You know that feeling when you're watching a movie and the "bad guys" are so good it actually kind of ruins the plot? That’s the pitch perfect 2 sound machine problem in a nutshell. Officially known as Das Sound Machine (DSM), this German powerhouse didn't just show up to be the foil for the Barden Bellas. They showed up to colonize the entire stage with industrial-grade precision and enough fishnet to stock a commercial pier.
Honestly, if we’re being real, DSM was the most intimidating thing to happen to a cappella since the invention of the pitch pipe.
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The Absolute Power of Das Sound Machine
When Elizabeth Banks stepped into the director's chair for the 2015 sequel, she needed an antagonist that made the Treblemakers look like a bunch of choir boys. Enter pitch perfect 2 sound machine. They weren't just a group; they were an aesthetic choice. Led by the towering Kommissar (Birgitte Hjort Sørensen) and her chaotic "second-in-command" Pieter Krämer (Flula Borg), the group was designed to be the "perfect" antithesis to the messy, struggling Bellas.
Birgitte Hjort Sørensen is actually Danish, but her German accent in the film was so sharp it could cut glass. She played Kommissar with this weird, magnetic condescension. Then you’ve got Flula Borg. If you haven't seen his YouTube channel, you're missing out on a man who is basically a human spark plug. In the movie, his energy is dialed up to eleven. He’s bouncing around, hurling insults that shouldn't be funny but somehow are—mostly because they’re delivered with such terrifying earnestness.
The Car Show Performance That Changed Everything
Most fans point to the car show as the moment they realized the Bellas were in over their heads. DSM performs a mashup of Muse’s "Uprising" and "Tsunami" by DVBBS and Borgeous. It’s loud. It’s synchronized. It feels like a Rammstein concert crashed a Glee club meeting.
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The choreography here is what kills me. While the Bellas were still trying to find their "sound," DSM was out there moving like a single, well-oiled machine. There’s a specific kind of arrogance in their movements—all sharp angles and stomps—that made the American groups look like they were doing a middle school talent show.
Why the Pitch Perfect 2 Sound Machine Was "Too Good"
There is a massive debate in the Pitch Perfect fandom about whether the Bellas actually deserved to win the World Championships at the end of the movie. On paper, DSM was superior in every technical way. Their vocals were layered with a depth that felt almost synthetic, even though it was all vocal.
- Precision: Every beatbox was crisp.
- Stature: The group was cast to be physically imposing.
- Vocabulary: They literally insulted Beca in multiple languages.
Beca, played by Anna Kendrick, couldn't even handle it. Her "crush" on Kommissar was the most relatable part of the movie. Every time Kommissar insulted her, Beca would accidentally compliment her back because she was so intimidated by the sheer "Germanity" of it all. It’s a classic trope, but it worked because DSM felt like a legitimate threat.
The World Championship Showdown
In the finale in Copenhagen, DSM performed a medley of "My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)" by Fall Out Boy and "All I Do Is Win" by DJ Khaled. It was massive. They had pyrotechnics. They had a literal wall of sound.
The Bellas won because they went "original" with Emily’s song "Flashlight." It was a sentimental choice. But from a purely competitive standpoint? DSM didn't miss a single note. They were the Olympic athletes of a cappella, while the Bellas were the indie darlings.
The Real People Behind the Mesh
The crazy thing is that the actors behind the pitch perfect 2 sound machine had to go through a grueling two-week "boot camp" just to get those moves down. Birgitte Hjort Sørensen mentioned in interviews that it was incredibly nerve-wracking to join an established cast, but the distance they kept from the "Bellas" during filming actually helped the chemistry on screen.
Flula Borg, on the other hand, was just being Flula. He actually improvised a lot of the weird insults. The production team basically let him loose, and a lot of that "gold" made it into the final cut. Even though they played the villains, they became huge fan favorites. You can’t help but respect a group that stays in character while wearing that much leather in the Copenhagen heat.
Actionable Insights for Pitch Perfect Fans
If you’re looking to dive deeper into the DSM rabbit hole or just want to appreciate the technical side of the movie, here’s how to do it:
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- Watch the "Car Show" scene on high-quality speakers: You can hear the sub-bass vocal work that most people miss on a phone or laptop. The "Tsunami" drop is a masterclass in vocal percussion.
- Check out Flula Borg’s "AutoTunes" series: If you want to see where Pieter Krämer’s energy comes from, Flula’s real-life YouTube content is where the magic started.
- Compare the arrangements: Listen to the DSM version of "Light Em Up" versus the original Fall Out Boy track. The way they translated the electric guitar riffs into vocal "shredding" is genuinely impressive from a music theory perspective.
Ultimately, Das Sound Machine wasn't just a rival group; they were the benchmark. They forced the Bellas to stop being a cover band and start being artists. Even if you think they were robbed of the trophy, you have to admit—the movie would have been half as fun without them.
Next time you’re rewatching, pay attention to the background singers in DSM. They don’t break character once. Not even for a second. That is the kind of commitment that makes the pitch perfect 2 sound machine the greatest cinematic a cappella group of all time. Period.