ZweiundVierzig XVI

Deutsches Haus at NYU presents, ZweiundVierzig (42), a monthly playlist that explores German music in a transatlantic dialogue with the trends occurring in the contemporary American music industry. What kind of music is popular in the German-speaking world? What does the demographic of the performers/artists say about the political, social, and cultural shifts in the German-speaking countries? What parallels can be drawn between these countries, and what kind of parallel terminology, slang, and themes have developed? What differences are immediately apparent? From urban music, to rap and trap; to rock, pop, and techno; to dancehall, reggae, and bossa nova, etc.; ZweiundVierzig has something for all preferences and is an incredible resource for any language learner or music lover.

Why 42?
ZweiundVierzig, a stylization of the German word for forty-two (42), is the address of Deutsches Haus at NYU (DH), as well as the answer to everything, according to some.

Why do you only update once monthly?
Deutsches Haus at NYU has a full program from cultural events to language classes, but a really small team. Depending on the amount of traction and follows these playlists receive, we'll try to update more frequently. For now, we'll take it slow.

I don't have Spotify! How can I listen?
We'll screenshot the playlist below with every update. That way you can use whatever other streaming service you have: YouTube, Apple, Deezer, Tidal etc.

Why not just add the Spotify widget?
NYU is working on making this possible for our interface. Please bear with our alternate display for the time being.

Where can I find past playlists? 

You can find them on our Spotify page linked above and below. At the top of the page, you'll also find a tab that serves as a drop-down menu for past playlists. You can scroll through from editions five to the present. Unfortunately, archiving only started post episode five. However, when we're back in office, we'll work on getting those pages up as well. 

Disclaimers: *Explicit content*
The ideas, terminologies, and views expressed in these songs are not shared by Deutsches Haus at NYU or its team.

Grüß Gott and welcome back! This edition of ZweiundVierzig (42) is dedicated to contemporary artists from Austria! That's right, this time we're honing in on Österreich, and you're in for a treat! Ranging from alternative indie, to glossy synth sounds, to some folk-infused rap and trap sounds, this playlist lays out a complex understanding of a unique, contemporary Austrian soundscape. What follows are just some highlights.

True to our mission to expand and stretch the current understanding of the German-speaking world, and amidst the contiual backdrop of the global BLM movement, we chose to start this playlist off with newcomer NENDA, a biracial artist who expresses some common frustrations for minorities in the German-speaking world with "Mixed Feelings." On the track, instead of operating under a rapid fire and fury-built, nearly breathless tradition, NENDA chooses instead to go for a clearer flow that almost suggests: are you following? It works perfectly with the lyrics that try to drive home something that most minorities have experienced for ages. Kreiml & Samurai make a double feature with their own track "Teddybär," that starts off on a campy folk note, which also lingers as a highlight throughout the track, but that then quickly dives into rap. Later down the playlist, they reappear as a feature to Katharsis in "Alltagsgschchtn," a song about the every day experiences in highly diverse, yet highly policed Austrian cities. The accents come in gloriously here, so those two tracks are definitely worth a listen. Contemporary heavyweight Bilderbuch are featured with one of their new releases, "Daydrinking," and then followed by Yukno's "Das Leben ist so schön," a groovy track that might calm your spirits with that friendly reminder. The vibe follows with Dave, Young Krillin, and Fid Mella's collaboration "M1 Ridey." KeKe, featured before on past playlists, makes another strong appearance with "Ladies," and Kerosin95, a non-binary artist some might be familiar with due to her affiliation with the indie band, My Ugly Clementine, contributes a fun tat-for-tat track, "FUTTER." The playlist features so much more, but why give it away when you can have a listen below? 

Enjoy this edition of ZweiundVierzig (42)! Bis bald.