After a couple of projects released through self-publishing, Egotronic joined the Hamburg record labelAudiolith Records in 2005, whereon their first single Nein nein/Luxus got released. The band went on a tour through Russia during the same year. In 2006, Egotronic released their first album Die richtige Einstellung. The second album, Lustprinzip followed in 2007, the third one in 2008. Its fourth album, called Ausflug mit Freunden, on which almost every song is a cooperation with friends of Egotronic, was released on 30 April 2010. Their fifth album Macht keinen Lärm is heavily influenced by classic punk music, making heavy use of guitars, and pop music, featuring more melodic and less trashy songs compared to earlier albums.
Genre
In their style, the band combines the attitude and the sociocritical pretensions of punk rock with elements from Electronic music and Synthpop. Egotronic closely cooperates with other Audiolith bands, such as Frittenbude or Saalschutz, which also show stylistic similarities. One of Egotronic's characteristics is the extensive use of Commodore 64 and Atari sounds, which are, however, produced on contemporary computers. Especially sounds that are well-known from classic computer games are often used in the songs; even the music videos are reminiscent of those old computer games.
Political activism
Egotronic participates in the initiative I Can't Relax in Deutschland, which is an organization of artists, who criticize German patriotism and an increasing nationalization of pop culture. In its lyrics, Egotronic often communicates political messages, for example on the debates on Leitkultur or Jürgen Möllemann. In the song Nicht nur Raver, Egotronic takes a stand in the discussion on the Riot of Rostock-Lichtenhagen and the Mügeln mob attack. Egotronic's anti-German attitude is subject to criticism, even within the left scene. Public attention was drawn to the band for its Rave-style version of the English football songTen German Bombers, which got released on the occasion of the FIFA World Cup in 2006. The leftist nationwide newspaper taz reported on the song. In November 2009, a group of left-wing extremists violently prevented a screening of Claude Lanzmann's documentary Pourquoi Israël in Hamburg, which caused international media attention. The occasion of the protest had been a pro-Israel statement of Egotronic.
