Kalipo is Jakob Häglsperger, a Bavarian born producer who has made a name for himself as a producer for Marcus Wiebusch, Ira Atari, pandoras box and Fuck Art, Let’s Dance, but is more widely known as a member the German electro punk outfit Frittenbude for which he has produced three albums. As Kalipo, the now Berlin-based artist goes into a different and less wild musical direction, blending lush House rhythms with trance inducing Techno beats somewhere between 110 and 130 bpm while also taking cues from Downbeat and Gamelan traditions. With synthesizers, micro samples and acoustic instruments, Häglsperger intuitively builds melancholic yet driving arcs of suspense which are best to be enjoyed on a hazy Sunday afternoon at home on your couch and will also increase your endorphins on a Saturday night. In his energetic live sets, the renowned producer makes use of his extensive array of analogue synthesizers and drum machines.
Influenced by Viennese style Downbeat and Hip Hop, Häglsperger started producing his own music in the late 1990es before taking up DJing. For a while Häglsperger considered DJing to be his main outlet, touring the clubs under a variety of different monikers. In those days record stores were still more important than online portals, the music industry hadn’t yet collapsed and DJing still was a job that provided a lot of challenges. After the infrastructures had decisively changed and the scene had become more fast moving than ever, Häglsperger lost interest in this occupation and decided to focus exclusively on his career as a producer, trying to develop a live set that drew on the experiences he has made as a DJ in hope of achieving a both unique and timeless sound.
The music Häglsperger makes as Kalipo – the curious name came to Häglsperger under the shower one day – is situated between his passion for Downbeat and raving dance music. Apart from providing his production and remixing skills for a variety of artists over the past few years, he also contributed to several compilations put out by Stiff Little Spinners. Kalipo’s debut album Yaruto follows the abstract narrative of an impersonal biography by creating moods that correspond with certain stages of life. Yaruto is being released by Antime Records, the Berlin-based label run by Häglepsperger’s close friend and Frittenbude band colleague Martin Steer. Not only has Häglsperger produced the album entirely by himself, he also contributed several analogue photos that were used in the album’s artwork and produced music videos to be released along with the album and its complementary singles.
From his first bedroom recordings in his native Bavaria to his chart-breaking records with Frittenbude and his many-sided work as Kalipo, Jakob Häglsperger has always been hard working and driven by both the passion and the ambition that have brought as many unique and timeless pieces of art.
