Followers of the German techno icon will know that he is fond of grand statements. And this time he's spot on: Teufelswerk - German for "Devil's Work" - is Hell's masterpiece. Across 16 exquisite tracks divided into two themes, "Night" and "Day", Hell weaves an intoxicating spell. The nocturnal side offers a contemporary interpretation of Chicago house and Detroit techno. It's sunnier sister disc finds Hell embracing the rich cosmic groove of his roots. A lush, narcotic odyssey, the album sounds unlike anything he's produced in the past. But at the same time, Hell has drawn on his wealth of experience and put everything he knows into Teufelswerk.
"The album is very personal," he says. "All my knowledge is there. I went back really far to the early-'70s. I don't think I can make a better record."
Coming from Hell, whose life mirrors his art, that's saying something. A cultural chameleon with an encyclopedic musical knowledge and a bold sense of style, Hell has carved a reputation as the Warhol - or should that be War-hell? - of our generation.
"Andy Warhol was a people's champion. He ruled the world in his way," says Hell, who once dressed as the pop artist for a photo shoot. "The Factory was pushing art, music, films and whatever you can think about every day. He was a rule breaker. He knew how to play and how to motivate people."
When Hell launched his International Deejay Gigolos Empire in 1996, his rebellious creative streak gave the label a punk DIY aesthetic. An open-ended techno imprint with a natural pop sensibility, Gigolo immediately stood out and attracted like-minded artists such as Fischerspooner, Vitalic, Miss Kittin & the Hacker, Tiga, even the Pet Shop Boys, Jeff Mills and Dopplereffekt. Today, Gigolo in Berlin is to Hell what the Factory in New York was to Warhol. Like Warhol, Hell is the man with the vision, whose enthusiasm and inspiration to this day is fueled by, and rubs off on, the close-knit family of musicians, fashion designers, photographers, film makers, video artists and actors who surround him. Fans of the label will remember the short-lived collaboration with Amanda La Pore, who can often be found in the Gigolo logo and on the Tiga & Zyntherius Video for "Sunglasses at Night." There are many examples of Gigolo and Hell blurring the lines between music and art, a popular aesthetic in Hell's arsenal and one that was celebrated in two gallery exhibitions; one in London, and one in Berlin both in 2007.
Hell - once, a long time ago, Helmut Geier - is 46 years old and has DJed for more than half those years. In 1985, he was one of the first in Germany to DJ house music, back when Steve ‘Silk' Hurley made the first Chicago house tracks. Later, through Gigolo, he put out lost classics by Chicago house legends Bobby Konders and DJ Pierre. He also re-released what's considered the first Detroit techno song, "Sharevari" by A Number of Names, and rekindled the career of new-wave heroes Tuxedomoon. One of Gigolo's key releases is Hell's compilation of early-'80s German post-punk, New Deutsch.
In 1992, Hell's haunting debut single, "My Definition of House Music" became a dancefloor hymn, selling 50,000 copies. Three years later, Hell recorded a live BBC John Peel Session in Munich, which came out as the "Original Street Techno" EP. As a producer, Hell has covered a lot of ground. He's one of the pioneers of German house and techno, and today, as Teufelswerk attests, he's in the finest form of his life.
Perhaps because he is so successful and does whatever he pleases, cutting a glamorous swathe through electronic music, the media tend to be kind to him. In the early days, they called Hell "das gute gewiessen des deutschen techno", which means "the good soul of German techno". No stranger to receiving awards for his prowess in the music business, in 2002, he was crowned Man of the Year by GQ magazine.
Those familiar with Hell's earlier albums, 1998's Munich Machine and 2004's NY Muscle, will recognize the "Night" half of this double-album. A raw mix of Chicago and Detroit influences combined with Hell's swashbuckling approach to electronics, this portion is for the dancefloor. Ten-minute jams such as "Wonderland" and "Electronic Germany" zoom and thrust with menacing intent. "The Disaster", the single produced by Hell and longstanding collaborators Mijk van Dijk and &Me, is the kind of labyrinthine techno trip that will disorientate any dancefloor.
