Dälek () (stylized in

all lowercase Letter case is the distinction between the letters that are in larger uppercase or capitals (or more formally ''majuscule'') and smaller lowercase (or more formally ''minuscule'') in the written representation of certain languages. The writing ...

) is an American

experimental hip hop Progressive rap (or progressive hip hop) is a broad subgenre of hip hop music that aims to progress the genre thematically with socially transformative ideas and musically with stylistic experimentation. Developing through the works of innovati ...

group formed in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.MPC3000 The Akai MPC (originally MIDI Production Center, now Music Production Center) is a series of music workstations produced by Akai from 1988 onwards. MPCs combine sampling and sequencing functions, allowing users to record portions of sound, modif ...

and dropped out to become a full-time musician and formed Dälek with Momin, who encouraged him to name the group after his stage name "like Van Halen". The group recorded and played live with several DJs, including DJ rEk on from 1998 to 2002, from 2002 and 2005 with still (Hsi-Chang Lin), and from 2006 to 2009 with Motiv. With this core, the group released four full-length LPs on

Ipecac Recordings Ipecac Recordings is an independent record label based in California. It was founded on April 1, 1999 by Greg Werckman (ex-label manager of Alternative Tentacles, ex-lead singer of DUH, ex-employee of Mercury Records) and Mike Patton (Faith No ...

, and a string of EPs, singles and remixes on various independent labels. Booth left the group to complete his doctorate in 2009, and Oktopus had relocated to Berlin by 2010. Dälek released a single LP, ''Untitled'', with Brooks and Momin as the sole members, in 2011. From 2011 to 2015, the group was on permanent hiatus. In 2015, Brooks reunited with DJ rEk and Dälek collaborator Mike Manteca (Destructo Swarmbots). In 2016, the group released a full-length LP '' Asphalt for Eden'' on Profound Lore Records. In December 2016, Ipecac Recordings announced that they had re-signed Dälek. The group released ''Endangered Philosophies'' in August 2017. Spyros Stasis of

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

described it as an 'enticing and alluring' mix of 'hip-hop, krautrock, noise and shoegaze'. Paul Simpson of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

found it 'equally abrasive and hypnotic' and 'bracing yet beautiful'. In 2019 the group release ''Respect To The Authors'', a six-track EP released on vinyl through Exile on Mainstream. The EP was re-released digitally in 2020. In 2020, during the

Covid-19 Pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, the group were unable to access their Union City studio and ultimately scrapped the album they had under production. As an outlet, DJ Dalek produced the ''Meditations'' series of seven download-only albums from his home. The group reconvened with Booth in 2021 and began work on ''Precipice'', a ten track album, which was released digitally and on vinyl in April 2022. The album includes a collaboration with Adam Jones, guitarist with

Tool A tool is an object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many animals use simple tools, only human beings, whose use of stone tools dates ba ...

. Dälek have often shared the stage with artists covering a wide range of genres, such as

Godflesh Godflesh are an English industrial metal band from Birmingham. The group formed in 1982 under the title Fall of Because but did not release any complete music until 1988 when Justin Broadrick (guitar, vocals and programming) and G. C. Gre ...

Isis Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kin ...

, Prince Paul, Melvins,

, De La Soul,

RJD2 Ramble Jon Krohn (born May 27, 1976), better known by his stage name RJD2, is an American musician based in Columbus, Ohio. He is the owner of record label RJ's Electrical Connections. He has been a member of groups such as Soul Position, MHz Lega ...

The Young Gods The Young Gods are a Swiss industrial rock band from Fribourg, formed in 1985. The original lineup of the band featured singer Franz Treichler, sampler player Cesare Pizzi and drummer Frank Bagnoud. For most of their history, the band mainta ...

Meat Beat Manifesto Meat Beat Manifesto, often shortened as Meat Beat, Manifesto or MBM, is an electronic music group originally consisting of Jack Dangers and Jonny Stephens that was formed in 1987 in Swindon, United Kingdom. The band, fronted by Dangers (the only ...

, Jesu,

The Pharcyde The Pharcyde (currently known as The Far Side) is an American alternative hip hop group, formed in 1989, from South Central Los Angeles. The original four members of the group are Imani (Emandu Wilcox), Slimkid3 (Trevant Hardson), Bootie Brown ...

, Grandmaster Flash, KRS-One,

Dub Trio Dub Trio is a dub/rock cross-over band from Brooklyn, New York City, New York. History Dub Trio consists of bassist Stu Brooks, guitarist DP Holmes, and drummer Joe Tomino. With the addition of electronic, rock, punk and heavy metal, the group pa ...

, Charles Hayward, Cult of Luna, Zu, Blackie,

The Gaslamp Killer William Benjamin Bensussen (born November 7, 1982), better known by his stage name The Gaslamp Killer, is an American alternative hip hop producer and DJ based in Los Angeles, California. Career He grew up in San Diego, California, where he bec ...

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

The Dillinger Escape Plan The Dillinger Escape Plan was an American metalcore band. The band was formed in 1997 in Morris Plains, New Jersey by guitarist Ben Weinman, bassist Adam Doll, vocalist Dimitri Minakakis, and drummer Chris Pennie. The band's use of odd time si ...

