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Berlin Diskret – Erinnere Dich
| August 18, 2023 | Flight13 Records Indigo / The Orchard |
| Album | Vinyl/Digital | 40:03 | 14 tracks |
| Wave Punk / Post Punk | Berlin, Germany |
Dea Ex Machina
The history of Berlin Diskret is crammed with ine-up changes. Originally, the band was formed as Werwolf in Aspik in 2013 by Johnny Bottrop and Dirk Kranz. Being renamed to Müttergenesungswerk and Wartenberg Playboys, the band finally found its current name Berlin Diskret and it was completed by new members Asphalt Tiger, The Artist Formerly Known As Metal Warrior, and Don Lotzo. The latter has recently changes his alias to Don Lotze. Two albums, a few alterations in the line-up and five years later, the quartet has found its contemporary formation. With The Artist Formerly Known As Metal Warrior on drums, Don Lotze on bass, Asphalt Tiger on guitar, and new member Elli on vocals, Berlin Diskret present their third longplayer. Here is Erinnere Dich:
Remember!
The title of the album is an imperatif, requesting a person to remember. What it is that we shall remember? Well, there are plenty of things. We could for instance remember that the good old times were not as good and old as we often think when glorifying the past. Also, we could remember that the 1970s brought us musical phenomena called New Wave and Punk. In Germany, the Neue Deutsche Welle was a fascinating link between Punk Rock (e.g. Abwärts or Rotzkotz) on the one hand and Pop (e.g. Trio or Münchner Freiheit) on the other. And between those extremes there was a huge sphere of different grey zones.
New Wave of New Wave
Is it a comeback, a revival or just the long overdue breakthrough of Wave Punk? We shall not lose our heads discussing how many prefixes like Post or New are necessary to describe the Wave Punk presented on Erinnere Dich. Berlin Diskret combine the powers of Östro 430, Hans-A-Plast, and Ideal without staying stuck in the past. On the contrary, Berlin Diskret develop the Post Punk and New Wave sound, give it a shiny new coat of paint, and consequently use it to address issues that have always been there together with grievances of today.
The Fight Continues
Berlin Diskret take up ideals and contents that have been part of Punk Rock and subculture since its beginnings. They denounce sexism, inequality, injustice, and exclusion. With new right-wing movements being on the rise, those topics appear more explosive than before, although they have never been irrelevant of course. One of the greatest songs on Erinnere Dich is Kinderfrei in which vocalist Elli addresses the shaming that (predominantly female) people are confronted with when it is about reproduction. Furthermore, issues of the modern world such as isolation amidst the vibrance of social media or the toxicity of web 2.0 play a role on Erinnere Dich as well.
And in the end, it is this great mix of different topics, approaches and ideas that makes Erinnere Dich so great. Berlin Diskret know how to entertain and how to move the audience. Simultaneously, the quartet is serious about their points of view, and they are firm and solid in their standing. And with this energy, a great album has been created.
9/10 Mangoes
Pictures and press material by courtesy of Rookie Records
