Review: A Very Nice Combinado Volume Uno is the first release on You & Your Hippie Friends, a brand new offshoot of the Pachanga Boys' Hippie Dance label. It's effectively a scaled down, five-track compilation featuring tracks from some of the duo's mates. There is, thankfully, much to admire. Pole-in-Paris Yula Kasp impresses with "Leisure", a hugely evocative chunk of chugging, slo-mo synth-pop full of delay-laden guitars and undulating acid bass. There's a similar, eyeliner-clad new wave attitude at the heart of Beyou's similarly murky "Antimateria (Speechless Extended Version)", while Mexican producer El Guero Fresa's "Convertible Ride" is a thrillingly lo-fi fusion of gangly surf guitars, post-punk attitude and spiraling nu-disco electronics.
Review: Earlier in the year Fahrland self-released his debut album "Oneness", an "electrified soul hybrid mixed with peaks of beats, hints of beats, interwoven in cloudy spaces". The Pachanga Boys certainly enjoyed it, because they decided to commission and release a swathe of dancefloor-focused remixes. Cherokee collaboration "All That I Need" is first to undergo a makeover, with Dave DK brilliantly joining the dots between languid tropical soul, lazy Balearic disco and shuffling deep house, before Fahrland re-imagines "In Oneness" as a jangling, sun-bright slab of glistening loop-house. Superpitcher delivers similar sounding "Magic Mix" and instrumental versions of "Spanish Castle Magic", underpinning Fahrland's glassy-eyed tropical guitar motifs and chiming synthesizer melodies with a slow motion dub disco groove.
Review: Fantastic Twins is the (not so) new guise of Julienne Dessagne: so yes there's actually only one of them despite the name. However, you may recognise the name as she is one half of Saschienne with Berlin legend Sascha Funke. Slow burning Italo/synthpop-noir of "The New You" first surfaced on the interwebs at the end of 2016 to much fanfare and finally we can thank Rebolledo and Superpitcher for releasing a whole EP's worth of darkly seductive music courtesy of their wicked Hippie Dance imprint. Starting out with the brooding epic "Shake It", there's also the creepy and reductionist groove of "Hey" in addition to the post punk attitude of "Time Science" featuring Dessagne's deadpan vocal delivery which is "tres chic!'
Review: Back in 2015, Guero contributed a heavyweight chunk of electronic disco goodness to the first multi-artist EP on Hippie Dance offshoot You and Your Hippie Friends. Three years on, he returns to the Pachanga Boys-helmed imprint with a quietly confident debut album. There's much to enjoy throughout, from the throbbing, Italo-disco style arpeggio lines and colourful synthesizer flourishes of opener "Electronique" and glistening, head-in-the-clouds nu-Balearica of "Night Crusing", to the analogue indie-dance shuffle of "Random Walker" and hard-wired electronica psychedelia of "Guitar Mayhem". Arguably best of all, though, is the sparkling title track, where rising and falling 8-bit synthesizer melodies bubble away atop a chunky, acid-flecked, Italo-goes-disco-funk groove.
Review: While Emilio Acevdeo hasn't put out many releases as Lesser Drakar alias, he's no musical newcomer and has even worked with Gary Numan and Egyptian Lover in the past. Given this history, it's unsurprising that "Piramide 1" - a collection of madcap electronic tunes that he made for his DJ sets over a decade ago - is really rather good. Musically, it joins the dots between New York electro, cheeky 80 synth-pop, freestyle and new wave, adding a healthy dose of tongue-in-cheek humour. There are tons of fine original cuts that include sneaky references to video game soundtracks, but it's his zany electro cover of Queen and David Bowie's "Another One Bites The Dust" that really set our pulses racing.
Review: Here's proof that it's possible to be experimental within the context of the dance floor. Like Patrice Baumel's release on Get Physical a few years back, "Thunder Scat" dispenses entirely with a kick drum, preferring instead to focus on powerful subs, dense claps, a sassy vocal snippet looped to infinity and an utterly seductive tambourine riff. "Time" sees the Boys return with the 4/4 kick, but it remains understated, as a hypnotic organ riff provides the backing for an angelic vocal. Finally, "Black Naga" is the most conventional track of all, but here too the tribal groove features a sped-up vocal that sounds like someone hit the helium, and hard.
