With their mix of indie rock and rap, Kraftklub is one of the most popular bands on the German music scene. The quintet from Chemnitz has released three studio albums, all of which have gone to the top of the German music charts. And with good reason. The young, hip band is making music that is catchy, memorable, and always has a sense of humor. So this month, let’s practice German with the music of rockers Kraftklub!
Get to Know Kraftklub
Kraftklub is brothers Felix (vocals) and Till Brummer (bass), Karl Schumann (guitar), Steffen Israel (guitar, keyboards), and Max Marschk (drums). The group calls the city of Karl Marx, aka Chemnitz, home.
The band was formed in late 2009. Prior to this time, Felix was a rapper performing under the name of Bernd Bass. He teamed up with the rock band Neonblocks (Schumann, Israel, and Marschk). The collaboration developed into Krafklub with Till joining in, too.
Knowing their background, the sound of Kraftklub makes a lot of sense. Kraftklub is a blending of indie rock melodies with vocals that are frequently rapped.
The group self-released a debut EP called Adonis Maximus that year. And in 2011, only a year after their founding, the group signed a record deal with Universal/Vertigo.
It’s easy to pick the group out in a line-up as they tend to sport a uniform of sorts. In the early days, it was a white polo shirt with thin red suspenders or baseball-style jackets. That pop of red tends to be their trademark. Most recently, they’ve sported red jackets.
Most recently, Felix went solo using the moniker Brummer.
Kraftklub Music
From the very beginning, Kraftklub has seen remarkable success with their music. Their first album, 2012’s Mit K spent nearly a year on the charts in Germany, peaked at #1, and went gold three times. Not bad for a debut. With singles, they’ve had to gain some momentum.
It wasn’t until Kraftklub’s third single, “Ich will nicht nach Berlin,” that they earned a place on the German singles charts. This is likely due, in part, to the band using the song as their entry to the Bundesvision Song Contest.
“Songs für Liam,” was the fourth single from the album and proved to be a huge hit that continues to be one of their most popular songs.
But the band was only just getting started. Their sophomore release, In Schwarz saw similar success on the charts and with sales. The album features the track “Unsere Fans.” Never ones to hide their personalities, the music video for the track sees the band making fun of their success with tongue-in-cheek rock stereotypes. The album features a guest appearance from rapper Casper.
The band’s most recent album is 2017’s Keine Nacht für Niemand. Can you guess where it went on the German charts? No surprise: another number one for the Chemnitz lads. Farin Urlaub (Die Ärzte), Sven Regener (Element of Crime), and Tarek Ebéné (K.I.Z) all make guest appearances on the band.
Looking for more German language music recommendations? Well look no further!
Photo by Philipp Gladsome, courtesy of Landstreicher Booking. This post contains affiliate links.
