Dälek

dälek (pronounced 'Die-a-leck') is an American experimental hip hop group from Newark, New Jersey. The group is composed of MC dälek (vocals and co-producer), Mike Manteca (electronics and co-producer), and DJ rEk.

History

Dälek have often shared the stage with artists covering a wide range of genres, such as Godflesh, Isis, Prince Paul, The Melvins, Tool, De La Soul, RJD2, The Young Gods, Meat Beat Manifesto, Jesu, The Pharcyde, Grandmaster Flash, KRS-One, Dub Trio, Charles Hayward, Zu, Blackie, Gaslamp Killer, Earth, Dillinger Escape Plan, The Bug, Mastodon and Lovage. Oktopus and MC dälek collaborated with hardcore punk 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, the layered noise of My Bloody Valentine and the dense sound collages of Public Enemy. 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, glitch hop, metal, shoegaze, and hip hop, as well as being criticized for their broad range of sound.