After many musical experiments, Stefan Ackermann (voices and lyrics) and Br… Read Full Bio ↴After many musical experiments, Stefan Ackermann (voices and lyrics) and Bruno Kramm (instruments, music) decided to form Das Ich in 1989.

* In 1989, the band released the demo CD "Satanische Verse" and after another year their debut album "Die Propheten" on Bruno Kramm's own label, Danse Macabre.

Das Ich skillfully mixed electronic, symphonic and early industrial elements into an explosive cocktail unprecedented in the often cliche ridden German music culture. Das Ich established itself with a fixed position in the scene and became the very epitome of experimental and electronic music.

They are celebrated as the starting spark of a new genre of post wave, post Kraftwerk, post Neubauten era, and successfully led the way in the charts of the independent scene. Tours all over Europe strengthened the position of Das Ich, who quickly got a reputation for being "apocalyptic eccentrics", since their concerts appear to be evil and bone-jarring spectacles.

* After the release of their maxi CD "Stigma" in 1993, Das Ich went off on an extended tour through all of Europe and the U.S., and in addition played at various festivals, for example the Peter Gabriel WOMAD in Hamburg, as well as at the Documenta in Kassel.

* After that followed what up to now is their most compressed work as well as their least accessible, "Staub". Its success underpined their precedence. Released right at Christmas time, "Staub" was on the waiting list of the German Media Control Charts for 11 weeks.

It took about 2 years to create this work, in which both the innovation that characterized their debut, and modern industrial-elements (comp. "Das Ich im Ich") were amalgamated. Harsh noise-loops bedded into symphonic arrangements and combined thematically with the Holocaust of self-contempt in modern human society rendered "Staub" a milestone for electronic music of the nineties. 8 tracks, which catapulted Das Ich to international significance and which carried on the importance of the German industrial-electro-scene. With "Staub" Das Ich played a tour containing more than 60 shows whole over the world. "Staub" was also released domestically in the USA on the Californian label Tess Records, ran by William Faith of Faith and the Muse, while "Die Propheten" was re-released on Black Orchid Records from Miami.

* After the band recruited the drummer Chad Blinman on the U.S. tour, Das Ich grew into a genuine live band. In 1995 they put the live album "Feuer" out on the market to question the term "canned music", which all electronic bands have to deal with sooner or later.

* Immediately after that, a project done together with the famous metal band "Atrocity" was released. The album "Die Liebe" was a successful attention-getter for both bands and is still numbered among the first representatives of the successful metal/gothic crossover movement of the time.

Until today, many of these crossover bands refer to this album as initial innovation and influence.

* At the end of 1996 Das Ich began the early work on their new album "Egodram".

* However, the work had to be interrupted for half a year in order to compose the soundtrack album "Das Innere Ich" for the underground movie "Das Ewige Licht". After a further successful tour in the U.S. in May of 1997 with the new drummer Jakob Lang, the work on "Egodram" could finally begin again and be completed at the end of 1997. While all the previous releases appeared on the Danse Macabre label, Das Ich decided in the summer of 1997 to sign a worldwide recording contract with Edel Records for "Egodram".

* The first single "Kindgott" which was out taken from the new album was released in December 1997.

* In February 1998 the successful "Egodram" album and the second single "Destillat" with a stunning videoclip, directed by the wellknown Qfilm company, were released.

* From March to April 1998 Das Ich toured Germany, Austria and Switzerland. In May they played the International Wave Gothik Treffen in Leipzig.

* After touring for the first time Spain and Mexico they finished the work on their literal work in June, "Morgue" which features songs to the poems of the famous German expressionist writer "Gottfried Benn" in an extreme diversity which brought them also a fantastic feedback from cultural institutions whole over Europe. In November 98 Das Ich toured France and Germany again to present some of their new songs.

