Today’s video of the day is the George Kranz – “Din Daa Daa” (Trommeltanz) released in 1983.
George Kranz is a German percussionist and composer known for blending live drums with electronic music. He trained in jazz before developing his distinctive performance style. In 1983, Kranz recorded “Trommeltanz,” meaning “drum dance” in German. Christoph Franke of Tangerine Dream helped bring the track into the studio. At Polygon Studios in Berlin, Kranz combined frantic drumming with synthesizer patterns and vocal percussion. He called this technique “drum scatting.” As a result, his voice mimics drum sounds instead of using conventional lyrics.
Retitled “Din Daa Daa,” the track soon found audiences in New York, San Francisco, and Chicago. By early 1984, it reached number one on the US Dance Club Play chart for two weeks. It also reached number 28 in Germany. However, its influence soon extended beyond electronic dance music. The track became closely linked with breakdancing and early hip-hop culture. It also appeared on the soundtrack to Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo in 1984. Therefore, its rapid vocal rhythms helped establish Kranz as an important precursor to modern beatboxing.
“Din Daa Daa” appears on Kranz’s 1983 album Din Daa Daa, which expanded the track’s rhythmic approach across a full-length release. Unlike later albums, the record captures Kranz at the beginning of his electronic dance period. He later released My Rhythm in 1985 and Musicbox in 1986. Thus, “Din Daa Daa” remains the defining centerpiece of his early catalog. Its vocal percussion has also inspired samples, remixes, and covers. The Roots recorded their own version for The Tipping Point in 2004. Today, the song remains a landmark meeting point between live percussion, electronic dance music, and hip-hop.
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