Originally signed to Chris Parry's Fiction Records, the band released Disco Rigido in the late 1980s (distributed in the United States by Atlantic Records), which featured "Welcome To America", "Land of the Free" and "I've Got To Make Sense". Though the album falls solidly into the EBM genre, it contains hints of the experimentation and genre-bending that later recordings would feature (e.g. "Y Tagata en Situ").
A second album, Big Electric Metal Bass Face, built on the foundation laid with Disco Rigido and upped the ante with excursions into funk (listen to "Funkopolis" as well as the live take of "Coming Down"). Contributors to the band at the time included Chris Vrenna and James Woolley, who both served time in Nine Inch Nails during the mid-Nineties.
Marcus and Christie then teamed up with Jane Jensen to form Oxygiene 23, and released an album ("Blue") on Fifth Column Records.
Engine, a 1995 release on WaxTrax!, was a huge jump forward and found critical acclaim for its decimation of genre boundaries. Die Warzau could no longer be simply pigeonholed into the "industrial" category, as their music became more organic, rounder on the edges yet still retaining their trademark knack for insistent rhythm and pure, unrefined electronic noise. "Liberated" and "All Good Girls" became trademark songs for the group. Fellow WaxTrax! act Sister Machine Gun "inherited" an unused song from this period ("Hole In the Ground"), which they included on their Burn album.
Die Warzau as a group then went on hiatus for a number of years, with Marcus and Christie working on other projects--Jim Marcus founded the pure funk group Everplastic while Van Christie worked on Eco-Hed.
By 2005, though, the duo had reconvened and released Convenience (on their Chicago-based Pulseblack Records). A continuation of the path they started on with Engine, songs like "Radiation Babies", "Kleen" and "Linoleum" further blur any genre lines and leave something truly original. More output is expected from the group in 2006, including a collaboration with funk pioneer George Clinton.
Jack Hammer
Die Warzau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Jackhammer
This time around we're in the human race
? it's like a far off place
It's time to feel, it's time to live just like a ship in the ocean
? it's time to live just like we have no devotion
? it's a political storm
We want to look, we want to breathe as though we have some time
?... Although you may die this way at least you have a democratic mind
Jackhammer
Jack, jack
Jackhammer
We stand along to the pyramids
We move the sound, we breathe the air just like the pharaohs did
I have to fight I have to give just like I am an island
If I could live a thousand years like this I'd still stay silent
Like when, like when I'm paging through the magazines
I feel the ? of those dying scenes
So far away I haven't been like this for too many places
? somehow I feel that way surrounded by faces
? I found the symmetry of human form
We ? We ride the waves of the nuclear storm
? the technological races
? time for fantasy, the popular faces
Till then we're in the arms of the faded man
? are there any Die Warzau fans out there?
 ? not nearly enough and no one will ever properly lay out these lyrics
? come on Jim help us out here
? feel like this as long as I care
? no way for me, you know I am a democratic man
Jackhammer
breakdown:
please tell me that there any Die Warzau fans out there somewhere
(repeat verse one)
The song "Jack Hammer" by Die Warzau is a reflection on being alive in the modern world. The lyrics describe feeling disconnected from society, like the world has become a far-off place. The song encourages the listener to embrace life, to live it fully and without hesitation. The lyrics contrast the desire to live free with societal pressures to conform and fall in line with expected roles. The lyrics explore concepts of democracy and individuality, recognizing the importance of standing up for oneself and one's beliefs.
Line by Line Meaning
This time around we're in the human race
We are currently a part of humanity
? it's like a far off place
But it can feel distant or removed
It's time to feel, it's time to live just like a ship in the ocean
We should embrace our existence and live freely
? it's time to live just like we have no devotion
Without being bound to any specific ideology or belief system
Feel just like a man in a uniform
Being constrained or restricted in some way, like being in the military
? it's a political storm
Due to political upheaval or conflict
We want to look, we want to breathe as though we have some time
We desire to live leisurely, with a sense of timelessness
?... Although you may die this way at least you have a democratic mind
Even though it may be risky, having a democratic mindset is valuable
We stand along to the pyramids
We are observing the ancient structures of Egypt
We move the sound, we breathe the air just like the pharaohs did
In a way, we are experiencing history as if we were living in ancient times
I have to fight I have to give just like I am an island
We must struggle and persevere like we are isolated and self-sufficient
If I could live a thousand years like this I'd still stay silent
Even with such persistence, we would remain quiet or subdued
Like when, like when I'm paging through the magazines
When flipping through magazines or other media
I feel the ? of those dying scenes
We may sense the sadness or tragedy of the events depicted
So far away I haven't been like this for too many places
Although we may not have experienced such things firsthand, it is not uncommon
? somehow I feel that way surrounded by faces
Even when around people, we may still feel distant or disconnected
? I found the symmetry of human form
We may appreciate the harmony and beauty of human anatomy
We ? We ride the waves of the nuclear storm
We experience the chaos and danger of nuclear power and weaponry
? the technological races
Perhaps a reference to competing nations' technological development
? time for fantasy, the popular faces
Now is a time to indulge in imagination and admire famous people
Till then we're in the arms of the faded man
Until then, we are in the custody or care of an uncertain future
? are there any Die Warzau fans out there?
Is there anyone listening to the band?
 ? not nearly enough and no one will ever properly lay out these lyrics
There may not be many enthusiasts who will carefully examine the song's words
? come on Jim help us out here
The singer calls out to someone named Jim to assist them
? feel like this as long as I care
The singer is determined to feel this way for as long as they desire
? no way for me, you know I am a democratic man
It is not in the singer's nature to be bound by constraints or ideologies
Jackhammer
The chorus repeats the word 'Jackhammer'
Contributed by Olivia T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@enriquejackson2843
Saw them at the Metro in Chicago with Nitzer Ebb and Frontline Assembly, the most unforgettable show and visuals ever!
@erich6096
Great to see this out here... not on Spotify. I lost this CD ages ago.. I think it was called Disco Rigido
@rewilmath
LOVE this album!!! Keep 'em coming!!
@hail2hismajesty
Saw these guys with NIN on pretty hate machine tour . Killer show. At metropol in pittsburgh
@robnotazombie6871
Saw them in Chicago at Medusas on sheffield many many moons ago
@TheKiltedYaksman1
Saw them live at Club 101 in El Paso on this tour. Hung out with them in the basement while their small crew did the load out. Really cool guys.
@richrichie7386
I was there.
@koolzainski
I've heard Chicago DJ's such as Armando and Lil' Louis play this track alongside early acid-house tracks...
@feukka1703
koolzainski it fits well
@zeroair4
Yay Die Warzau!! Yay Chicago!!!!!