* In 1999 it was time to celebrate ten years of Das Ich with "Re_Laborat" and the big USA Totentanz Tour 99. This album was a successful hit on the dance floor. It offers various remixes from well-known bands like Deine Lakaien, Atrocity, VNV Nation, And One and many others. The smashing dance floor hit "Destillat", remixed by VNV Nation became a club hymn for the summer of 2000 worldwide. The dark romantic track "Reanimat", only available on a limited double CD was transferred to a videoclip, directed by Hans Helmut HдЯler, with whom the band worked on "Das Ewige Licht" before. "Re_Laborat" was also brought to France on XIII Bis Records domestically, while their online archives www.dasich.de found birth on the internet.

* *In 2003 "Das Ich" released a double CD box, a Best Of called "Relikt" with a 48 page booklet. They also toured again the USA and Russia for the first time with a tremendous effort and success.

*In the middle of the burning summer 2004, Das Ich released their breathtaking new album, called Lava which focuses on emotional issues. For the first time in the bands outspanning history, love, hate, greed and other human feelings struggle against the ratio, the understanding of the human being. It is the fight of the Freudian "Es" (it) against the moral "Ich" (Ego)

* In 2006 Das Ich released Cabaret, a gothic album based on theatrics.

* In 2008 Das Ich released the EP Kannibale, which they call their harshest and most brutal endeavour yet.

Die Propheten
Das Ich Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

sieh bewusst nach nebenan
ist's nicht strebenswert uns die Hand zu reichen
soll'n sie uns doch ueberreden zum Singen
laut zu den Propheten

in uns wird es finster haltet sie auf
blockiert sie ab sie kommen sie kommen zur Tuer herein

Singen und Preisen und Glauben die Propheten
und wieder
Beten und Buessen in falscher Wahrheit
die Propheten
und wieder

Elend hat noch eins vergessen
wird's Betlerschaaren wohl an sich zieh'n
wann ist der Momment gekommen
zum Singen laut zu den Propheten

unsre Wut wird immer groesser
haltet sie auf blockiert sie ab
zum Kampfe zum Kampfe sind wir bereit

Singen und Preisen und Glauben...

wir werden es nie gewinnen
der Mensch kann nicht in Frieden leben
warten wir bis der Himmel brennt und singen
laut zu den Propheten

unsre Waffen sind bereit haltet sie auf
blockiert sie ab

zum Reden
zum Reden ist es zu spaet

Singen und Preisen und Glauben...

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Das Ich's song Die Propheten speak of the conflict between the desire for peace and the inevitability of violent confrontation. The first few lines suggest that the singer is aware of the possibility of reaching out to their neighbor for peace, but is hesitant to do so. Instead, they want to be convinced to sing loudly to the prophets, suggesting that they see the prophets as a source of hope and guidance.

However, the tone quickly turns dark, as the singer warns that darkness is growing inside of them and that they need to be stopped. The prophets are described as singing and praising, but also preaching false truths that lead to suffering and penance. The third verse suggests that there is something the singers have forgotten, perhaps their own sense of compassion or humanity, and that they are ready to fight.

The final verse suggests a sense of resignation, that the human condition will always end in conflict and that the only way to cope is to sing loudly to the prophets. The lines "our weapons are ready, hold them off, block them" suggest that the conflict is inevitable, but the singer is willing to fight in defense of their beliefs.

Overall, the lyrics of Die Propheten convey a sense of conflict and despair, but also a willingness to fight for what is right and to seek guidance from those perceived as wise.

Line by Line Meaning

sieh bewusst nach nebenan
Look intentionally to the side

ist's nicht strebenswert uns die Hand zu reichen
Is it not desirable to reach out our hands?

soll'n sie uns doch ueberreden zum Singen
Let them persuade us to sing

laut zu den Propheten
loudly to the prophets

in uns wird es finster haltet sie auf
Darkness is within us, stop them

blockiert sie ab sie kommen sie kommen zur Tuer herein
Block them, they are coming through the door

Singen und Preisen und Glauben die Propheten
Singing and praising and believing the prophets

und wieder
and again

Beten und Buessen in falscher Wahrheit
Praying and atoning in false truth

die Propheten
the prophets

Elend hat noch eins vergessen
Misery has forgotten one thing