After Gerald Mandl and Florian Zwietnig got together as partners in crime under the moniker of Mediengruppe Telekommander in early 2002, Hamburg's indie label Enduro soon pricked up their ears, bringing out a debut EP featuring five tracks in December 2002.
Their name consists of the german translation of "media-group" and a wordplay of the french word "télécommande" (engl.: remote-control).The release caused a stir in well-informed underground circles and beyond.
Things began to happen fast and furiously: initial live gigs, initial tour, initial press reactions, succeeded by the second EP in September 2003, out on Enduro again. More concerts followed, plus various features in MP3 magazines, more MP3 downloads, a no-budget video to promote Telekommander, on heavy rotation on Fast Forward on the German music channel, VIVA ZWEI.
Then came the move to Berlin. Even more MP3 downloads, interest from a number of labels, endless discussions and finally the decision to release their first album on Mute. Their debut album Die ganze Kraft einer Kultur (out on Mute (CD) and Enduro (vinyl)) was recorded in December 2003 at the Transporterraum studios by Moses Schneider and produced by Christian Harder in Hamburg.
It arrived at the stores in May 2004. The interest in Mediengruppe Telekommander was overwhelming, the media were delighted and the clubs packed out during the subsequent mammoth tour. Parties, mosh pits and discourse these three suddenly seemed to go together really well!.
The band Mediengruppe Telekommander from Berlin make social criticism one big party, commented the national daily, FAZ, and even the self-appointed insider magazine MAX cottoned on: Its been a long time since we have been able to bawl along to German lyrics without coming across as complete idiots.
Mediengruppe Telekommander rejoiced and discovered over the radio, on their way to a gig in Austria, that they'd made the top of the FM4 charts. Following over 100 concerts, countless festival shows in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Poland and the Netherlands, gigs with Sportfreunde Stiller, Beatsteaks and as a supergroup with Von Spar, among others, a boisterous video shoot in Las Vegas, and a brilliant final show at the Palast der Republik in Berlin, Flo and Gerald took a sabbatical in 2005 to work on their new album "Näher am Menschen" with Moses Schneider and Ben Lauber.
Mediengruppe Telekommanders new album takes up seamlessly where their debut, Die ganze Kraft einer Kultur, left off: hip-hop, broken beats, retro-synths, e-guitars, fast bass runs and chants, mixed together in a unique melange the way these two Telekommanders have specialized in.
Still sloganizing with a wink is the new loud, even if the lyrics are a little more personal this time around.
