"Din Daa Daa" (also released as "Trommeltanz (Din Daa Daa)"[3] or as "Din Daa Daa (Trommeltanz)",[4][5] from GermanTrommel + Tanz, "drum dance") is a song written and performed by German musician George Kranz, released as a single in 1983. His only international success, "Din Daa Daa" became a club hit which peaked at number one for two weeks on the US Dance chart. It also charted in several European countries.
The song title loop, the echo between Kranz's onomatopoeia and his drum solos, and the synthesizer sounds which can be heard afterwards are the main characteristics of this song.
From 1980 to 1983, George Kranz was a drummer in the NDW Berliner band Zeitgeist, founded at the end of the year 1980, which emerged from another band called Firma 33. In 1983, Zeitgeist disbanded and Kranz began a solo career.[6][7]
"Din Daa Daa" is probably best remembered for its characteristic, repetitive "Din Daa Daa" lyrics.[10] While these lyrics loop throughout the song, Kranz sings busier and busier drum figures – which sound like "Rat-ta-ta-ta-toom!" – and plays a heavy backbeat.[11] He then duplicates his vocals on his drum kit, creating a call and response pattern.[11][12] The song also features a strident synth chord.[11] The song's tempo is 122 bpm and its original title, Trommeltanz, means "drum dance" in German.[6][13]
Its peculiarity is often highlighted; the song has been described by The Police's Stewart Copeland as "a dialogue between a chimpanzee and a drummer"[12] while The Guardian's presentation of the song notes that Kranz has a "serious case of onomatopoeia".[11]
Chart performance
"Din Daa Daa" saw most of its success in Europe, where it charted in several countries. The single peaked at number 25 in Belgium and at number 45 in France, where it spent three weeks on both national charts. It also peaked at number 88 in UK at the end of the year 1983. In Kranz's native Germany, the track peaked at number 28 and spent 12 weeks on the charts, from February to May 1984.
In the United States, the single became a club smash, spending two weeks at number one on the BillboardDance Club Play chart in January 1984, before being knocked off by Laid Back's "White Horse".[14] It also charted on the Black Singles chart, peaking at number 61, and on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles, peaking at number 10. It also became a club hit in France, peaking at number 3 on the clubs chart.
Remixes
Following its initial release, "Din Daa Daa" has been remixed several times and new versions of the song were released in 1991, 1996 and 2001.
On 10 June 1996, other remixes were released on the same CD single.[5][17]
In 2001, Pulsedriver remixed the song under the name "Pulsedriver vs. George Kranz – Din Daa Daa". This remix charted in Austria and in Germany, peaking at number 42 in both countries.
Despite its peculiarity, the track remains a dance classic[6] and a European single which has extended the artistic boundaries of modern dance music, along with "Beat Box" by the Art of Noise.[12] Also regarded as a precursor of human beatboxing, breakdancers and hip-hop artists from all over the world still refer to "Din Daa Daa" and to Kranz's vocals today.[26]
