17 Hippies is a band from

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, playing largely on acoustic instruments, a radically democratic collective of professionals and amateurs. Their music is a confection of various folk influences. They are most popular in their native Germany and France.

History

The band was founded in 1995 in Berlin by Christopher Blenkinsop (

bouzouki The bouzouki (, also ; el, μπουζούκι ; alt. pl. ''bouzoukia'', from Greek ), also spelled buzuki or buzuci, is a musical instrument popular in Greece. It is a member of the long-necked lute family, with a round body with a flat top and ...

ukulele The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ), also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings. The tone and volume of the instrumen ...

and

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

), Carsten Wegener ( bass), Lutz "Lüül" Ulbrich ( banjo and

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

), Kristin "Kiki" Sauer ( accordion and vocals) and Reinhard "Koma" Lüderitz ( bagpipes). They first used the name ''17 Hippies'' in the fall of that year. In 1996 they began to organize their own series of free concerts called ''Hippie Haus Tanz'' (Hippie House Dance). At this time Antje Henkel ( clarinet), Elmar Gutmann (

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

), and Ulrike "Rike" Lau (

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G ...

) joined the band. In 1997 Henry Notroff (clarinet) and Dirk Trageser (guitar & vocals) also were added, and live recordings of different concerts and rehearsal room sessions were compiled into their first CD ''Rock'n'Roll 13''. In 1998 they played at the SXSW Festival in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

and then toured in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

and

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

. Later that year Uwe Langer (

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...

) joined the band and they played in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

for the first time. They established their own record label and in 1999 released their second CD ''Wer ist das?'' (Who is that?). The French label Buda Musique released a

compilation Compilation may refer to: *In computer programming, the translation of source code into object code by a compiler **Compilation error **Compilation unit *Product bundling, a marketing strategy used to sell multiple products *Compilation thesis M ...

of both CDs called ''Berlin Style'', which was then also released in Italy. Volker "Kruisko" Rettmann (accordion) joined the band. In 2001 the band wrote the score for the German movie '' Grill Point'' (''Halbe Treppe'') by

Andreas Dresen Andreas Dresen (born 16 August 1963) is a German film director. His directing credits include '' Cloud 9'', ''Summer in Berlin'', ''Grill Point'' and ''Night Shapes''. His film ''Stopped on Track'' premiered at the Un Certain Regard section at th ...

and they performed in a cameo role in the film. A tour of

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

took place, and the second French album ''Sirba'' was released, featuring their first radio hit "Marlène". Kerstin Kaernbach (

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

) also was added to the band lineup. Their first studio album ''Ifni'' was released in 2004. An extensive tour of Germany, Switzerland, the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...

, the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

and France ensued. Daniel Friederichs (violin) became the last member to join the current lineup. In 2006 the band made a tour of Japan and

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

and composed the music for the play

Kasimir and Karoline Casimir is classically an English, French and Latin form of the Polish name Kazimierz. Feminine forms are Casimira and Kazimiera. It means "proclaimer (from ''kazać'' to preach) of peace (''mir'')." List of variations *Belarusian: Казі ...

, staged at the Deutsches Theater in Berlin. In 2007, a second studio album, ''Heimlich'' (Secretly), was released in Europe and North America. In September they embarked on their first US tour, playing in Chicago, New York, Washington and Bloomington. In December they played at the Olympia in Paris. In 2008, their earlier albums were released in the UK by Proper Records, they toured the US twice, and they played festivals in Germany, France, the UK, Canada, Spain, Switzerland, Ireland, Greece, and Algeria. In 2009 they released their third studio album ''El Dorado'', the first of their albums to be released worldwide. Again the band went on an extensive world tour, that took them to 14 countries including China, the US,

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

and

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

. Concert highlights included appearances at

WOMAD WOMAD ( ; World of Music, Arts and Dance) is an international arts festival. The central aim of WOMAD is to celebrate the world's many forms of music, arts and dance. History WOMAD was founded in 1980 by English rock musician Peter Gabriel, w ...

in Charlton Park (UK), and a sold out show at the

Théâtre de la Ville (meaning the City Theatre) is one of the two theatres built in the 19th century by Baron Haussmann at Place du Châtelet, Paris, the other being the Théâtre du Châtelet. It is located at 2, place du Châtelet in the 4th arrondissement. Incl ...

in Paris. In 2011 they performed a concert at th
WOMAD New Zealand
in

Taranaki Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth D ...