"The "Night" album is what people expect from a guy like me," says Hell, who spins three of four times most weekends around the world. "I choose a lot of producers in different studios with different sounds and put my flavor there. It is from a DJ for the other DJs"
"Bodyfarm", a sinister cut co-produced by Frankfurt's Antony Rother, was inspired by the unsettling images of Taryn Simon, an American photographer and fine artist specializing in uncovering rarely seen sites from the domains of science and government (please visit tarynsimon.com). For "Night", Hell hooked up once more with hip-hop superstar P. Diddy for freestyle jack-track and future single, "The DJ". The pair had worked before on "Let's Get Ill" and "Check This".
The most pleasant, eyebrow-raising moment here is the collaboration with Bryan Ferry, "U Can Dance". This serpentine disco burner, a smoldering highlight of Teufelswerk, finally unites two of modern pop's suavest outsiders.
"I am very proud to work with Bryan Ferry, of course," says Hell, who encountered the singer in London when he was asked to remix Roxy Music a couple of years ago. Hell pruned "U Can Dance" in Vienna with his old friend Peter Kruder, of Kruder and Dorfmeister fame. Here, in Kruder's G-Stone studio, assisted by noted multi-instrumentalists Christian Prommer and Roberto Di Gioia, Hell and Kruder wrote and produced the "Day" half of Teufelswerk. This is Hell's enchanting interpretation of Kosmische Musik, that style of '70s psychedelic experimental boogie played by Can and NEU! This is the music that inspired the beginning of Hell's career.
"I have done Kosmische Musik in a new way," he says. "This is where I come from, I grew up with the early German electronic pioneers of music, and this is why I went in this direction. Often it is called German electronic avant-garde, or psychedelic music. I went back to the '70s and tried to do it in my own way."
Listen to "The Angst", the lead single from Teufelswerk, and you'll appreciate the direction Hell is taking with Peter Kruder at the controls. Celestial vocals cascade around an acoustic guitar figure as a motorik rhythm propels it ever skywards, sharing space, spiritually at least, with Pink Floyd, Kraftwerk and Can.
On "Day", "Germania", "Hell's Kitchen" and "I Prefer Women to Men Anyway" unravel with sinuous grace, culminating in a cosmic reading of Hawkwind's "Silver Machine". Hell is no stranger to covers, having tackled Barry Manilow's "Copacabana," Throbbing Gristle's "Hot On The Heel's" and German No-Wave band No More's "Suicide Commando" on Munich Machine. Although Hell was born in 1962, he was too young to fully appreciate the likes of Tangerine Dream and Amon Duul in their mid-'70s prime. He was more into Slade and Sweet. "Pop and glam-rock was more appealing to me because these bands looked great and were all over the TV." By the time Hell was old enough to dig Kosmische Musik, punk had arrived and he was into the Damned, who sounded new, fresh and powerful.
For Hell, then, Teufelswerk rounds up his life's work so far - and he has already led a remarkable life. It is dramatic, beautiful, dark and soulful, a milestone in German electronic music. "Teufelswerk represents the music in the best way: it's the work of the devil," he says, "and it's the work of me, the work of Hell."
Prepare to be moved, deeply.
- words by Piers Martin
AWARDS
GERMAN DANCE AWARDS 2001
Best DJ National, Best A&R, Best National Label
MUSIK AND MASCHINE 2001
Best International DJ
JOCKEY SLUT 2002
Best Club
GROOVE MAGAZINE 2002
Best Label, Best Remix
OUT SOON MAGAZINE 2003
Label of the Year
GROOVE MAGAZINE 2003
Best Video ( HELL - Keep On Waiting)
RAVELINE 2003
Best Remix (P.Diddy feat. Kelis "Lets Get Ill")
DEBUG MAGAZINE 2003
Best DJ
GERMAN DANCE AWARD 2003
Best Compiliation
DANCE STAR AWARD MIAMI 2003
Best International DJ
GQ MAGAZINE GERMANY 2003
Man Of The Year
MUSIC EXPRESS MAGAZINE STYLE AWARD 2005
Best Performer Domestic
DCC (Deutche Dance Charts) 2005
Nominated as best DJ and best label (Gigolo Records)
In July 2009 German eyewear makers Freudenhaus will release the first
of three different models of sunglasses designed by Hell. The first
model which recently premiered in Milan for enthusiastic buyers, is a
chic unisex aviator style with smokey deep-lilac lenses set within a
dark brushed-metal frame with delicate silver studding around the
lenses. The limited edition 500 pairs are accompanied by a special
Design HellTM signature case and will be available for purchase through
the Freudenhaus website and at select boutique retailers across the world.