Review: Since first popping up in 2009, Rebolledo and Aksel Schuaffer's Pachanga Boys project has attracted a lot of attention. Given the curious contents of this in turns zany, inspired and downright odd debut album, it's easy to see why. Split between silly skits featuring tongue-in-cheek female spoken word vocals and fully formed tracks, it's like a stripped back South American/German take on the formidably over the top musings of Mungolian Jetset. By and large, the rhythms are sparse but heavy, featuring fuzzy basslines, distorted drum machine grooves and curious electronic pulses. It's good fun, sitting somewhere between bonkers electronica, wonky house and camp leftfield silliness. Throughout, it's bursting with weird and wonderful ideas.
HIPPIE DANCE 04 CD 19 Nov 12 Experimental/Electronic
Review: Since launching their Hippie Dance label a few years back, the Pachanga Boys has always tried to showcase the work of aspiring or little-known producers. Mexican studio bod Paulor's previous output has been limited to contributions to compilations and mixes, making this fine EP his debut solo release. It's an impressively eclectic and atmospheric collection, all told, with Paulor successfully turning his hand to lilting, pedal steel-sporting ambient ("Neblina"), Detroit-inspired spacey deep house ("Amigos"), fuzzy post-punk disco (the organic grooves and eyes-closed guitars of "Paulor's Blues"), chugging nu-disco ("Delirio En Carretera") and slo-mo dub disco darkness ("Luces Calling"). Impressive stuff, all told.
Review: The latest missive from the Pachanga Boys' consistently impressive Hippie Dance label is an expansive affair. It gathers together a quintet of tried-and-tested dancefloor workouts, beginning with the dark and woozy, post-punk house throb of Paulor's "La Race". The Pachanga Boys weigh I with a previously unheard edit of Roman Flugel's wonky, bass-heavy box-jam "Deo", before Julia Dessagne dons the Fantastic Twins alias on the creepy, organ-heavy pulse of "Holiday". Elsewhere, Kaspar Bjork delivers a slick but atmospheric chunk of synth-heavy house ("Choir of Young Ravers"), and Zombies In Miami get all trippy and hypnotic on the mystical house of "Flashback Mantra".
Review: Rebolledo's brilliant 2016 album Mondo Alterado gets the remix treatment, with an impressive selection of production talents taking it in turns to tweak the Mexican's work. There's much to admire throughout, with highlights including a thrusting, low-slung and trippy revision by Maceo Plex, a deliciously woozy and loved-up interpretation from Superpitcher (think Balearic-meets-post-punk-meets-Teutonic tech-house), a thrillingly percussive take on "Pow Wow Wow" by occasional Optimo Music sorts The Fantastic Twins, and a pair of next-level rubs from Mike Simonetti, whose acid-flecked "Discotico Simonettico En Panico" version could well be the best of the bunch. Throw in a smattering of typically heavy and eccentric Rebolledo originals, and you have an essential, floor-friendly selection.
Review: Since parting company with longtime home Bpitch Control back in 2010, Sascha Funke has popped up on a variety of labels, including Kompakt, Endless Flight and Multi-Culti. The Berlin stalwart has used the opportunity to explore a variety of influences and sounds, delivering hypnotic, intoxicating and left-of-centre dancefloor cuts that tend towards the trippy and otherworldly. He's at it again on this first Hippie Dance outing, layering a crunchy electronic groove with mind-altering psychedelic noises, foreboding bass and fluttering South American flute lines on EP standout "Acatenango". Chugging opener "Aggravate" subtly doffs a cap towards new wave, EBM and the kind of throbbing wonkiness currently championed by Andrew Weatherall, while closer "Surumu" is a snappy electro roller blessed with rising bleep melodies, rumbling bass and glacial Kraftwerkian motifs.
