International DJ Gigolos

long info:
Teufelswerk – the German for “Devil’s Work” – is Hell’s masterpiece and a towering double album follow up to 2004’s ‘NY Muscle’ and his breakthrough 1998 opus ‘Munich Machine’. Across 16 exquisite tracks divided into two themes, “Night” and “Day”, Hell weaves an intoxicating spell. ‘Night’ sees Hell in more familiar nocturnal surroundings as Detroit and Chicago grooves battle the ghosts of Kraftwerk, Neu! and DAF with notable vocal contributions from Bryan Ferry and P. Diddy. On the ‘Day’ half we find celestial vocals cascading around acoustic guitar figures as a motorik rhythm propels it ever skywards, sharing space, spiritually at least, with Pink Floyd, Hawkwind and Can. “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 encyclopaedic 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. 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. 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, the latter going by the name of ‘Sympathy for the Devil.’ Here, on “Teufelswerk” Hell, with his old friend Peter Kruder produced the "Day" half assisted by noted multi-instrumentalists Christian Prommer and Roberto Di Gioia. This is Hell's enchanting interpretation of kosmische musik. New single “The Angst” & “The Angst Pt. 2” join tracks “Germania”, “Hell’s Kitchen” and “I Prefer Women to Men Anyway” to unravel with sinuous grace, culminating in a cosmic reading of Hawkwind’s “Silver Machine”. “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. I went back to the ’70s and tried to do it in my own way.” The “Night” album is raw mix of Chicago and Detroit influences combined with Hell’s swashbuckling approach to electronics and ultimately for the dance floor. Ten-minute jams such as “Wonderland” and “Electronic Germany” zoom and thrust with menacing intent. Hell hooked up once more with hip-hop superstar P. Diddy for freestyle jack-track and future single, “The DJ” whilst “Bodyfarm”, a sinister cut co-produced by Frankfurt’s Antony Rother, was inspired by the unsettling images of Taryn Simon (tarynsimon.com). However, the most pleasant, eyebrow-raising moment here is the collaboration with Bryan Ferry on “U Can Dance”. This serpentine disco burner, a smouldering highlight of Teufelswerk, finally unites two of modern pop’s suavest outsiders. “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 flavour there. It is from a DJ for the other DJs.” 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.”