HELL&WENDY&JIM
Austrian designers Wendy&Jim will release a line of men's underwear
designed by Hell later this year. The line will be comprised of three
different styles in varying fabrics such as pure organic cotton,
lightweight mesh and lace, and will be available in select boutiques
across the world. Hell and Wendy&Jim's designers, Helga Schania and
Herman Fankhauser, decided to work together after the label featured
Hell's music during their runway shows.
FOR THE UNORGANIZED MODERN CD DJ - DJ HELL FOR MAGMA
If this photo is reminiscent of your DJ booth, we've got something for your mess. Magma has been manufacturing trolleys, CD wallets, courier bags and laptop cases for DJs for ten years and remains a leader in the business thanks to their intelligent, durable design. No stranger to collaborative design with techno artists, Magma together with Hell are working together on a limited edition CD wallet. Available in two colors and three different sizes, the CD wallets should debut this year online and in select Magma retailers.
The perfect symbiosis of art, fashion and music, Hell's self-confidence in putting his unique sense of style on display have seen him quickly become a darling of the fashion scene.
A frequent guest at the shows of such designers as Donatella Versace and Dirk Schoneberger, Hell has been shot by a multitude of international photographers, notably by Karl Lagerfeld.
Successful joint ventures with various fashion labels have followed, such as those with as Agent Provocateur, Chanel, Levis and Michalsky (whose runway show Hell has arranged the music for the last several seasons).
GIGOLO LABELS GALLERY
GIGOLO ARTWORK
DO NOT DISTURB SIGNS
NEWS
NEW BOOKING & DJ HELL MANAGEMENT
NEW BOOKING AGENTS & MANAGEMENT!
BOOKING EUROPE / ASIA / AUSTRALIA / SOUTH AMERICA:
roman@codaagency.com
BOOKING NORTH AMERICA:
hagi@detroitpremiereartists.com
MANAGEMENT: himmedia666@gmail.com
'Teufelswerk House Remixes' - DIGITAL RELEASE July, 22
Out Now! 'Schöneberg' remixed by Hell, Abe Duque & Donnacha Costello Beatsmedia
The original hit us for the first time in 1993, on Superstition records, and now we’re graced by this 12” featuring remixes by none other than DJ Hell, Abe Duque and Donnacha Costello.
Rocking the A side, Hell’s staccato-tronic, urgent re-think fuses solid state drums, classic wild-pitching sentiments and tonnes of energy in a frenetic yet reduced electronic jam! Opening up and freaking out into a skipping, bass driven funk tool the unmistakable tones of the original pulse through as an emotional climax awaits!
'U CAN DANCE' FEAT. BRYAN FERRY AVAILABLE IN 7 DIFERRENT VERSIONS
It was only a matter of time. Two genre-defining artists together - pop music and dance music's most famous arbiters of taste, collaborating at last. HELL's 'U Can Dance' is an interpretation of an unreleased Bryan Ferry song, but it's one that reflects a perfect melding of two distinct personalities, a record that sounds as if the voice and music were made for each other.
HELL's highly anticipated new single featuring Bryan Ferry 'U Can Dance' is finally released on 8th, February in a powerful package with remixes from Carl Craig, Simian Mobile Disco, Tim Goldsworthy and Kikumot Allstars. 'U Can Dance' has already been named one of the top 10 club music of 2009 by New York Times Magazine before its release, and massive reviews include:
DJ MAG
A DJ Hell/Bryan Ferry collaboration is never going to be mundane, but this surpasses expectations. 'U Can Dance' is a lost Roxy Music track rendered into a contemporary club classic by the visionary hands of HELL. Add into this conspiracy of talent remixes from Carl Craig (who creates two strokes of pure genius), DFA's effortless helms-man Tim Goldsworthy and Simian Mobile Disco on their most on-point form, and you hardly need us to tell you: you need this. 5 stars.
