DJ Hell pays tribute to the roots of house and techno on new album
International Deejay Gigolos founder DJ Hell has always done things his way – as well as his own idiosyncratic productions, the Bavarian artist has dabbled in the fashion industry, museum curation and even football sponsorship (as sponsor of lower league side TSV Altenmarkt).
But every story has to start somewhere, and on his latest album, House Music Box (Past, Present, No Future), Hell pays tribute to the originators of house and techno that inspired his journey.
“House music for me has always been a spiritual experience, a higher, different form of communication, so to speak,” he says of the new album, which was preceded by single Out of Control.
Points of reference on Hell’s sixth long player include Frankie Knuckles and Lil’ Louis from the Chicago house scene, Detroit’s The Electrifying Mojo as well as the New York scene of Larry Levan and Nu Groove.
Opening track Freakshow references Ron Hardy, the “true creator of house music”, account to the lyrics, while the track HausMusik references the evolution of electronic beats – “Acid comes from house music… Techno comes from house” and so on.
Elsewhere, a car navigation device provides the electronic vocals to GPS, which pays tribute to the synthesisers (TR-808, TR-909 etc) that forged the scene, Out Of Control is a straight-up dancefloor monster, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised is an electronic update of the Gil Scott Heron soul classic, and Jimmy Hendrix features snippets of the final interview the legendary guitarist gave shortly before his death.
“I can’t build anything right now, you know, because of the things that are happening right now,” the vocal intones. “I just have to lay back and think about it all.”
Completed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and due to be released amidst a ‘second wave’ of lockdowns across Europe – House Music Box (Past, Present, No Future) is a love letter to the evolution of electronic music, from one of its leading protagonists.
House Music Box (Past, Present, No Future) is released on The Hell Experience Records on 27 November.
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