Top Ten Trackshittaz Songs
Trackshittaz were an Austrian music duo consisting of Lukas Plöchl and Manuel Hoffelner that formed in 2010 and disbanded in 2015. During that time they released four studio albums and one compilation. Two of their albums (“Oidaah pumpn muas’s” and “Prolettn feian längaah”) and two of their singles (“Oida taunz!” and “Guuugarutz”).topped the Austrian charts. Trackshittaz participated as the Austrian entry in the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Woki mit deim Popo”, but came in last place.Their music was a mix of club oriented electronica and hip hop, with lyrics typically evolving around partying and tame sexual content, but mixing them with elements of Austrian culture and performing in Mühlviertel dialect, which was very unusual for this modern kind of music. On their fourth album "#TS4" their topics became a bit more varied, also critically commenting on consumerism and pop culture. They occasionally also used rock elements such as electric guitars, and also used Autotune here and there. In general, the tone was very self-ironic and did not take itself all too seriously. Even though the press liked to call them hip hop, neither the group themselves nor the German hip hop scene were happy with this classification.
Not only their musical but also their visual style was pretty similar to that of the American scene subculture. They wore bright neon clothes including fanshirts, chains and caps, one of them had an emo-esque haircut. They were not directly inspired by scene though, as this subculture and all of its music artists were absolutely unknown in German language Europe. It is more likely that the short lived Austrian Krocha movement, which was similar in visual style and developed out of a growing popularity of both techno subgenres such as hardstyle or jumpstyle and German language hip hop, was the main inspiration for their style.
The group’s music received solid tending towards rather positive reviews in German language territories. While everyone agreed that their sound was very trashy and simple, it was felt that exactly this was what made them that entertaining, and why it works as party music. The duo’s proudly showcased weirdness, party attitude and mindlessly simple melodies and lyrics were seen as more fun than other recent German language pop stars who do take themselves more seriously. The decision of not rapping in neutral German but in their local dialect was positively highlighted. That’s pretty much Germany’s point of view, where they had minor success, but in their home country they became a pop cultural phenomenon and had coverage in all kinds of magazines and newspapers, both in serious and tabloid ones.
When their song “Woki mit deim Popo” got international attention due to its participation in the Eurovision Song Contest of 2012, the reception in other countries was way harsher. Many were embarrassed and called the song god awful. Also those who translated the lyrics said they were too sexual for Eurovision (the title translates to "wiggle your butt"), even though this is very tame for German language media, as German TV often features nudity and mild sexual content during daytime. Trackshittaz did not shock any Austrian parents whose kids listened to them. It takes a lot more than that. But hey, cultural differences.
Finally, may I say that Trackshittaz (next to Conchita Wurst, who is a respected and acknowledged good singer) are simply the most accurate representation of the Austrian Generation Y. They were spreading positive vibes and showcased a lifestyle where every bit of freakiness is gladly accepted and cheered upon, not taking everything so damn seriously, even though the two members are far from being dumb and interviews show that they are very aware (it also shows on their final album on which they have songs that e.g. focus on the commercial nature of modern radio). It’s a generation that knows absolutely no boundaries in style, identity and taste, where everything is allowed for everyone no matter how intelligent they are and what their surroundings may be (cliques aren’t defined by such things, a hip hop fan, a sportsman and a goth can be best friends), and that’s why Trackshittaz were warmly embraced in Austria. This was not music for outcasts or a niche, it was music universally listened to by all kinds of Austrian teens, and also several adults. Speaking of that, I bet there are more adults with pink or blue dyed hair who adapted the recent generation's style in Austria than in the US.
May I present to you: the Austrian Breathe Carolina.
"Dude, Dance! ", as the title translates to, turned the Austrian music scene upside down overnight. Their debut single immediately became a number one hit.
If anybody asks you what the cultural differences between Austria and the US are, just tell them this:
This self-ironic autotuned electro-rap song about a man's aroused penis ("Guuugarutz" is Austrian German for "corncob", get the metaphor? ) topped the Austrian charts and received positive reviews. This is also the closest Austria ever got to its own Brokencyde - and the nation absolutely loved it.
This song features Rainhard Fendrich giving a rendition of his legendary classic "Haben Sie Wien schon bei Nacht gesehen? ". Fendrich is one of the, let's say 5 most legendary and groundbreaking Austrian musician of all time and is universally seen as one of the greatest.
Their 2012 Eurovision Song Contest entry. Really, this song won over Conchita Wurst in the national pre-selection, an astounding singer and drag queen who later won the ESC in 2014 and since then became by far the biggest recent Austrian celebrity nationally (she was known before but Trackshittaz were much more popular back then). I like Trackshittaz, but this was the wrong decision, and since their American counterpart Brokencyde gets panned worldwide, it was predictable the Austrian version wouldn't do great abroad either.