CLASH MAGAZINE
Here we get glammed up techno, the likes of which we've not heard for a while. It's dated romantic vocals are its charm. Driving nocturnal bass keeps heads down on this tip whilst a standout remix from Sir Carl Craig sees him up the narcotic synth stabs to epic proportions. Robert Hood would be proud. A great single delivered by a triptych of true, if disparate legends.
DMC ZZUB CHART
The stunning fashionista anthem from 'Teufelswerk'. In it’s original form 'U Can Dance' features the iconic Bryan Ferry doing his distinctive crooning over percolating sophisticated Moroder-esque disco rhythms, and it works like a marriage made in heaven. With remixes from Carl Craig, Tim Goldsworthy and Simian Mobile Disco who round off the package with roof raising spaced out electronics and a hypnotic driving groove. Massive. No.1 for 2 weeks
WENDY&JIM & HELL NEW COLLECTION COMING IN 2010
Great news for those who did not get a chance to lay their hands on the WENDY&JIM & HELL underwear which was launched last year - the trio have been busy working on the line's second collection. The has just been introduced to public in December in the designers' homeland Vienna with HELL himself and his ultimate companion & the Vienna superb Peter Kruder.
The new collection features more color and variation, and will be available this spring.
HELL AS NEW AMBASSADOR FOR SMIRNOFF 'BE THERE' CAMPAIGN
Smirnoff has launched a new campaign ‘Be There’ – a global program to enable and facilitate other people’s ‘there’ moments – everyone can participate, where HELL has been appointed as an ambassador of Germany. In this video HELL shares anecdotes of their extraordinary moments in life - the first Fischerspooner gig back in 2000 at WMF, Berlin.
HELL will also act as a jury to this competition where you can submit your own 'there' moment or vote for your favorites - more about this program: www.myspace.com/smirnoffBeThere
BEST DRESSED MAN / GQ MEN OF THE YEAR
"What really is a good style? - If you have one you don't have to think about it."
It's that time of the year - once again, HELL has charted #39 in Best Dressed Man @GQ's Men of The Year. Having topped the Award in 2003, HELL has never failed to impress the fashionistas with his iconic personna.
"Helmut Geier, chief of the International Deejay Gigolos was always the complete counter draft to the good-mood-Ibiza-look.
He relies on Martin Margiela and Tom Ford. - My preferences? More and more classical men's fashion.
DJ Hell is a complete artwork: Music, hair, glasses, means of transportation - every single detail counts."
HELL X HERCULES
Get yourself a copy of today's world's best men's fashion magazine HERCULES with HELL feature!
Original Music Shirt has launched a limited edition of 'HELL is The DJ' T-shirts exclusively for the event "Première Nuit Electro au Grand Palais" in Paris. Do not miss this special evening and lay your hands on one of those 60 special T's!
"‘The DJ' on which P Diddy (yes, him again) shouts a lot about how "motherfuckers" should play the 13-minute versions of tracks is one of the most ridiculous, brilliant things you will have heard in a long time." Tony Naylor in The Guardian
The latest single taken from the much lauded ‘Teufelswerk’ long player sees Hell “hooking-up” once more with hip-hop superstar P. Diddy for the freestyle jack-track “The DJ”. The pair worked together before on “Let’s Get Ill” and “Check This,” creating two classic dance floor hits. But for ‘The DJ’ these two masters wanted to set the techno world straight and send a very clear message ‘to the mother fucker plays a 4 minute version.’ That you ‘can’t get even get into your thing with a 4 minute version.’ With this in mind Hell is very pleased to present his latest single 'The DJ' feat. P. Diddy; one original track, four remixes, over one hour of music! So yes, “This goes out to all the mother fuckers that like 15-20 minute versions of a mother fucking record.”
