Die Krupps  

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Die Krupps is a German industrial metal/EBM band, formed in 1980 by Jürgen Engler and Bernward Malaka in Düsseldorf.

History

The band's name translates as "The Krupps" and comes from the Krupp dynasty, one of Germany's main industrial families before and during World War II. In some interviews the band stated that Visconti's 1969 movie The Damned — a depiction of the fictitious German industrial dynasty of the Essenbecks — was the main inspiration.

Critics worldwide hail them alongside Kraftwerk and Einstürzende Neubauten as pioneers of Electronic and Industrial music, bands like Front 242 and Nitzer Ebb called them their inspiration, and their musical ideas found their way into the sound of a wide spectrum of music, from Depeche Mode to the innovative pioneers of Detroit Techno.

Ralf Dörper who was part of the initial line-up which created the highly acclaimed early recordings "Stahlwerksynfonie" and "Wahre Arbeit Wahrer Lohn" in 1981 left the band in 1982 to found the band Propaganda. Propaganda became one of the few German bands which were internationally successful in the 80s. In 1989 Ralf Dörper initiated a collaboration with Nitzer Ebb on an old Die Krupps track (i.e. Machineries of Joy, a newer version of their early '80s track Wahre Arbeit Wahrer Lohn) which he produced together with Jürgen Engler. The chart-success of the record (Billboard-Charts) led to the reactivation of Die Krupps fronted by Engler and Dörper.

The initial Die Krupps sound throughout the 1980s combined synthesizers with metallic percussion. Die Krupps were key in the Europe wide progression of Electronic Body Music culminating with the collaboration in 1989 with British band Nitzer Ebb. In 1992, they began to utilize guitars and more sounds derived from heavy metal music, with the release of their album I and the EP Tribute To Metallica, which consisted of covers of Metallica songs. Combining electronic and metal elements was a pioneering move which led to a number of other bands using the electronic/metal combo as a template in keeping with a deeper industrial sound. The band continued in this vein through the 1990s, releasing II - The Final Option (with a cover influenced by Deep Purple's Machine Head) in 1993. A more experimental and pensive III - Odyssey of the Mind followed in 1995. After the release of the heavily metal-influenced album Paradise Now in 1997, the band disbanded.

Jürgen Engler founded the project DKay.com and released two albums in 2000 and 2002.

Die Krupps celebrated their 25th anniversary with appearances in some major European festivals as well as solo appearances in 2005 and 2006. In fall 2007, two greatest-hits albums were released to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Die Krupps: "Too Much History - The Electro Years Vol. 1" and "Too Much History - The Metal Years Vol. 2", both in digipak format. Both albums were combined as the 2-disc "Too Much History".

The influential back-catalogue of Die Krupps has been remastered and expanded. So far four of their previous albums "Stahlwerksynfonie" "Volle Kraft Voraus", "I" and "Final Option" have been re-released.

In 2010, Die Krupps released an EP entitled "Als wären wir für immer", which comprises two original electronic based tracks, two original metal based tracks, and a cover of Propaganda's 80's hit, "Dr Mabuse".

To celebrate thirty years of "True Work, True Pay" Die Krupps announced a joint European tour with Nitzer Ebb in spring 2011.

In 2015 they released their first full new album since 1997, a heavily metal influenced LP, "Metal Machine Music".

Members

• Jürgen Engler – vocals, guitar, synthesizers and programming
• Ralf Dörper – synthesizers and programming
• Marcel Zürcher – guitar
• Volker Borchert - live drums
• Nils Finkeisen - live guitar

Former members

• Rüdiger Esch - bass guitar
• Christoph "Nook" Michelfeit - drums, electronic percussion
• Bernward Malaka - bass guitar
• Frank Köllges - drums
• Eva Gossling - saxophone
• Christina Schnekenburger - keyboards
• Walter Jäger - ?
• Christopher Lietz - programming, samples
• Lee Altus - guitar
• Darren Minter - drums
• George Lewis - drums
• Oliver Röhl – drums
• Achim Färber – drums

Discography

Albums

• Stahlwerksynfonie (1981)
• Volle Kraft Voraus! (1982)
• Entering the Arena (1985)
• I (1992)
• II - The Final Option (1993)
• The Final Remixes (1994)
• III - Odyssey of the Mind (1995)
• Paradise Now (1997)
• The Machinists of Joy (2013)
• V - Metal Machine Music (2015)

Singles and EPs

• Wahre Arbeit, Wahrer Lohn (1981)
• Goldfinger (1982)
• Risk (1985)
• Machineries of Joy (1989)
• Germaniac (1990)
• Metal Machine Music (1992)
• The Power (1992)
• A Tribute to Metallica (1992)
• Fatherland (1993)
• To the Hilt (1994)
• Crossfire (1994)
• Bloodsuckers (1994)
• Isolation (1995)
• Scent (1995)
• Remix Wars Strike 2: Die Krupps vs. Front Line Assembly (1996)
• Fire (1997)
• Rise Up (1997)
• Black Beauty White Heat (1997)
• Wahre Arbeit, Wahrer Lohn / Der Amboss (2005)
• Volle Kraft Null Acht (2009)
• Als wären wir für immer (2010)
• Industrie-Mädchen (2012)
• Risikofaktor (2013)
• Nazis On Speed (2013)
• Robo Sapien (2014)
• Battle Extreme / Fly Martyrs Fly (2015)
• Kaltes Herz / (2015)
• Die Krupps & Caliban – Alive In A Glass Cage (2016)

Anthologies

• Metall Maschinen Musik 91-81 Past Forward (1991)
• Rings of Steel (1995)
• Metalmorphosis of Die Krupps (1997)
• Foundation (1997)
• Too Much History. The Electro Years (Vol. 1) (2007)
• Too Much History. The Metal Years (Vol. 2) (2007)
• Too Much History. Limited edition double CD set (2007)

Compilations appearances and tributes (Partial)

• Extended Electronics (2006)
• This Is Industrial Hits Of The '90s (2007)
• Advanced Electronics Vol. 8 (2010)
• The Dark Box - The Ultimate Goth, Wave & Industrial Collection 1980-2011 (2011)
• Russian Industrial Tribute To Die Krupps (2013)
• Elektrozorn Vol. 1 (2014)