TSOD Mixtape #10: Mass Defect

The sound of the city

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Düsseldorf Now: The current music scene as a mixtape

#10: Mass defect

Düsseldorf has a lively music scene. If you want to get an up-to-date overview, check out our Spotify playlist "TSOD Mixtape" - curated by Julian Janisch from the concert agency KKT.

Every week we present an artist or band from the playlist. In this way, we want to help ensure that "The Sound of Düsseldorf" gets the distribution it deserves during the pandemic. As long as no concerts can take place, it is all the more difficult for new artists to find an audience. Support your favorite local bands now. Play it loud for your neighborhood! Here is the profile of Massendefekt:

Where in Düsseldorf did you play your first concert?
Our first concert in Düsseldorf was shortly after the band was founded in 2002. We played four concerts that year. Starting with the opening of the Rhine bridge (A44 airport bridge), a month later we played on the Rathausplatz at the opening of the Fortuna season. This was followed in the fall by two more concerts in the (old) Haus der Jugend. It was a good year for us!

And where was your last one?
Our last concert to date was in 2020 on the Rhine Tower at a height of 170m, as part of the WDR Rockpalast (Corona Session). When we received the request, we immediately realized that we needed a special location for it. We were delighted that WDR made this unusual concert possible for us.

Which song do you listen to when you're homesick for Düsseldorf?
The Altbierlied

Which Düsseldorf band should you build a statue of?
Of course, it's difficult for us to decide on a band. In view of its musical history, we would rather argue that the Ratinger Hof should be placed under a preservation order and established as a cultural hub for artists. We think this place would be a beautiful location to tell living music history and combine concerts with a small museum. Without the Ratingen Hof, the careers of some bands would certainly have taken a different course.

Where else in Düsseldorf would you really like to play?
As we've never actually played at Ratinger Hof, that would definitely be a dream that we'd like to fulfill. Apart from that, we're also fans of rather unusual venues, of which there are still a few to discover in Düsseldorf.

Find out more about Massendefekt here.

Listen now:

The curator

Julian Janisch observes the Düsseldorf music scene for Visit Düsseldorf and curates the Spotify playlist "TSOD Mixtape". The 33-year-old has worked in Düsseldorf for many years as a concert organizer and booker for the FFT, Zakk and New Fall Festival as well as for the Department of Culture. Since 2018/19, he has been working for the Berlin concert agency KKT, which is part of the Toten Hosen record company. He looks after bands such as the Donots and Kavka and works on tour planning for Die Toten Hosen and Die Ärzte.

Cover picture: © Christian Thiele
Julian Janisch: © Thomas Tiefseetaucher

The Sound of Düsseldorf

"It will always go on. Music as a carrier of ideas" 

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Düsseldorf has repeatedly produced influential and successful pop music. Everything about "The Sound of Düsseldorf" can be found here.

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