As an internationally revered performer Hell knows a thing or two about DJing and with his recent releases we see a definite shift towards lengthy mixes. But nothing prepared Gigolo for the package we have here, 5 tracks, 60+ minutes of music with the Radio Slave mix weighing in at a colossal 28 minutes.
Radio Slave presented this version at ‘We Love…’ at Space in Ibiza, in the presence of one Pete Tong - So impressed was Tongy that he played it the following week on his BBC Radio 1 ‘In New Music We Trust' show in the Big Three section. But this is not the first time the record has been played on Pete Tong’s Radio 1show. In fact the original was played by the man himself and also guest DJ Laurent Garnier for the Essential Mix. So it is fair to say that this record is already pretty Hot with most big name DJ’s! "All I can say is FFFWWAAAARRRGGGHHHHH ......!!!!!!! The remix of mister Radio Slave and the Deetron ones are STUNNNNNNNING! Many thanks again for all this pleasure for my hears and hips!!!" - Laurent Garnier
"Love this." - Tom Findlay / Groove Armada
"Insane!!" - Sasha
"Cannot go any wrong and this Remix makes no exception. Solid beats as usual, and pure fun on the dancefloor! Full support." - Radio Slave
"Yeah! Very oldschool sound, I always liked the excellent loop of the bass on Sandée´s 'Notice me' track... Deetron and Paul Woolford are my fav remixers, even it´s very hard to decide amongst this nice collection of versions." - Angel Molina
"Like it!" - Yousef
"Maybe a bit long? ;) 5/5" - Dopamine
"Absolutely first rate, despite Diddy blathering all over it. Radio Slave at the top his game." - Ewan Pearson
"Love it, great!" - Ian Pooley
"Deetron remix is super!" - Kiki
"Been waiting for this, sounds great!!!" - Gregor Tresher
OUT NOW EXCLUSIVELY ON BEATPORT with remixes by:Radio Slave, Paul Woolford, Jay Haze, Deetron and SIS
HELL FOR YSL @VOGUE'S FASHION'S NIGHTS OUT
Oct. 10. 2009 - YVES SAINT LAURENT WORLDWIDE 'ROADY' LAUNCH EVENT FEAT. MUSIC BY HELL
On the occasion of Vogue’s Fashion’s Nights Out, Yves Saint Laurent officially launched its new bag: the ‘Roady’.
For this special night, Yves Saint Laurent recreated a chic Parisian atmosphere in their boutiques worldwide with a great selection of music & cocktails and HELL was naturally the choice for the house of luxury and class to glam up this evening.
WENDY&JIM & HELL NOW AVAILABLE AT SELECTED STORES
WENDY&JIM & HELL underwear designed by HELL now available at the following locations!
HELL'S "THE ANGST" NO.1 IN PRINS THOMAS CHART IN I-D
Prins Thomas to list HELL'S "The Angst 1 & 2" No.1 of his latest chart
"I was completely floored when I heard this for the first time, to the point where I haven't even been able to listen to the Henrik Schwarz remix on the B-side yet!" - Prins Thomas
(i-D August 2009)
FUCK ING HELL TOUR 2009 T-SHIRTS
BUY NOW THE FUCK ING HELL BERLIN TOUR 2009 T-SHIRT BY VISITING:
Helmut Geier, aka DJ Hell of International DJ Gigolos, has long been a part of the fashion scene. He plays often for couture and prêt-à-porter shows and even produced a mix compilation for Chanel.
Recently, Geier has been exploring the fashion world from a different angle, as a designer. After providing the music for one of their runway shows, he developed a relationship with Austrian label Wendy&Jim and has since collaborated on a line of underwear for the team—now “Wendy&Jim & Hell.”
The line, consisting of three different styles in varying fabrics—pure organic cotton, lightweight mesh and lace will be available later this year in select boutiques around the world, and was featured at Berlin’s SS10 Fashion Week at Designer Showrooms.