Review: Berlin-based Frenchman Sebastien Bouchet is far from prolific; in fact, since he made his debut on Freak 'N' Chic in 2006, he's released a sum total of five singles. This rare outing on the Pechanga Boys' Hippie Dance label sees him delivering a quintet of cuts that neatly sidestep easy categorization. Opener "Jambe De Bois" sounds like a far-out fusion of dub disco, punk-funk and trippy leftfield house, while "Cosmic Ray" melds together Italo-disco, deep house and hypnotic techno influences. Best of all, though, is "Coyote Cry", which bubbles and throbs impressively, thanks to all manner of intertwined synthesizer parts, but contains almost no dancefloor-primed percussion of note.
Review: Superpitcher's decision to release his third full-length as an epic series of 12 EPs raised a few eyebrows, but thus far The Golden Ravedays has been quietly impressive. This third volume boasts two more stretched-out epics. With its skewed, drunken organ motifs, rolling funk drum breaks and trippy effects, "1984" is like a ghostly, krautrock influenced interpretation of The Meters. In contrast, virtual B-side "Pocket Love" is a near 18-minute trip into space with alien electronics, wonky melodies, hushed bass and clicking drum machine hits for company. It's undeniably poignant and melancholic, as if the veteran German producer is paying tribute to some long lost love in the only way he knows how.
Review: Aksel Schaufler aka Superpitcher is not to be confused with some newcomer into the house and techno game; the artist has been active and operating at full steam since the 90s, and has been closely associated to the Cologne-based Kompakt sound of the 2000s. Nevertheless, the artist has continuously striven to reinvent himself at every turn, and this Golden Ravedays series is full proof of his wide-reaching talents behind the mixing desk. This being the fourth chapter of the series, Schaufler has opted for something a little moodier and more introspective, namely two absolutely spectacular slices of raw cold waves. "Blood & Berry" is any digger's dream, bridging together all the best elements of technoid post-punk and lo-fi balearica, while "Howl" offers a bumpy little jazz groove held in place by the man's natural tendency to step into the minimalistic zone. Excellent.
Review: Superpitcher's third full-length studio album, The Golden Ravedays, is an autobiography that exhibits the skill, feeling and style that the artist has honed over a period of 40 plus years. An epic album of 24 tracks that was released in January 2017 and will stretch over 12 respective chapters during a one-year period. The fifth piece of puzzle is released here on Hippie Dance: the label he runs with Mexican counterpart Rebolledo. Number 5 of the series introduces two further tracks of the sound adventure that Aksel Schaufler is taking us on this year. The djembe drum on the cover and the two titles of the tracks hint that this edition could potentially include stuff that was inspired by the rhythms and melodies of Africa - a sound legacy that is of great importance to this artist that is a staple of the Cologne electronic music scene.
Review: Superpitcher's third full-length studio album The Golden Ravedays is, both musically and emotionally: a one sound autobiography. It exhibits the skills, feelings and style that the Cologne based artist has honed over the last twenty years. An epic album of 24 tracks and stretching over 12 respective chapter albums during a one-year period. The sixth piece of The Golden Ravedays puzzle is released on his new Hippie Dance imprint. This part of the series introduces two further tracks of the sound adventure that Aksel Schaufler is taking us on this year. "Protest Song" is a brooding musical journey featuring nefarious vocals sung in German over restrained metallic rhythms, creepy synth textures and Italo horror style synths. Second offering "Resistance" is much more upbeat and aimed squarely at the dancefloor on this adrenaline fuelled, Kolsch tech house groove. Featuring more quirky vocals looped up in hypnotic fashion over hard kicks and booming bass.
Review: German producer Superpitcher has, for the longest time, been balls deep in the world of Kompakt. He's been a part of Michael Mayer's collective for virtually his whole entire musical life. His third album, The Golden Ravedays, now appears on Kompakt offshoot Hippie Dance, its 24 tracks released in pairs each month for a year. This is our first taste, with the spacey 60s style psychedelia of "Little Raver" kicking things off. Next is the soft and seductive Balearica of "Snow Blind" that will romance you off the page. We are looking forward to the next 12 months of these gems.
Review: Paris-based, German-born Aksel Schaufler's been rinsing it good and proper with his Superpitcher material over the years. The man's been a pillar of the Kompakt label's success since the early 2000s, and now he's bossing their Hippie Dance offshoot in fine style, powered by his experimental approach to house. "What Do You Miss" is an excellent moment of dance abstraction, a broken house arrangement with a magnetic swarm of chanting and sonic exotica running through it; we love this tune, and we're pretty sure that it'll cause some heads to stir. "Let's Play Doctor" brilliantly blurs the lines between slowed-down jungle, downtempo stepping, all peppered with a hint of gleaming balearica. This is Superpitcher's best work in a while. Recommended.
