Tocotronic

Last updated

Tocotronic
Tocotronic ZMF 2015 jm18363.jpg
Tocotronic at Zelt Musik Festival 2015
Background information
Origin Hamburg, Germany
Genres Indie rock, alternative rock, punk rock
Years active1993–present
Labels L'Age D'Or, Vertigo, Rock-o-Tronic Records
Members Dirk von Lowtzow
Jan Müller
Arne Zank
Rick McPhail
Website tocotronic.de

Tocotronic is a German rock band formed in 1993. Similar to Blumfeld or Die Sterne they are considered a part of the Hamburger Schule (Hamburg School) movement. They are influential for bands such as Wir sind Helden.

Contents

History

Tocotronic were signed by L'Age D'Or, a German independent record label situated in Hamburg, in 1994 after quickly gaining popularity in the local scene. Their early style consists of ironic sloganeering ("I want to be part of a youth movement") and almost diary-like songwriting, paired with a lo-fi rock sound with elements of punk rock and grunge. In 1995, they released their debut album Digital ist besser (Digital is better), followed by their second album Nach der verlorenen Zeit (After the Lost Time) only a few months later. Their third album, released in 1996, was the first to hit the German charts. The music became more complex over time, their lyrics less direct, resulting in a sound that was compared to that of Pavement on Tocotronic's 1999 album K.O.O.K. The self-titled "White Album", released in 2002, features dreamlike songs; metaphoric, heavily produced, highly polished, it completes a slow but steady course away from their early works ("eins zu eins ist jetzt vorbei" – "one-to-one is over now").

Despite never being overly commercially successful, Tocotronic have a steady fanbase in Germany and their records are regularly reviewed and acclaimed in mainstream newspapers and music magazines alike.

In July 2007, Tocotronic released their eighth studio album, Kapitulation. Also, around this time, the band announced the end of their working relationship with long-time label L'age D'or, and consequently, Kapitulation was released by Vertigo Berlin, a sublabel of Universal music. Their ninth studio album, "Schall & Wahn", was released in January 2010 and became their first number-one record. Wie Wir Leben Wollen, was released on 25 January 2013 and Tocotronic (commonly known as "Das Rote Album", or "The Red Album") was released on 1 May 2015.

The current band members and positions are Jan Müller (bass), Arne Zank (drums), Dirk von Lowtzow (rhythm guitar, vocals), and, since 2004, Rick McPhail (lead guitar, keyboard).

Discography

Tocotronic in 2005 Tocotronic on Berlin05 1.JPG
Tocotronic in 2005

Studio albums

Best of, live, remixes

Singles and EPs

Compilations

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slime (band)</span> German punk rock band

Slime, a German punk rock band founded in Hamburg in 1979, became a defining band in the 1980s German punk scene, and is the most widely recognized example of the musical style Deutschpunk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wir sind Helden</span> German pop rock band

Wir sind Helden was a German pop rock band that was established in 2000 in Hamburg and based in Berlin. The band was composed of lead singer and guitarist Judith Holofernes, drummer Pola Roy, bassist Mark Tavassol and keyboardist/guitarist Jean-Michel Tourette.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judith Holofernes</span> German singer, guitarist, songwriter and author

Judith Holfelder-Roy, known by her stage name Judith Holofernes, is a German singer, guitarist, songwriter and author.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unheilig</span> German rock/pop band

Unheilig is a German band that draws from a variety of influences, including various pop and electronic styles as well as heavier, nihilistic hard rock. The band was founded in Aachen in 1999 and principally consisted of singer Bernd Heinrich "Der Graf" along with various musical partners. He was accompanied for live shows with musicians Christoph "Licky" Termühlen, Henning Verlage, and Martin "Potti" Potthoff. The group's debut, Phosphor, came out in 2000.