The Bug "The Bug" is a song written by Mark Knopfler and originally performed by Dire Straits on the final studio album by the band, '' On Every Street'' (1991). It was covered by Mary Chapin Carpenter in 1992, and also recorded on the albums ''Blues B ...

Mastodon A mastodon ( 'breast' + 'tooth') is any proboscidean belonging to the extinct genus ''Mammut'' (family Mammutidae). Mastodons inhabited North and Central America during the late Miocene or late Pliocene up to their extinction at the end of th ...

, and

Lovage Lovage (), ''Levisticum officinale'', is a tall perennial plant, the sole species in the genus ''Levisticum'' in the family Apiaceae, subfamily Apioideae. It has been long cultivated in Europe, the leaves being used as a herb, the roots as a veg ...

. Oktopus and MC dälek collaborated with

experimental metal Avant-garde metal (also known as avant-metal, experimental metal, and experimental) is a subgenre of heavy metal music loosely defined by use of experimentation and innovative, avant-garde elements, including non-standard and unconventional soun ...

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier p ...

band Starkweather on their 2010 album '' This Sheltering Night''.

Style and influence

Dälek's music is dark, noisy and atmospheric, equally inspired by industrial music like

Einstürzende Neubauten (, 'Collapsing New Buildings') is a German experimental music group, formed in West Berlin in 1980. The group is currently composed of founding members Blixa Bargeld (lead vocals; guitar; keyboard) and N.U. Unruh ( custom-made instruments; p ...

, the layered noise of My Bloody Valentine and the dense sound collages of

Public Enemy "Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe ...

. Their sound is often constructed through sampling and a musical base atypical of most hip hop, making it difficult for people to classify their sound. They have been described as

trip hop Trip hop (sometimes used synonymously with " downtempo") is a musical genre that originated in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic fusion of hip hop and electronica with slow tem ...

, glitch hop,

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

, shoegaze, and hip hop, as well as being criticized for their broad range of sound. MC dälek described the duo's music to the ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago ...

'':

Discography

Dälek Albums, EPs and Singles

*'' Negro Necro Nekros'' (1998) *'' From Filthy Tongue of Gods and Griots'' (2002) *''Dälek vs. Dälek'' (2002) - Single *'' Absence'' (2005) *'' Streets All Amped'' (2006) *'' Deadverse Massive Vol. 1 Rarities 1999–2006'' (2007) *'' Abandoned Language'' (2007) *'' Gutter Tactics'' (2009) *''Untitled'' (2010) *'' Asphalt for Eden'' (2016) *''Molten'' (2016) - download-only song *''Endangered Philosophies'' (2017) *''Respect To The Authors'' (2019) - six song, vinyl only EP *''Decimation (Dis Nation)'' (2022) - Single *''Precipice'' (2022)

Collaborations

*''Megaton/Classic Homicide'' (2000) split collaboration with

Techno Animal Techno Animal is an electronic duo formed in 1990 in London, England by British musicians Justin Broadrick (of the band Godflesh) and Kevin Martin (aka the Bug, of the band God). The duo released six LPs beginning with their 1991 debut '' Gho ...

*''Ruin It'' (2002) in collaboration with

Kid606 Miguel Trost De Pedro (born July 27, 1979), better known by his stage name Kid606, is an electronic musician who was raised in San Diego and later moved to San Francisco. He is most closely associated with the glitch, IDM, hardcore techno and b ...

*''Dälek vs. Velma'' (2003) split collaboration with Velma *'' Derbe Respect, Alder'' (2004) in collaboration with

Faust Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroa ...

*'' Dälek vs. Zu'' (2005) - two track remix single with Zu *''Deadverse Massive'' (2007) - four track 12" in collaboration with Destructo Swarmbots and Oddateee *''My Education vs. dälek'' (2007) in collaboration with My Education *''Dälek vs. Ifwhen – Hear Less / No Good Trying'' (2008) - four song 12" with Ifwhen. *''DJ Baku vs. Dälek'' (2009) - two exclusive Dälek tracks and a remix of a Dälek song by DJ Baku, and vice versa. *''Griots And Gods – Les Eurockeennes Festival Belfort 2010'' (2010) Live collaboration with

. *''Anguish'' - self-titled LP and CD (2019) - 9 track album in collaboration with Hans Joachim Irmler of

and saxophonist

Mats Gustafsson Mats Olof Gustafsson (born 29 October 1964) is a Swedish free jazz saxophone player. Career Gustafsson came to the attention of lovers of improvised music as part of a duo with Christian Munthe (started in 1986), as member of Gunter Chri ...

and drummer Andreas Werliin of Fire! Orchestra

References

External links

Dälek
at

Pizza joint recording session with 'They Shoot Music – Don't They' (04/09)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dalek American hip hop groups Hip hop duos Musical groups from New Jersey Alternative hip hop groups Shoegazing musical groups Noise musical groups Ambient music groups Musical groups established in 1998 American experimental musical groups American industrial music groups Ipecac Recordings artists Profound Lore Records artists