Review: Aksel Schaufler has undertaken an ambitious effort this year with his Golden Ravedays concept, where over each month throughout 2017 he has released another respective edition. We are almost at the end - but as sad as it is, we do have the music to celebrate which is the main thing, right? Golden Ravedays 10 features another couple of long and epic cuts. The A side features the slo-mo rock 'n' roll swagger of "Rock 'N' Roll Baby" featuring Schaufler's creepy vocals over a hypnotic and at times esoteric sounding arrangement. On the flip, we have something entirely different in the form of "Shining" an early '90s IDM sounding journey which we must admit was our pick on this release - it reminds us of the glory days of Peacefrog and Planet E way back when: when electronic music had soul! Volume 10 does not at all disappoint and for those of you who've not been paying attention thus far: we'd highly recommend you catch up on previous editions: you won't regret it!
Review: What an ambitious effort Aksel Schaufler's Golden Ravedays project has been. For some of us the project has been a quite a reference point for charting the progress of 2017, as he released a respective edition every month. Here we have the second last instalment which features two long cuts that have you sorted for functionality, long mixes or just long sessions of drift worthy bliss! First offering "Brothers" is a loopy disco house cut that calls to mind the French Touch sounds of the late '90's: as popularised by Cassius or Motorbass et al. That hypnotic disco lick, driving bass and dusty drums all work in perfect unison. Also on offer is the fittingly titled downbeat piece "Sleepy Head" which is yet another tripped out ambient piece to join many others during the series. This psychedelic journey featuring whirry synth textures, new-age elements plus sombre pianos and Shauffler's creepy vocals - all kind of clashing but in a not altogether unpleasant fashion!
Review: The final edition of Aksel Schaufler's ambitious Golden Ravedays project is finally upon us. For many this series will be remembered as one of the most defining musical aspects of 2017, where each month one tremendous 12' after another would come our way and essentially creating a wonderful soundtrack to a very special year: a zeitgeist, if you will! From balearica to new wave Krautrock and cosmic psychedelica to straight up house bombs: the series encapsulates Schaufler's unerring dedication to his craft which has spanned close to 20 years and his seen him become synonymous with the the famed Kompakt imprint and enduring success with his Hippie Dance label. On the A side is the dreamy spaghetti western feel of "Late Night Skanking" with its mesmerizing orchestral sections and otherworldly instrumentation taking you deep into the exotic. On the flip there's some bold and stylish indie-dance on the low slung tip with "Punky Reggae Party" which really nails that Cologne/Dusseldorf style vibe because after all - that was his former stomping ground, before he relocated to Paris.
Review: The seventh piece of The Golden Ravedays puzzle introduces two further tracks of the sound adventure that Superpitcher is taking us on this year. Featuring "Andy", made in memory and admiration of a pioneer and his works. David Bowie's lyrics about Andy Warhol mirror the groovy yet deeply moving emotion of this track. The music Aksel imagined here is a pleasant cruise in itself and once you wake up from it, you will for sure think of Warhol. Also worthy of mention is "Yves". The track starts with a long introduction of harp music and then gently evolves into one of the more fragile and poetic pieces he has created thus far for the album. What is clear in this music is that there is an intense understanding of the suffering Yves Saint Laurent lived throughout his life as an artist and fashion designer. As only Superpitcher can, he translated that emotion into this beautiful and touching piece of music.
Review: Aksel Schaufler aka Superpitcher's Ravedays series reaches its ninth instalment with an unforgettable two-tracker. "Protest Song" is led by chiming bells, frazzled, purring bass and some half-heard, muffled vocals that appear amid the dark electronic squelches. It's a foreboding, menacing slice of low-slung disco and appears to have been produced as a response to the increasingly precarious political state of the world. By contrast, "Resistance" sounds like it was recorded as a means of rising up through dancing. Centred on a soaring bass and tough kicks, its chants build and build to the point where even the most apathetic listener will be compelled to dance.
