CD Review: Tomas Tulpe - Hatschi!

Written by Ben Blaschke & Daniela Vorndran Wednesday, 25 April 2012 13:40

Artist: Tomas Tulpe
Title: Hatschi!
Genre: Electro-Pop / Disco
Release Date: 27th April 12
Label: Zett Records (DA Music)

Album Review

“Hatschi!” – “Bless You” – “No, an album!” – The electronic stage sausage TOMAS TULPE finally releases an album and the world will love or hate him for it! Tomas is an entertainer, living in Berlin, and besides that, different than others. What that means? Best is you check it out yourself! Who did not have the chance for a personal meeting yet, better check out his music as a first impression. But be warned!

On his first album ‘Hatschi!’, Tomas deals more or less with everyday and sometimes uncommon problems of the world. The first song of the album, ‘Ich tanz auf dich’ tells about the unsuccessful attempt to get in touch with a girl in a loud disco, leading to an enervated capitulation at the end. The song comes up in electronic shoes, with gently plucked E-guitars in his hands. It’s a song for nodding, for dancing and for singing along. On it goes on the dance floor with ‘Disco’, a Dadaistic discourse about the need to dance in a discotheque – anything in an Atari electro style. I just say “Wat denn, wat denn?” (Now what, now what?). Next one ‘Hände waschen nicht vergessen’ scrubs with rocking guitar riffs even though the lyrics seem slightly confuse.

Tomas not even holds back from minimal electronic arrangements. ‘Ich bin kein Roboter’ awakens old analogue KRAFTWERK times. It stays minimal, but get faster and more pushing with ‘Ich bin ein Grufti’. “Ich bin ein Grufti, wir sind ein Grufti, alle sind ein Grufti” (I am a Gothic, we are a Gothic, all are a Gothic) – the song deals with all possible Goth clichés starting with Patchouli, Graveyards and leading to red wine and DAF’s ‘Mussolini’ at the end. The bubbling sound of freshly made coffee leads into the next song, ‘Kaffee ist kein Erfrischungsgetränk’. The rest of the song tootles as watery pop. For ‘Klostein statt Seife’, Tulpe uses the melody of classic ‘Guantanamera’. Lyrically, the song hints you towards the use of toilet rim blocks instead of soap.

Next song ‘Ich Happa Hunger!’ is already well-known via various video platforms. The video itself reminds a lot on the style of different DEPECHE MODE videos, directed by famous Anton Corbijn. Just have a look at the video of ‘Never let me down again’. Nothing to wonder here if you know that Tomas is a big Depeche Mode fan! The melody moves between Pop with slight House influences. Lyrics reveal in childish manner that obviously someone is hungry. Finally on the album it is now time for the firs collaboration with another artist: ‘Junge komm bald wieder’ is a collaboration with old sea dog RUMMELSNUFF. The song tells the story of a young seaman with lots of “Yoh-ho-ho” and subtle Morse code in the background of a swaying melody. The harsher guitar riffs that are used remind every now and then of the one from RAMMSTEIN’s ‘Seemann’. Probably intended that way…

The obligatory ‘Lovesong’ should not be missed either. Weepy and desperate, Tomas tries to introduce how to take off clothes and the foreplay to his beloved one… in a bad English. Mainstream Pop is the musical costume of this song. The song with the longest title on the album, ‘Da sitzen sie die Rentner auf dem Balkon und trinken Kaffee’ (There they sit, the pensioners on the balcony and drink coffee), is a collaboration with FRANK ZANDER. The song is a poppy stomper while Tomas shouts his lyrics into the microphone. Frank’s raspy voice it the perfect addition. With ‘Autsch Autsch Aua!’, the artist attends to the unpleasant topic phimosis. Due to the explosive nature of that topic, I won’t dig deeper into the song’s lyrics. ;) The melody invites you to dance though and the E-guitar adds an enjoyable harsh undertone.

13th song of the album easily could be part of a playlist of any third-class party DJ. The title tells us why: ‘Der übelste Partysong’ (The worst party song) demands nothing at all from the listener and after a short while, you only can sing along this song under preceding influence of alcohol. The final of the album is the HORRORIST remix of ‘Ich tanz auf dich’. This version of the song is faster, alienated and put into a technoid electronic format perfectly fitting to the dance halls. This one surely will become a collector’s item, not many will love it, but if you do, then you’ll love it a lot!

And so, one of the trashiest albums ever found the way into my ears was ending. My reactions reached from rhapsodic excitement to tired yawning and moaning while listening to ‘Hatschi!’ over and over again. Except of ‘Ich bin ein Grufi’ all songs could be heard through internet here and there already. ‘Ich tanz auf dich’ and ‘Disco’ will be stuck in the ears of the people who ever heard it forever. My conclusion: Buy the album if you like experimenting. It is worth it! But don’t be miffed if it does not flow from beginning to the and. And first of all, don’t take this album serious!


Tracklist

01. Ich tanz auf dich
02. Disco!
03. Hände waschen nicht vergessen
04. Ich bin kein Roboter
05. Ich bin ein Grufti!
06. Kaffee ist kein Erfrischungsgetränk
07. Klostein statt Seife
08. Ich happa Hunger!
09. Junge komm bald wieder (feat. RUMMELSNUFF)
10. Lovesong
11. Da sitzen sie die Rentner auf dem Balkon und trinken Kaffee (feat. FRANK ZANDER)
12. Autsch Autsch Aua!
13. Der übelste Partysong
14. Ich tanz auf dich (THE HORRORIST Remix)


Line-up

Tomas Tulpe


Websites

www.tomastulpe.de / https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tomas-Tulpe/112688105767 / https://www.facebook.com/tomastulpe / http://www.myspace.com/tomastulpeofficial


Cover Picture




Rating

Music: 8
Sound: 8
Total: 8 / 10


Buy the album here!


Written by Ben Blaschke (the-spine.de) and Daniela Vorndran