"This first cut, 'The Angst Pt. 1,' we're guessing is a "night" piece, with a sort of Radiohead "Everything Is In The Right Place" vibe downing in ambient acid ectoplasma." - URB.com
"Hell has a better crack than most at playing the pop star and because of that there's an aura of plastic and white leather around him. That's going to change with 'The Angst' and it's sister 'The Angst Pt. 2'. The first section sees Kruder & Dorfmeister meet Aphex Twin in the Barbican (due in part to Peter Kruder's production role) but then it builds into an Uber-cool acid 'n' glitch chugger. Epic - Hell's best in ages." - DJ MAGAZINE
"You'd be forgiven for suspecting DJ Hell's tracks are a miasma of clanging techno beats at face melting tempos -- his back catalog wouldn't prove you wrong. But his latest album, Teufelswerk, and "The Angst Pt. 1" which precedes it, is much more inviting and nuanced. With only a gentle kick drum and oscillating synth to connect "The Angst" to the dance floor (that's where a Henrik Schwarz remix compes in), it's the overcast electric piano, mournful strums and shredded vocals that usher in the moody atmosphere. It's almost as if Hell is setting the stage for a dramatic dual set in Germany's Black Forest. His album will reveal what comes next." - RCRDLBL
No. 19, DMC BUZZ CHART Entry, Issue 317
Radio Support By: XFM John Kennedy, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Radio Eins, BBC Radio 1, Radio Fritz, Radio Eins, KISS FM, NME
Beatport Top 100
No. 14 Beatport Tech House Top 100
"'The Angst' - Amazing! I dropped it in Frankfurt & Glasgow this weekend and got an amazing response. It's seriously the set opener of all time!" - ANDREW WEATHERALL
"Really liking DJ Hell's single 'The Angst' and looking forward to his new album." - PET SHOP BOYS
"This is excellent and very beautiful!" - ASHLEY BEEDLE
"Yes, this is great, proper innovative." - CHRIS COCO
"Excellent." - D. RAMIREZ
"Great synth groove." - DUBFIRE
"Love this remix!" - JAMES TALK
"THIS IS DEEEEEEEP I LOVE IT will play Henrik's remix everywhere. Brilliant!" - LAURENT GARNIER
"Love it, Love it." - LUKE SOLOMON
"Love the Henrik Schwarz remix, nice and deep musical vibe and cool emotional vocals." - ROBERT OWENS
Teufelswerk - German for "Devil's Work" - is Hell's masterpiece. Across 16 exquisite tracks divided into two themes, "Night" and "Day" , Hell weaves an intoxicating spell. The nocturnal side offers a contemporary interpretation of Chicago house and Detroit techno. It's sunnier sister disc finds Hell embracing the rich cosmic groove of his roots. A lush, narcotic odyssey, the album sounds unlike anything he's produced in the past. But at the same time, Hell has drawn on his wealth of experience and put everything he knows into Teufelswerk.
TEUFELSWERK - NO. 51 IN THE GERMAN ALBUM CHARTS
"Ein Deutscher Warhol... der Münchner Pioneer der House Music findet auf Seinem neuen Album zu neuer größe." - SUEDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG
"Teufelswerk is one of the most ambitious and cogent dance music albums of, well, all time. Seriously." - THE GUARDIAN UK
"DJ Hell's Teufelswerk set is possibly the peak of the great man's career... Hell never stops pulling unexpected monsters out of his sonic cod piece but this hefty taste is but the bell-end of the mighty iceberg." - DMC UPDATE
"Awesome! Would think that, with the Ferry being so musically good, the Diddy being so witty and iconic, and with the electro music rocking, this would strikes me as a sort of instant classic." - ROLLING STONE
"Known for his anti-superstar DJ stance, DJ Hell puts on Gigolo parties that are always a blast, bringing together lovers of all things artsy and esoteric." - MIAMI NEW TIMES
"Kein Star-DJ hat so abgefahrene Ideen wie Hell, niemand verwirklicht so unmittelbar und ungebrochen. Teufelswerk ist sein faszinierendster und unwahrscheinlichster Querschnitt durch den Mammutbaum der Popgeschichte bisher." - GROOVE
"'U Can Dance' is a dark, romantic and melancholy techno anthem, perfect for the early hours, great track!!!" - ONE MAN PARTY
"The album is AMAZING I love it, and I'll playing it everywhere." - BLACK STROBE
"It is not just the best thing that Helmut Geier has ever done, but one of the greatest dance music albums ever made. Album of the Year." - NME
"Hell yeah! 8/10!" - DER SPIEGEL
"Wiser in his ways and better able to express himself." - UNCUT
"He's calling it his best work to date. We might just agree." - MIXMAG
"Teufelswerk, pure psychedelic, ambient brilliance." - METRO
Album of the Month - DJ MAG
"Teufelswerk is an inspiring album and proof that Hell still calls the shots." - UPDATE
"It's official; the devil now makes all the best tunes. Album of the Month 10/10" - iDJ
"Hell's on fire again, miss this at your peril." - M8
"Album of the year so far." - M8 (TECHNO)
"A dark, avant-garde battle between technology and emotion." - THE INDEPENDENT
DJ HELL CREATES DANCE MUSIC HEAVEN AT LAST!