Review: Aksel Schaufler set out to release his new opus entitled Golden Ravedays throughout the entirety of 2017, two tracks at a time. Now up to its eighth volume, Hippie Dance (the label he runs with good buddy Rebolledo) presents the latest installment in this Superpitcher concept series. On the first side, prepare to tune in and drop out to the Balearic drifter "Tuesday Paris Texas" which like its name may suggest does have a Ry Cooder vibe about it; with its twangy bluesy country guitars over a chugging/skeletal metallic beat. All the the while assisted by Schaufler's nefarious whispers. On the flip there's another 15 minutes of glory in the form of "Mirage". This is a psychedelic epic much in the vein of the album's previous volumes, but with a more funky upbeat groove channelling his love of all things early 70s.
U Ma Ngi Hamba Nawe Thuli U Bizwa I Peacock (When I Walk With Thuli, They Call Her Peacock) - (2:09) 107 BPM
Thembalami (My Trustworthy) - (2:37) 129 BPM
Sesi U Hi Komba Mihlolo (My Sister, She Is A Miracle) - (5:07) 99 BPM
Mandela U Humile Jele (Mandela Is Released From Jail) - (3:34) 51 BPM
Koko Ribulelele (Please Open The Door For Us) - (1:40) 112 BPM
Tanda Tula Se Yi Cincile (Tanda Tula Is Change) - (1:45) 84 BPM
Musadi Ye Muvutsi (A Beautiful Woman) - (1:37) 80 BPM
Tamanini (Hello, Hello) - (2:26) 87 BPM
Drum Interlude - (2:15) 124 BPM
Nwamaxalana A Nga Al Ntumbuluko (Nwamaxalana Refuses The Nature) - (4:49) 93 BPM
A Kuri Na Xinyenyana (There Was A Bird In The Garden) Dolphin - (1:09) 131 BPM
Mukutsuri Hosi Ya Mina (You Are My Saviour) Eric - (2:06) 156 BPM
Yehova Xikwembu Xanga (God Is My King) Eric - (1:38) 138 BPM
Rirandzu Ra Yesu (Love Of Jesus) Pretty - (1:48) 80 BPM
U Nga Rili Nwana Sesi (Please Donat Cry My Baby Sister) Chris - (0:26) 106 BPM
Lo Machine Wa Khuluma (Talking Machine) Chris - (0:35) 115 BPM
Ngiri Ngiri Wo Ngirimele Kaya (Iam Walking Home) Chris - (0:22) 111 BPM
La La Go Nna (Rest With Me) Clenny - (0:32) 147 BPM
Joko Ya Kgaho Yi Bobebe (Godas Belief Makes My Heart Free) Clenny - (0:29) 145 BPM
Tatana Hi Vana Va Wena (Father, We Are Your Children) Chris - (0:51) 92 BPM
Xisaka Xa Tuva Manguvalawa (The Nest Of A Bird) Magie - (1:12) 156 BPM
Tanda Tula Se Yi Cincile (Tanda Tula Has Changed) Jenette - (0:44) 149 BPM
Modimo A Li Teng A Kgo Na Matata (When God Is Around There Is No Problem) Harry - (0:34) 114 BPM
Keya Morata U Wa Ntata (I Love God And He Loves Me) Stars - (1:00) 112 BPM
Wa La Matsidiso (Matsidiso Is Crying) - (2:01) 158 BPM
Madume Dume Dume (Hello Everyone) - (3:06) 81 BPM
Review: Recently, Superpitcher was invited to go on a safari in South Africa. He bought a custom made hat at his favorite milliner in Cologne and set off with big eyes and a pair of binoculars. It was wild and wonderful journey where he saw many exotic creatures - apparently a leopard in a tree told him the secret of the universe. But most of all, he was enchanted by the hypnotic and moving sound of the voices of Africa: the voices of the wonderful Tanda Tula staff choir. There, the choir members work during the day at the camp and at night entertain the guests with their captivating voices and energetic dancing. So impressed was he with their songs and beautiful Shangaan language that he decided to record a CD for them to sell in the shop at their camp and now this precious recording is also available through Hippie Dance/Bush Recordings in whatever wherever camp you are.
