Din Daa Daa

"Din Daa Daa"
Single by George Kranz
from the album My Rhythm
Released	1983
Genre	Dance
Length	4:06 (original version) 3:23 (radio edit) 6:21 (US mix)
Label	Pool Personal
Writer(s)	George Kranz
Producer(s)	Christopher Franke George Kranz
Alternative cover 2001 remix 2001 remix

"Din Daa Daa" (also released as "Trommeltanz (Din Daa Daa)" or as "Din Daa Daa (Trommeltanz)") is a song written and performed by Berliner musician George Kranz, released as a single in 1983. His only one international success, "Din Daa Daa" became a club hit which peaked at number one for two weeks on the US Dance chart. It also charted in several European countries.

The song title loop, the echo between Kranz's onomatopoeia and his drum solos and the synth sounds which can be heard afterwards are the main characteristics of this song.

Regarded as a dance classic and as a precursor of human beatboxing, artists still refers to this song today. The song has been sampled, covered or remixed by many artists, including M|A|R|R|S, Kevin Aviance and Pulsedriver.

Background

From 1980 to 1983, George Kranz was a drummer in the NDW Berliner band Zeitgeist, founded at the end of the year 1980, which emerged from another band called Firma 33. In 1983, Zeitgest disbanded and Kranz began a solo career.

Developed from a drum solo, "Din Daa Daa" was produced by the Tangerine Dream musician Christopher Franke and co-produced by Kranz.

Composition and description

"Din Daa Daa" is probably best remembered for its characteristic, repetitive "Din Daa Daa" lyrics. While these lyrics are looped up throughout the song and while he is playing a heavy backbeat, Kranz sings busier and busier drum figures — which sound like "Rat-ta-ta-ta-toom!" — he then duplicates identically on his drum kit. The track later explodes with a strident synth chord. The song's tempo is 122 bpm and its original title, Trommeltanz, means "drum dance" in German.

Its peculiarity is often highlighted; the song has actually been described by Stewart Copeland of The Police as "a dialogue between a chimpanzee and a drummer" while The Guardian's presentation of the song points out that Kranz has a "serious case of onomatopoeia".

Chart performance

"Din Daa Daa" saw most of its success in Europe, where it managed to chart in several countries. The single peaked at number 25 in Belgium and at number 45 in France, where it spent three weeks on both national charts. It also peaked at number 88 in UK at the end of the year 1983. In Kranz's native Germany, the track peaked at number 28 and spent 12 weeks on the charts, from February to May 1984.

In the United States, the single became a club smash, spending two weeks at number one on the Dance Club Play chart on January 1984, before being knocked off by Laid Back's "White Horse". It also charted on the Black Singles chart, peaking at number 61, and on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles, peaking at number ten. It also became a club hit in France, peaking at number three on the clubs chart.

Remixes

Following its initial release, "Din Daa Daa" has been remixed several times and new versions of the song were released in 1991, 1996 and 2001.

• A first remix of the song, called "Din Daa Daa '91", was released as a single on 7 June 1991. This version, which peaked at number eight on the Dance chart and at number 33 on the Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart, features vocals by Doug Lazy.

• On 10 June 1996, other remixes were released on the same CD single.

• In 2001, Pulsedriver remixed the song under the name "Pulsedriver vs. George Kranz – Din Daa Daa". This remix charted in Austria and in Germany, peaking at number 42 in both countries.

Chart positions

Chart (1983–84)	Peak position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)	25
France (Clubs WRTL)	3
France (SNEP)	45
Germany (Official German Charts)	28
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)	88
US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles	10
US Billboard Hot Black Singles	61
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play	1

Chart (1991)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play	8
US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales	33

Chart (2001)1	Peak position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)	42
Germany (Official German Charts)	42

¹Pulsedriver vs. George Kranz

Track listing

• 7" Single (Pool 6.14033) (1983)

1. "Din Daa Daa (Trommeltanz) (US Mix)" – 3:29
2. "Din Daa Daa (Trommeltanz) (Dub Version)" – 3:11

• 7" Single (Ariola 105 993) (1983)

1. "Din Daa Daa (Trommeltanz)" – 3:00
2. "Din Daa Daa (Trommeltanz) (Dub Version)" – 3:08

• 12" Single (Pool 6.20268 AE) (1983)

