1989
After many musical experiments, German electrogoth band Das Ich was formed. The group, fronted by Stefan Ackermann (vocals, lyrics) and Bruno Kramm (instruments, music), reached out to a growing audience with their form of electronic gothic music, which they dubbed “Industrial Symphonics.”

The first Das Ich recordings showcased Bruno Kramm's talent for blending dark electronic textures, industrial percussion and symphonic flourishes, and Ackermann's demonic vocals, naturally sung entirely in his native German.

1990-1995
Das Ich produced two releases: the maxi CD Satanische Verse (Satanic Verses, 1990), and their debut album, Die Propheten (The Prophets, 1991) on Bruno's own Danse Macabre label. Die Propheten was reissued in the US in 1998, selling over thirty thousand copies.

Das Ich was hailed as the very epitome of experimental and electronic music by charting successfully in the independent music scene. Tours all over Europe strengthened their footing in the scene, and they quickly got a reputation for being "apocalyptic eccentrics" because of their horrifying live performances.

After the release of their maxi CD Stigma in 1993, Das Ich toured through Europe and the United States, playing at numerous festivals. In 1994 they released Staub (Dust). Released at Christmas, Staub was on the German Media Control Charts for 11 weeks, and was more successful than the previous albums. With 8 tracks combining harsh noise loops, symphonic arrangements, and themes of self-contempt in modern society, Staub took two years to complete, and immediately became an international milestone for electronic music of the 1990s.

Accompanying the critical success of Staub, Das Ich performed more than 60 shows worldwide. Drummer Chad Blinman was recruited for the tour, and Das Ich grew into a genuine live band. In 1995 the live album Feuer was released to answer critics’ labeling of Das Ich as "canned music," an assumption electronic bands have to deal with sooner or later.

Also in 1995 Die Liebe, Das Ich’s collaborative work with metal band Atrocity, was released. The album was a success for both bands and is considered among the first representatives of the successful metal/gothic crossover movement of the time. Even now, many crossover bands refer to this album as an initial innovation and influence.

1996-1999
Work on Egodram (Ego Drama), the follow-up to Staub, began in 1996 but was placed on hold so that Das Ich could produce a soundtrack album titled Das Innere Ich (The Inner I) for the film Das Ewige Licht (The Eternal Light), directed by Hans Helmut Hässler. Following a brief US tour in 1997, Egodram was finally completed and released in 1998 on Edel Records rather than Bruno’s own Danse Macabre label, so that Das Ich could concentrate more on their artistic endeavors.

Egodram is considered a more danceable album than Das Ich’s previous releases. The second single, Destillat, was accompanied by a stunning video directed by the well-known Qfilm Company. Das Ich toured in the spring and autumn of 1998, including the Wave Gothik Treffen in Leipzig in May. In June 1998, they presented a more lyrical approach to their art, the highly acclaimed Morgue, featuring tracks set to the poems of the famous German expressionist writer Gottfried Benn. This diverse approach brought them recognition from cultural institutions across Europe. Das Ich became a vehicle for students learning the German language.

1999 marked the ten-year anniversary for Das Ich; they marked the occasion with the big Totentanz Tour, and presented a limited US release of re_kapitulation, a 12-track “best of” CD. 1999 also brought the birth of their online archives, www.dasich.de.

2000-present
In 2000, the 10th anniversary remix album Re_laborat presented remixes by popular Industrial bands such as Deine Lakaien, Atrocity, VNV Nation, And One and many others. The album was well-received; the VNV Nation remix of Destillat became a club staple for the summer of 2000 worldwide. The dark romantic track Reanimat, available on a limited edition double CD, became Das Ich’s second music video, directed by Hans Helmut Hässler (from Das Ewige Licht).

2000 also brought Coeur, a solo album from Bruno Kramm with a brighter, more dance-oriented approach than his work with Das Ich. (And to the delight of many Das Ich fans, Bruno was revealed to be a fantastic vocalist, too!)

In 2002, Das Ich released Antichrist, a critical reflection on world politics. Their foreboding style intensified and became more poetic, with a contrast between harmony and dissonance. Stefan's ominous vocals, paired with Bruno’s atmospheric depth and orchestral overtures explored the realms between gothic and industrial.