<i>Gestern war heute noch morgen</i> 2001 box set by Böhse Onkelz

Gestern war heute noch morgen is a song compilation of the German rock band Böhse Onkelz. It was released on three CDs. The box reached the third position in the German Media Control Charts which is really rare for best-ofs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosenstolz</span> German pop duo

Rosenstolz was a German pop duo from Berlin that was active between 1991 and 2012 and had chart hits in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The duo consisted of singer AnNa R. and musician Peter Plate, who occasionally provided vocals. Rosenstolz achieved major chart success after the nineties, with five studio albums going to No. 1 in the German albums chart. Although the duo split up to pursue separate music careers, they left open the possibility of a future reunion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ireen Sheer</span> German-English singer

Ireen Sheer is a German-English singer. She had a top five hit on the German singles chart with "Goodbye Mama" in 1973. She went on to finish fourth at the Eurovision Song Contest 1974 representing Luxembourg, sixth at the Eurovision Song Contest 1978 representing Germany, and thirteenth at the Eurovision Song Contest 1985 representing Luxembourg again.

<i>Total 6</i> 2005 compilation album by Various Artists

Kompakt: Total 6 or Total 6 is a techno album released on 30 July 2005 on Kompakt.

<i>Live – Nach uns die Sintflut</i> 1988 live album by Die Ärzte

Live – Nach uns die Sintflut is the eighth album by German rock band Die Ärzte. It is their first live album, released on triple vinyl and double CD, just before the band disbanded.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dirk von Lowtzow</span> German musician (born 1971)

Dirk von Lowtzow is a German musician. He has been the singer and guitarist with German rock band Tocotronic since 1994. Since 2001 he has also been active with the German electronic music project Phantom/Ghost. In 1997, he took part in the compilation disc Musik für junge Leute with the song Charlotte, which refers to a L'Âge d'or label employee by that name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rocko Schamoni</span> German entertainer

Rocko Schamoni,, real name Tobias Albrecht, is a German entertainer, author, musician, club proprietor and member of the comedy ensemble Studio Braun.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guten Tag</span> 2002 single by Wir sind Helden

“Guten Tag” is a 2002 song by German band Wir sind Helden. It was first released on an EP of the same title in 2002 and one year later as the first single of their debut album Die Reklamation. It was composed by Jean-Michel Tourette, Judith Holofernes and Pola Roy while the lyrics were written by Holofernes. The title is German for good day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heidi Brühl</span> German singer and actress (1942–1991)

Heidi Rosemarie Brühl was a German singer and actress who came to prominence as a young teenager and had a prolific career in film and television. She was also a successful recording artist, and is known for her participation in the 1963 Eurovision Song Contest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dirk Busch</span>

Dirk Busch is a German professor, singer, songwriter, composer, and music producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geier Sturzflug</span>

Geier Sturzflug is a German musical group of the Neue Deutsche Welle genre, created in 1979, and probably best known for their hits "Bruttosozialprodukt", "Pure Lust am Leben," "Einsamkeit," and "Besuchen Sie Europa." The first of these was number one in Germany for the entire month of May 1983. Stylistically they combine music styles of rock, pop, ska, and jazz with cynical lyrics. Their name translates to "Vulture Nosedive" in English.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosenstolz discography</span>

The discography of Rosenstolz, a German pop duo from Berlin, includes 12 studio albums and at least 40 singles, released between 1992 and 2012. The band also released a number of live albums, six compilation albums and video albums.

<i>Das große Leben</i> 2006 studio album by Rosenstolz

Das große Leben is the tenth studio album by German pop duo Rosenstolz, released in 2006 by Island Records. Consisting mostly of ballads, the album topped the German and Austrian albums charts and became Rosenstolz's biggest selling album, with over one million copies sold. Five singles from the album were top 20 hits in Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andreas Martin (singer)</span> German schlager singer (born 1952)

Andreas Martin is a German schlager singer. He came third in the OGAE Second Chance Contest 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lothar Zenetti</span> German Catholic theologian and writer (1926–2019)

Lothar Zenetti was a German Catholic theologian, priest, and author of books and poetry. In Frankfurt, he was both a minister for young people and a parish priest. He was also active on radio and television. His songs, for example the popular "Das Weizenkorn muss sterben" and "Segne dieses Kind", appear in both Protestant and Catholic hymnals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Veronika Fischer</span> German singer

Veronika Fischer, also called Vroni, is a German singer.

References

  1. ":: MTV | Album Top 50 | charts". MTV Germany. Archived from the original on 28 February 2010. Retrieved 5 February 2010.