anymore?

Blurry bloodshot eyes scan a familiar candle lit room
My tired and blurry eyes scan a room where I used to feel inspired.

I am consumed by these questions all too often upon my sad weary tongue.
These questions have consumed me because they reflect my sad and tired state.

Perhaps she will visit me.
Maybe my inspiration will come back to me.

Here again someday
Someday my inspiration will be here in my presence again.

Only to find I am not the one she remembers
Only to realize that I am not the person I used to be in her eyes.

If she even remembers.
If my inspiration even remembers me anymore.

Black smoke rises to a heaven i do not know.
Something bad is happening, but I don't know what it is.

Slowly gaze to take in our sorrow.
I am slowly taking in the sadness around me.

Why question a life only borrowed?
Why bother questioning life when it's only temporary?

I am surprised by my lack of resolve.
I am surprised that I am not as determined as I thought I would be.

I thought I could be pure.
I thought I could be a better version of myself.

I thought I could endure winding lonesome road which still lies ahead.
I thought I could handle the difficult road ahead.

I sit with hands upon chin in disbelief
I sit and wonder, unable to believe what has happened.

Grieve the passing of my content.
I am grieving the loss of my former self.

I breath contempt for my surroundings.
I feel disgust for the environment around me.

Without consent grasp the hand of what man might be passing.
I grab on to any opportunity that comes my way without thinking.

Do you hold the book housing answers?
Do you know the solution to my problems?

Straight faced with laughter
People may laugh at my problems without truly understanding them.

Only comprehends my plight after.
Only understands my situation after experiencing it themselves.

Son I must have burnt that chapter.
I must have lost that knowledge or experience.

I only want to recapture what was once mine.
I only want to get back the things that I once had.

Nothing is yours.
Nothing really belongs to you in life.

Shall I be lured upon same crossroads as Robert Johnson?
Could my life take the same path as Robert Johnson, the blues musician?

Only if you believe in myth.
Only if you believe that life is predetermined and out of your control.

I miss that burning of your flesh.
I miss the way that you made me feel.

I thought you once to be pure
I thought you were a better person.

How could we endure simple earthly pleasures when your own soul you censor?
How can we live life to the fullest when we are too busy censoring ourselves?

I lost all truth as I tread that winding road
I lost my sense of what is true and important as I faced difficult situations in life.

What I feel eternal is the bliss of my quiet grief.
I find comfort in my sadness because it feels like a permanent part of me.

I am but a distant memory.
I am just a memory to some people.

The candle of thought long has been extinguished.
I have stopped thinking deeply and reflecting on my life.

No man has no answer.
No one truly knows the answers to life's big questions.

Let me rest this sad weary tongue.
Let me stop talking about my problems and rest my tired mind.

My only true possession.
My only true possession is my own mind and thoughts.

Contributed by Eli D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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