Brothers Kevin and Jeff Saurer performing as the electronic duo Hippie Sabotage came through the Warfield in San Francisco on Friday, February 2nd, as the second stop on their international, “Path of Righteousness” tour ending March 31st in Copenhagen, Denmark. The two create electronic music with a distinct feel: their slower bpm (compared to traditional EDM) and their sultry synth choices combine to create a relaxed and hypnotic style of electronic music that stands apart.
They’ve been crafting their unique brand of electronic music since grade six or seven when the brothers first started making music. From then on, they’ve continued their artistic journey together cycling through hip-hop influences, the use of instrumental hip-hop beats, electronic techniques, and now possess more of a electronic-influenced, live jam vibe.
Hailing from Sacramento, the influence of their home state is unmistakable in their aesthetic as well as their music’s atmosphere. They first gained substantial recognition with a remix of Tove Lo’s “Stay High,” a perfect remix to highlight the group’s unique electronic style and their overall influence of drug culture.
The two openers, DJ MELVV and rapper Yung Pinch, were well-chosen acts to set the vibe of the night, matching Hippie Sabotage’s distinctly bass-heavy and sultry sound. The openers ramped up the vibe until the main act was due to appear.
After a considerable pause as the audience awaited the main act to take the stage, I was surprised to see one of the brothers take the stage while the other one was nowhere to be seen. Moments later, the crowd’s excitement was directed toward the front of the pit where the other sibling appeared in the barricade, sparking up a joint and passing it around to the hyped-up audience.
From the moment they appeared on stage, Hippie Sabotage let us know that it was going to be a party. With a huge LED wall as their backdrop, the brothers played in front of trippy kaleidoscope visuals that were a mish-mash of floral, gothic, and psychedelic themes that were an apparent homage to their association with drug culture.
Their set flowed easily between many of their beat-tape tracks with occasional additions from a live electric guitar. One of their most streamed songs, “Devil Eyes,” got special treatment with an enchanting acoustic guitar intro that gave the song another level of dimension and took their live artistry to the next level, beyond simply playing their tracks.
Their interaction with the crowd was enjoyable to watch as well as their hype, loose energy on stage. In addition to throwing out free t-shirts intermittently during their show, a well-timed crowd-surf got the audience riled up last Friday night.
After the show, I had a chance to send over a few questions I had for the brothers over email, to which Jeff and Kevin kindly answered:
What does the name Hippie Sabotage mean to y’all?
HS is our dads initials and that’s where it all started from; we always wanted to start a counter culture movement defining our generation’s hippies. We’re all about peace and love, but we get shit done.
Some of your music, referencing some newer tracks on SoundCloud (I FOUND YOU, MIST, THE PATH), have a different vibe from a lot of your tracks before. Where do you think your artistry is going?
We started as producers and came up sampling but once we got some recognition, labels would tell us that we didn’t have “original music.” So we started singing and making our own songs and samples, so these new songs are really showing us going in our own direction. Saying what we want and sounding however we want.
Who plays what role in creating new stuff?
We’ve been making music together since we were kids. We don’t argue over roles. Whatever is good at the end of the day is what comes out whether Kevin makes it, Jeff makes it, or we both make it.
What’s a dream collaboration for you guys?
Kendrick.
What do y’all enjoy most about smoking/drug culture?
Weed is tight.
Hippie Sabotage sure knows how to throw a party and it looks like they will continue to do so, bringing along their love of weed and drug culture as their music and brand continue to evolve.
Article by Anna Nguyen