For our 45-year anniversary, we’re taking a four-part trip back in time through all the decades we’ve been around. In this part four, we’re looking at the 2010’s. The Internet went mobile, and music streaming skyrocketed in popularity. Everything became connected, wirelessly of course. And Teufel gained its first physical presence in the form of our brand stores.
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Vibrancy and Variety: The Music of the 2010’s
From chillwave and dubstep to bedroom pop and a new wave of alt R&B and hip hop – the 2010’s were a decade of variety in music. One defining feature of the decade was the explosion of microgenres and dilution of mainstream culture. These days, almost everyone has a favorite artist none of their coworkers have ever heard of, but it’s easy to forget that before the rise of streaming and online communities, if you followed cultural publications, there was a large mainstream it was easy to stay on top of. The 2010’s were a decade where smaller artists grew communities online, eventually growing into whole ecosystems of artists that often didn’t overlap at all.
Still, there were big artists in this decade, as there are today. The biggest chart toppers were Adele, Ed Sheeran, Rihanna, Maroon 5, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Avicii and Katy Perry. Teufel’s homeland of Germany saw the rise of an artist called Helene Fischer, who rode a years long wave to massive success, breathing new life into German “schlager” music.
It’s hard to think of this decade without mentioning 2012 smash hit Gangnam Style by Korean artist Psy. Between the crazy video, comical choreography, and catchy refrain, this song rose to global phenomenon status faster than anyone could have imagined. There was also the Harlem Shake, which inspired another trend of the decade – the flashmob.
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The Beginning of the Streaming Era: Teufel and Raumfeld Join Forces
In 2010, Teufel acquired Berlin start-up Raumfeld, a pioneer in the multiroom audio space. Raumfeld’s products added a growing category to Teufel’s portfolio, the innovative app-based architecture, which linked speakers wirelessly using a Wi-Fi network. Today, Teufel has retired the Raumfeld name for new streaming products with the release of the new Teufel Home Series, making up a cherished part of the growing Teufel family.
Teufel Opens the Flagshipstore in Bikini Berlin
In 2014, we brought our brand into closer contact with our fanbase by opening a flagship store in Bikini Berlin, an iconic shopping center in the heart of the city, followed by additional stores in other cities. It is a space where people can test our speakers and headphones live and get great consultation from our retail workers.
When we were looking for a location, we wanted something that could speak to our passion for audio, and could not have gotten luckier. The location was once host to an internationally famous nightclub called Linientreu, a one-time haunt of such luminaries as David Bowie and Iggy Pop.
Teufel Comes out of the Shadows with the ROCKSTER
When Teufel released the first ROCKSTER in 2015, the massive success of the ROCKSTER family wasn’t even something we could imagine. The ROCKSTER was so loud in the decibel test that, just to be safe, Teufel offered full coverage of noise-complaint-related legal expenses to the first 666 customers who purchased one. This promotion also garnered a lot of media attention here in Germany.
Today, the ROCKSTER family has grown a lot, but people still have a strong reaction to it, as you can see in this video.
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Teufel Raceheart makes a splash in the DTM
Loud and successful? Sounds like us. That’s what we thought a few years ago at least when we sponsored a German race car for two years. The driver of the Teufel Audi RS 5 DTM, Miguel Molina, celebrated with Raceheart with his race car decked out in Teufel branding as he did a few laps, even winning one race.
The Thundertruck Brough the Sound to the Streets
Speaking of vehicles, how could we forget the Thundertruck? This beast was a vehicle of an entirely different caliber, though. Teufel’s Thundertruck was rock and roll on eight weels, and took the power of the ROCKSTER speaker on a party tour! Its 13 square meters of dancefloor, built-in bar with two refridgerators, four fog machines, extensive lighting system including strobes, and the combined sound of eight ROCKSTERs.
Note: the Thundertruck is now out of service. Although it served us well in its time, we decided to fold it up for ecological reasons.
A few Teufel highlights from the 2010s:
- 2015: Anytime is party time! You asked for it, you got it: the largest portable Bluetooth speaker ever made at the time – Teufel’s ROCKSTER.
- 2016: Teufel becomes one of the first audio companies to make Dolby-Atmos licensed speakers.
- 2018: Dynamore® – Teufel’s signature 360-degree sound technology packed a whole stereo set into the tiniest package, like with the RADIO 3SIXTY.
- 2020 – Teufel released a wireless subwoofer available with all its soundbars.
The 2010’s in TV and Movies
In the 2010’s our TV watching officially became divorced from any kind of scheduling. Streaming services such as Netflix expanded massively. And it wasn’t only movies on the agenda: prestige TV emerged and became a cultural force in this decade. Starting with such examples as Breaking Bad, House of Cards, and Chernobyl, reaching its zenith with Game of Thrones.
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Hollywood also reached new heights, starting with 2010’s Inception, and ranging into other famous films such as 2014’s Birdman.
Complete sets to upgrade your home cinema enjoyment
Gaming Grows in Popularity and Cultural Cachet
The first video games started coming out in the 1970’s. But it took decades for gaming to become part of everyday life. From PC to console all the way to smart phone, there are many ways to game these days. In 2019, there were 34 million gamers in Germany alone, with an average age of 36. One thing can no longer be disputed – gaming is part of our daily culture now, and continues to grow in cultural cachet, as illustrated by Angela Merkel’s appearance at 2017’s Gamescom.
These days, the largest group of gamers play on their phones. And though so-called “casuals” devote a limited amount of their day to gaming, some people take it a bit more seriously, and have even started high-stakes competitions to see who is the best. The name of this activity is E-Sports. The world championship of League of Legends, for example, won millions of dollars. German sports clubs have no expanded to include e-sports divisions. FC Nürnberg, for instance, has its very own FIFA team. FC Schalke 04 has a League of Legends team, as well.
Gaming Milestones of the 2010’s
- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011)
- The Last of Us (2013)
- The Witcher 3 (2015)
- Pokémon Go (2016)
- PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (2017)
- Fortnite (2017)
- Red Dead Redemption (2010) and RDR2 (2018)
While the gaming world has continued to progress in its appetite for better graphics, there has also been a trend for retro gaming, leading to more pixelated games. Gamers are also more likely to buy their games digitally and play together with friends online. And when gamers can’t play actively, they also are known to turn on Twitch or YouTube to watch others play.
Read also:
- 45 Years of Teufel Part 1 – the 80’s
- 45 Years of Teufel Part 2 – the 90’s
- 45 Years of Teufel Part 3 – the New Millennium
Teufel Brings Audio Excellence to the Gaming World
Video games are complete works of art and the sound is just as important as the graphics. The soundtracks of the games are usually produced with the greatest care and have even been performed by orchestras. Teufel has understood that games have to sound good for a long time, and has offered incredible kits for PC and console for many years.
More Teufel products for gamers
What’s Next
So much has happened in the last 45 years both in the world and at Teufel, that the Blog Team can’t easily provide every single highlight. If you, dear reader, want to see something in particular or learn something, then drop us a comment. We’re always happy to see how our company might progress.
Note: The comment function is available Mon-Sat from 8 am to 9 pm.