Teufelswerk - German for "Devil's Work" - is Hell's masterpiece. Across 16 exquisite tracks divided into two themes, "Night" and "Day" , Hell weaves an intoxicating spell. The nocturnal side offers a contemporary interpretation of Chicago house and Detroit techno. It's sunnier sister disc finds Hell embracing the rich cosmic groove of his roots. A lush, narcotic odyssey, the album sounds unlike anything he's produced in the past. But at the same time, Hell has drawn on his wealth of experience and put everything he knows into Teufelswerk.
"Teufelswerk - a 17-track opus, split between ambient Day and jackin' Night tracks, which arrives on 27 April - is one of the most ambitious and cogent dance music albums of, well, all time. Seriously." - The Guardian UK
SPEX Magazine Album of the Issue, April 2009
"Many of you will find the idea that DJ Hell has made one of the best albums of 2009 (yes, already) utterly ludicrous. I know. I can hardly believe it myself. But, prepare to be amazed, because Teufelswerk - a 17-track opus, split between ambient Day and jackin' Night tracks, which arrives on 27 April - is one of the most ambitious and cogent dance music albums of, well, all time. Seriously.
Perhaps it isn't a total shock, as Helmut Geier does have form in this area. A decade ago, he released Munich Machine, an album that shone like a sharp green LED light at the end of the dark, dark tunnel that was 1998. In a world of dour, panel-beating techno and bloated, imploding superclubs, Munich Machine came housed in witty artwork; included covers of Warm Leatherette and Barry Manilow's Copacabana; utilised then unknowns Chicks On Speed; and generally mixed pop, punk, electro and techno in a way that, suddenly, made cutting-edge electronic music sound vital, sexy and intelligent.
Munich Machine helped catalyse electroclash, and, in its mischievous joie de vivre and its glossy air-tight production, arguably prefigured the whole shift to sleek sound design and audacious sonic twists that defined the Kompakt/minimal techno era. It was an important record.
The intervening years, however, have been another matter. Musically, Hell's label, International Deejay Gigolo, has only recently shaken off its electroclash hangover, while Hell himself hasn't made a truly indispensable record since. Almost no sooner did he establish himself as a kind of anti-superstar DJ, one who toyed confidently and ironically with his playboy image, than he seemed to lose himself in a whirlwind of hype and partying with P Diddy. Where once Hell defined the zeitgeist, in recent years he's sounded like he's chasing it. He's flirted with seemingly every passing trend - post-punk revival, dark disco-punk, Italo disco - to little productive end. His 2007 Misch Masch mix was similarly uncomfortable and indecisive, with Hell seemingly unsure whether to stick to his trademark sound or embrace minimal. Would the real DJ Hell please stand up?
Well, on Teufelswerk, he has. Tellingly, where his last artist album, NY Muscle, felt self-consciously fashionable, both in its sound, and its choice of collaborators (Erland Aye, Alan Vega, James Murphy), here Hell has worked with tried, trusted and lesser-known talents. The Day section was recorded with Peter Kruder (of Kruder & Dorfmeister fame) and Troby Trio/ Drumlesson man, Christian Prommer; while Anthony Rother, and new face &Me helped construct the Night bangers.
