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Not since 1984 when Nena rocked the charts with '99 luft balloons' have I been so excited about German music. In the interim a man called Robert Miles released a couple of songs in about 1998, but he was rubbish and Special D is where it's at. He makes Europop socially acceptable by coupling it with a level of insight into yoof culture on a par with Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince: 'Parents just don't understand'.
He manages all this despite being called Dennis.
Come with me (.mp3, 2.91MB)
The video for 'Come with me' was my first exposure to Special D. It features a cheery young man standing by some mixing decks while differently attractive women (to please all tastes) sing at the camera. To complete the impression that it is 1990 again, all are surrounded by BMX riders.
I was initially unsure who exactly constituted Special D, as the man seems to do quite little and all of the songs have uncredited female vocals. Some even have a second man shouting words of encouragement, like "Pump it up" and "Let's kick it!" but it transprires that Special D is but only the first man - each person in the video is helpfully labelled to avoid such confusion. (For anyone unsure, the hausmeister controls the tunes.)
All of this is intercut of a man using security cameras to watch a woman shower. Occasionally, to make proceedings more interesting, other people are intercut with the woman in the shower too. Each person displays an odd expression, as though reacting, except for the hausmeister, who actually is reacting. Special D at first appears suprised, then excited, contrasting with the blonde woman, who looks shocked and ugly.
Do not think that all this light-heartedness makes Special D less of a serious artist - he can throw out hardcore bouts of techno techno techno techno techno techno techno (.mp3, 403KB) to match the best of them.
Home alone (.mp3, 3.07MB)
'Home alone' begins with the line "Today is the day school is out / We're on holiday / Mum and dad are not home / It's party time, I'm home alone". Perhaps in my old age I have forgotten the euphoria described in this song, but someone who is not at school singing about being at school strikes me as rather sad.
It continues, "All my friends have to come to shake their bums and have some fun / the party's over here so put your hands in the air / All the ladies all around are getting jiggy on the sound / so guys, get on the floor, take a drink and dance some more / the neighbours cannot sleep 'cause of the thumping from the beat". All of this is sung to the same ten second melody. There then follows this melody played on a keyboard using a keyboard setting only ever previously used on the theme music to 'Test match special' (.mp3, 379KB).
Me and my lover (.mp3, 3.09MB)
This otherwise bland song is enhanced by the choice of E.T. to sing the lead vocal. It follows the same formula as those which preceeded: it begins with a single vocal line the melody of which is then repeated in a variety of full-on, banging ways. I think that this song is weaker than the others, but I may just be tiring of the incessant droning noise.
Moonlight shadow (.mp3, 3.64MB)
Special D is now labouring under the misaprehension that he is Rob D. He has misappropriated the synth strings and classical leanings, but missed the point, producing an embarassing Eurovision bastardisation of the infinitely superior Faithless: 'Insomnia'.
You may by now suspect that Special D is too good to be a novice, and you would be right: he also performs as half of Dickheadz, I kid you not. I have no idea who this other man is, but he features in the 'Come with me' video and on Special D's website. Perhaps he too is a Dickhead; he certainly looks like one.
On a mission (.mp3, 3.70MB)
If you only download one of these songs, make it this one.
From the opening twenty seconds, you could be forgiven for thinking that the mission Special D was undertaking was to procure more Ferrero Rocher for the Ambassador's reception. This is not the case, and is only a red herring. The mission only truly starts after this, when someone shouts "I'm on a mission."
The mission is to trick the youth of today into dancing to 'I will survive', which this rips off entirely. If you have ever thought that 'I will survive' would not be enhanced by shouts of "Go, go / Get crazy for the dancefloor / Are you ready? / Go go crazy crazy" then this will prove just how wrong you can be.