, New Zealand. A one-hour broadcast was later played on

Radio New Zealand National RNZ National ( mi, Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa Ā-Motu), formerly Radio New Zealand National, and known until 2007 as the National Programme or National Radio, is a publicly funded non-commercial New Zealand English-language radio network operat ...

on 1 July 2011. In 2011

JD Foster JD Foster is an American record producer, bassist, multi-instrumentalist, composer and songwriter. He is known for working with country and Americana performers including Dwight Yoakam and Patty Griffin. Producer, performer and recording art ...

co-produced their album ''Phantom Songs''. Since then they have added

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

to their list of countries visited, recorded an album for children called ''Titus'' and recorded their first album with percussionists, including Aly Keita, Harald Grosskopf and Tunji Beier, called ''Biester'' (Beasts).

Style

Their style is a unique mix of Eastern European melodies and rhythms, with French chanson and American folk music. They sing mainly in German, English and French. In France their music is known as ''Berlin Style''.''CD-Tipp: 17 Hippies "El Dorado"''
deutsche-welle.de vom 20. Februar 2009

Sideline projects

Sexy Ambient Hippies

Since 1997 the 17 Hippies occasionally play with DJs and electronic musicians as the "Sexy Ambient Hippies", with major concerts in Paris, Berlin and

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

. Among the featured artists are Carsten Dane from

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

, and Robert Cummings from

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. The concert at the Pop d’Europe festival in Berlin on 31 August 2002 was recorded, and released on CD in 2003.

Hardcore Troubadors

Together with Les Hurlements d'Léo from

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefect ...

, they recorded an EP with six songs. After giving concerts in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

, and going on a French tour, the album was released in France by Wagram Music in 2004.

17 Hippies Play Guitar

On 19 December 2004, a concert for German national radio WDR in

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

, featuring the two electric guitarists

Marc Ribot Marc Ribot (; born May 21, 1954) is an American guitarist and composer. His work has touched on many styles, including no wave, free jazz, rock, and Cuban music. Ribot is also known for collaborating with other musicians, most notably Tom Wai ...

and Jakob Ilja, was recorded and released on CD in 2006.

17 Hippies and the Beat

In September 2008 they invited the

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

ist

Johnny Kalsi Johnny Kalsi is a British Indian ''dhol'' drum performer residing in London. He rose to prominence as a former member of Transglobal Underground and the founder of the Dhol Foundation. He also is a member of the Afro Celt Sound System and The Im ...

of the Dhol Foundation in London to play with them. A first concert was given on 12 September in Dortmund, Germany and was broadcast live by German public radio WDR.

Discography

* ''Rock’n’roll 13'' : 1997 , CD, Rent a Poet * ''Texas Radio'' : 1998 , MC, Rent a Poet * ''Wer ist das?'' : 1999 , CD, Rent a Poet * ''Sirba'' : 2002 , CD, Buda Musique * ''Soundtrack for the film'' Halbe Treppe : 2002 , CD, Rent a Poet * ''17 Hippies play Sexy Ambient Hippies'' : 2003 , CD, Rent a Poet * ''Ifni'' : 2004 , CD, Rent a Poet * ''Live in Berlin'' : 2005 , DVD, Rent a Poet * ''17 Hippies Play Guitar'' : 2006 , CD, Hipster Records * ''Live in Berlin'' : 2006 , CD, Hipster Records/Proper Music * ''Heimlich'' : 2007 , CD & LP, Hipster Records/Proper Music * ''El Dorado'' : 2009 , CD & LP, Hipster Records/Proper Music * ''Phantom Songs'' : 2011 , CD & LP, Hipster Records/Proper Music * ''17 Hippies chantent en français'' : 2013 , CD, Buda Musique * ''17 Hippies für Kinder - Titus träumt'' : 2013 , CD, Rent a Poet * ''Biester'' : 2014 , CD & LP, Hipster Records/Proper Music * ''Anatomy'' : 2016 , CD & LP, Rent a Poet * ''Metamorphosis'' : 2016 , CD, Rent a Poet * ''Kirschenzeit'' : 2019 , CD & LP, Rent a Poet

Books

* ''17 Hippies für Kinder'' : 1999 , Tyfoo Musikverlag, Berlin * ''Realbook, Volume 1'' : 2001 , Tyfoo Musikverlag, Berlin * ''Realbook, Volume 2'' : 2001 , Tyfoo Musikverlag, Berlin

References

External links

17 Hippies Homepage

List of musicians who have played with the 17 Hippies
(in English)

{{Authority control 1995 establishments in Germany Musical groups established in 1995 German musical groups Musical groups from Berlin Buda Musique artists