Hell is 47 this year, and Teufelswerk undoubtedly sounds like the grand artistic statement of a man who woke up one morning (in Cannes or Ibiza, the morning after some invite-only fashion party) and decided it was time to get serious. There are few albums that could get away with an opening track as pompously titled as, Germania, followed by the equally portentous (and beautiful) new single, The Angst and The Angst Pt 2, but Tuefelswerk, which has a grave, cinematic heft to it, does. With Hell acting as conductor, and Kruder, Prommer and Roberto di Gioia playing a mixture of synths, acoustic guitars, Wurlitzers and "rhythm machines", the four sweep back and forth across Europe, mapping the psychic highways that link Kraftwerk's Dusseldorf and Jean Michel Jarre's imaginary, futuristic Paris; Pink Floyd at the UFO club in 1966, and Cafe Del Mar in 1987; cavernous booming dubstep nights in modern Berlin and Goblin's progressive 1970's Italy. It may be ambient, but the last thing it is is chilled out.
The Night tracks are a little more orthodox, a little less interesting, but only in comparison. This is Hell back in his EBM-orientated electro/techno groove, one which he imbues with such colour, and laces with such quirks, that it still sounds unique. Recent single The Disaster is typical. Ten minutes 32 seconds of whistling hiss, scrolling, bleeping data, doomy bass grunts and flat, macho drums, it should be as tough as 12 hours at Tresor. In Hell's hands, however, it's a sensational three-part drama, a track dancing to its own barely contained energy.
Even Teufelswerk's high-profile guest spots are good. Bryan Ferry's jaded lounge-lizard shtick has rarely sounded so interesting as it does on U Can Dance, while The DJ, on which P Diddy (yes, him again) shouts a lot about how "motherfuckers" should play the 13-minute versions of tracks ("You know what I'm saying? You've gotta just hit 'em with that shit where they just marinate. Where they just engulfed in this shit."), is one of the most ridiculous, brilliant things you will have heard in a long time.
If DJ Hell can dig deep and strike gold, 10 years after his last great work, why can't anybody else? Might we yet see a coherent Babyshambles album? A Morrissey album that is more than moderately interesting? A Prince album that matters? Who, of our faded stars, do you long to see rediscover the form that once made them great?"
"DJ Hell's upcoming Teufelswerk set is possibly the peak of the great man's career... Hell never stops pulling unexpected monsters out of his sonic cod piece but this hefty taste is but the bell-end of the mighty iceberg." - DMC UPDATE
"Awesome! Would think that, with the Ferry being so musically good, the Diddy being so witty and iconic, and with the electro music rocking, this would strikes me as a sort of instant classic." - ROLLING STONE
"Known for his anti-superstar DJ stance, DJ Hell puts on Gigolo parties that are always a blast, bringing together lovers of all things artsy and esoteric." - MIAMI NEW TIMES
"Kein Star-DJ hat so abgefahrene Ideen wie Hell, niemand verwirklicht so unmittelbar und ungebrochen. Teufelswerk ist sein faszinierendster und unwahrscheinlichster Querschnitt durch den Mammutbaum der Popgeschichte bisher." - GROOVE
"Teufelswerk" ist Musik, zu der man - ganz antizyklisch gedacht - gern in einem schwarzen Sportwagen mit wein Lederbezgen auf der Amalfitana der Zukunftsangst davonrasen möchte"¦" - SPEX MAGAZINE
1. Posh the Prince--re bokk robot -hanna holland mix
2. Talking Heads - Psycho Killer (Solomun Edit)
3. christian prommer -.chocopop jazz / take 5 edit
4. skwerl - btwyd
5. Peter Kruder - Orchestral
6. Gilla - Der Strom der Zeit (DJ HELL Extended Club Mix 11)
7. greta coutage -workshop -limited
8. lil louis -blackout phase 3
9. purple vein-1999
10. mcmlxxxvII-work
