Bodenständig 2000 is an electronic music group from Germany, founded in 1995 by

Dragan Espenschied Dragan Espenschied (born 1975) is an 8-bit musician and media artist who lives and works in New York City. He studied communication design at the Merz Academy in Stuttgart, Germany. Dragan started to develop software for Atari Computers in 19 ...

and Bernhard Kirsch. They are the self-proclaimed pioneers of the home computer folk music movement. In 1999, they released their debut album "Maxi German Rave Blast Hits 3" on

Rephlex Records Rephlex Records was a record label launched in 1991 in Cornwall by Electronic music, electronic musician Richard D. James (aka Aphex Twin) and Grant Wilson-Claridge. The label coined the term ''braindance'' to describe the output of Aphex Twin ...

, London. It contains mixture of

chiptune Chiptune, also called 8-bit music (although not all chiptune is 8-bit music), is a style of electronic music made using the programmable sound generator (PSG) sound chips or synthesizers in vintage arcade machines, computers and video gam ...

rave A rave (from the verb: '' to rave'') is a dance party at a warehouse, club, or other public or private venue, typically featuring performances by DJs playing electronic dance music. The style is most associated with the early 1990s dance mus ...

eurodance Eurodance (sometimes referred to as Euro-NRG) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s in Europe. It combines many elements of Hip-hop, rap, techno and Eurodisco. This genre of music is heavily influenced by the use ...

, some "serious electronica" plus German vocals and was completely produced at home with non-professional equipment and selfmade software. Up until 2002, some minor releases took place, like remixes, compilation tracks or home computer diskettes. In June 2003 the EP "Hart rockende Wissenschaftler" was released on Feed The Machine records, Detroit, containing hardcore chiptune dance tracks on one side and folky harmony singing on the other. By invitation of the US subsidiary of the German

Goethe-Institut The Goethe-Institut (; GI, ''Goethe Institute'') is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit German culture, cultural organization operational worldwide with more than 150 cultural centres, promoting the study of the German language abroad and en ...

, Bodenständig 2000 was able to perform the first concert of the Version>3-Festivals in Chicago in 2003. The song 'In Rock 8-Bit' is featured in the Annoying Thing animation by TurboForce3d starring

Crazy Frog Crazy Frog (originally known as The Annoying Thing) is a Swedish CGI-animated character and Eurodance musician created in 2003 by actor and playwright Erik Wernquist. Marketed by the ringtone provider Jamba!, the character was originally creat ...

. The musicians achieved worldwide coverage in July 2006 due to their opting out of the music portal

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, which they attributed to fundamental disagreement with the restrictive

digital rights management Digital rights management (DRM) is the management of legal access to digital content. Various tools or technological protection measures, such as access control technologies, can restrict the use of proprietary hardware and copyrighted works. DRM ...

model. Gaining massive momentum in the

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the story finally made its way into the International Herald Tribune

Being accused of trying to pull off a

publicity stunt In marketing, a publicity stunt is a planned event designed to attract the public's attention to the event's organizers or their cause. Publicity stunts can be professionally organized, or set up by amateurs. Such events are frequently utiliz ...

, the band decided to make the tracks in question available for free download.

Discography

*''Hemzärmelig'' (1998) (Translation: 'Short-sleeved' colloquial) *''Maxi German Rave Blast Hits 3'' (1999) *''Hart Rockende Wissenschafter'' (2004) (Translation: 'Hard rocking scientists') *''UBER ALBUM'' (2008)

External links

Bodenständig 2000 homepage

YM Rockers: chiptune label releasing Atari diskettes

German electronic music groups Electronica musicians {{Germany-electronic-band-stub