The video CD/ DVD Momentum was released in 2002; unfortunately, information regarding this release is pretty nonexistent.

In 2003 Das Ich released a double best-of CD, Relikt, with rare and previously unreleased tracks and a booklet of background information about the band. They also toured again in the US and in Russia for the first time, with tremendous success.

The 2004 follow-up to Anti'Christ, LAVA, reflects upon the human condition: love, hate, greed and other primal feelings locked in struggle against the rational. It brings to life the Freudian fight of the unconscious Es (Id) against the moral, conscious Ich (Ego). Dark, pounding electronics and Stefan's growling vocals and mysterious German lyrics created a uniquely classic sound. The release included remixes as well as two multimedia tracks: a live video for Destillat and live footage from the Mera Luna festival. An alternative version of LAVA (Asche) provides a more minimal style; Das Ich developed tracks in two directions to present a metaphorical contrast of glow (glut) and ashes (asche). LAVA:Asche features two exclusive remixes by Terminal choice and :wumpscut:.

In 2006, Das Ich released the brilliantly epic Cabaret, delivering dark sound escapades through cynical interpretations of marionette theatre. Kramm’s electronic chamber orchestra was accompanied by a variety of acoustic collages, a deviation from the usual electronic blend, resulting in songs alluding to a twilight somewhere between claustrophobic reality and unchained phantasmal atmospheres. Ackermann’s vocals range from incantations to distorted madness, giving the listner a joyride through their darkest emotions. An accompanying album, Varieté, featured remixes of the songs; the two CDs combined with a new DVD of live performances, Panopticum, were featured in a limited-edition box set.

Addendum, released April 2007, is a double CD with remastered recordings from Das Ich’s 20 years of music that have not been available for quite some time. Alter Ego is a brand new compilation coming July 2007 - the first Das Ich 'best of,' featuring 15 tracks from classic albums through current favorites.

October 2008: Das Ich plans to release their new album, Kannibale, which promises to be "the harshest and most brutal album from the band."

Bruno, born in Munich, is the music behind Das Ich. He composes all the songs, programs the synthesizers and samplers and mixes the albums. He also creates the artwork on the CD covers and manages the website.

Bruno has a long history in music, learning piano as a child in a music-oriented family. As synthesizers were introduced into music production, Bruno embraced the new technology and created a divine marriage of classical and electronics. Fahrenheit 451 and Alva Novalis were two early projects; through Danse Macabre studios he has produced and remixed numerous German goth and industrial acts, and remains dedicated to the genre. His solo CD Coeur (2000) brought recognition, but he has not found time to pursue additional projects due to his busy production schedule and work with Das Ich and Danse Macabre.

Various projects show his dedication to a collaborative spirit among artists in the dark genre. He has helped introduce gothic and electronic music from South America and Israel through Harmonia Mundi, a series from Danse Macabre features the gothic and alternative underground from countries not well-known in the international underground scene.

Stefan... is crazy. While generally quiet in private, Stefan's stage presence ranges from disturbed to outright psychotic. His background in theatre and dance translates well to the stage. Lyrical expressionism, his main inspiration, helps him transpose the extreme theatrical language of Das Ich and augment the stage performance with dances, mimics and gesture. The expressionist influence is also emphasized through his striking stage outfits. Inumerable scenes with body make-up and farcical make-ups strengthen the demonic expression of his presence on stage.

Born in berlin, Stefan met Bruno in 1989 in Bayreuth. He writes all the lyrics for Das Ich; his lyrics delve into human nature and the alienation of the individual. His singing is a rattling outcry of a tormented individual. However, his main passion is stage acting (his roles include Horest in an experimental production of Elektra).

photo by Daniela Vorndran
www.black-cat-net.de

Tanja Hahn - 1989–1990
Andreas Sieblhoff - 1990–1993
Ansgar Noeth - 1994–1995
Chad Blinman - 1994-1996
Daniel Galda - 1995–1999
Jakob Lang - 1998-1999
Michael Schmid - 1999-2000
Nidij - 2000–2001
Kain Gabriel Simon - 2001–2006
Stefan Siegl [Sissy] - 2006 - 2007
Ringo Müller - 2006 - 2007
Marty Söffker - 2007 - current