Tocotronic

Tocotronic is one of the most successful and influential German-speaking rock bands of recent decades. They were founded in 1993 in Hamburg by Dirk von Lowtzow (guitar and vocals), Jan Müller (bass), and Arne Zank (drums). Their debut album "Digital ist besser" was released in 1995 and combines powerful yet simple guitar rock with lyrics full of slogans that quickly become catchphrases, such as "I want to be part of a youth movement." Like no other German band, they have created a body of work over decades – a body of work in the whole and good sense of the word: a body of work marked by artistic development and a lived life. A body of work made of music and songs that unfold, respond to each other, and question one another. A body of work in which recurring motifs remain recognizable, continually varied and renewed, and repeatedly examined in relation to the changing present.

However, a body of work is not only measured by itself – but by what it triggers: In the past, young people started playing guitar by learning the riff of "Smoke On The Water" and the chords for the traditional "House Of The Rising Sun." Today, when they begin with instruments, they are often inspired by songs from Tocotronic. This rebellious and joyfully creative band exerts a palpable influence in this country. Musically and fashionably, it provides boys and men with the self-confidence that Madonna continues to pass on to girls and women. Guitarist Rick McPhail effortlessly finds succinctly narrating tones. He places them like periods and commas on and between verses and choruses, transforming a draft into a song.

Bassist Jan Müller has a romantic relationship with music that stands apart from its time. He is the most open-minded rock fan in the band. His bass sounds like the eye of the storm in Tocotronic's songs. Drummer Arne Zank sometimes travels to the other side of the globe to discover sounds like rare butterflies. He then returns as a musical antipode to present interesting, peculiar soundscapes in pleasant bars in Berlin-Kreuzberg. Singer Dirk von Lowtzow wakes up in the morning and has a song finished. He has breakfast and has a second song ready. Then he goes around the block and might make a quick phone call. When he returns home in the afternoon, the demo version of a third song is nearly recorded.