1. "Din Daa Daa (Trommeltanz)" – 4:11
2. "Din Daa Daa (Trommeltanz) (Dub Version)" – 3:08
3. "Din Daa Daa (Trommeltanz) (US Mix)" – 6:20

• Maxi-Single (Zeitgeist 587 348-2) (2001)

1. "Din Daa Daa (Single Version)" – 3:48
2. "Din Daa Daa (Club Edit)" – 3:47
3. "Din Daa Daa (Original 2001 Version)" – 3:46
4. "Din Daa Daa (Extended Mix)" – 7:54
5. "Din Daa Daa (Club Mix)" – 7:04
6. "Din Daa Daa (Jam X & De Leon Remix)" – 6:46
7. "Din Daa Daa (Potatoheads Remix)" – 7:27
8. "Din Daa Daa (Dub Mix)" – 6:54

Influence

Despite its peculiarity, the track remains a dance classic and a European single which has extended the artistic boundaries of modern dance music, along with "Beat Box" by the Art of Noise. Also regarded as a precursor of human beatboxing, breakdancers and hip hop artists from all over the world still refers to "Din Daa Daa" and to Kranz vocals today.

Samples

"Din Daa Daa" has been sampled on numerous songs since its release, from "Pump Up the Volume" by M|A|R|R|S in 1987 to "Shake" by the Ying Yang Twins and Pitbull in 2005.

Year	Artist	Song	Album
1987	M|A|R|R|S	"Pump Up the Volume" (12" Remix)	Non-album single
1988	Royal House	"Yeah Buddy" (Extended Mix)	Can You Party
1988	Tolga "Flim Flam" Balkan	"Joint Mix"	Non-album single
1989	Antoinette	"This Girl is Off on Her Own" (Remix)	Who's the Boss?
1989	Kool Rock Steady	"Do That Dance"	Sweat
1989	Divine Styler	"Tongue of Labyrinth"	Word Power
1989	Twin Hype	"For Those Who Like to Groove"	Twin Hype
1989	Seville	"Keep Ya Movin'"	Non-album single
1990	MC Tab	"No Competition"	Rocky V Soundtrack
1990	Nicolette	"Single Minded People"	Non-album single
1991	P.M. Dawn	"To Serenade a Rainbow"	Of the Heart, of the Soul and of the Cross: The Utopian Experience
1992	X Clan	"Rhythm of God"	Xodus: The New Testament
1994	The Boss	"Congo (D Max Mix)"	Non-album single
1996	DJ Funk	"Work It"	Ghetto House Anthems
1999		"Pump Up Da' Jam"	Ghetto Houz'4
2003	Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez	"Frenzy"	Non-album single
2005	Ying Yang Twins feat. Pitbull	"Shake"	U.nited S.tate of A.tlanta

Interpolations

The "Din Daa Daa" lyrics have been interpolated in other songs, where they are sung by the main artist of the song or by a backing vocalist.

Year	Artist	Song	Album
1997	Wyclef Jean feat. Lauryn Hill	"Year of the Dragon"	The Carnival
1998	Kid Rock	"Welcome 2 The Party (Ode 2 The Old School)"	Devil Without a Cause
1998	Kirk Franklin	"Praise Joint (Remix)"	The Nu Nation Project
2000	Lil' Kim feat. Lil' Cease	"Off the Wall"	The Notorious K.I.M.
2010	Flo Rida	"Turn Around (5, 4, 3, 2, 1)"	Only One Flo (Part 1)

Cover versions and other uses

• "Din Daa Daa" was featured on the soundtrack to the 1984 film Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo.
• In 1997, Kevin Aviance remade the song. It became his first of three number-one dance hits on the Dance chart and peaked at number 22 on the Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart and at number 65 on the UK Singles Chart.
• In 2004, The Roots covered the song as a hidden bonus track on their album The Tipping Point.
• In 2012, the song was used during synchronized swimming competitions at the Summer Olympics in London by Canadian swimmers duet Marie-Pier Boudreau Gagnon and Élise Marcotte.

References

Preceded by "Say It Isn't So" by Hall & Oates	US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play number-one single (George Kranz version) 21 January 1984 – 28 January 1984 (2 weeks)	Succeeded by "White Horse" by Laid Back
Preceded by "Around the World" by Daft Punk	US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play number-one single (Kevin Aviance version) 23 August 1997 (1 week)	Succeeded by "This Man" by Kellee