Photo Credit: Eva Friedrichs
One part club kid, one part urban shaman, Chimp Hardy is no stranger to controversy. The Berlin-based, Austin, Texas, born DJ and producer challenges his audiences to go out of their mind. Body painted and partially naked, he creates a post-apocalyptic tribal utopia where everyone is free to let go and leave their restrictions at the door. His sets transcend all boundaries, taking dancers on a journey from Chicago house to G-house, breaks, rave, and techno.
Now, Chimp Hardy takes no prisoners on ‘Every Piece Of My Heart’. With hypnotic and distorted crescendoing piano house chords, thumping percussion, swirling strings, and an anthemic vocal, this atmospheric track distills the best of vintage house and ‘90s rave.
We catch up with Chimp Hardy to learn more about the drop of ‘Every Piece Of My Heart’, his upcoming ‘Love Songs For Ravers’ EP, his move from Austin to Berlin, and much more.
Electronic Groove: Hi Chimp! Welcome to EG. It’s great to have you with us. How’s your year going? What have you been up to?
Chimp Hardy: Hi. It’s great to be here. Thanks for having me! 2022 is going a lot better than 2021, that’s for sure. Last year we were in the middle of a 6-month lockdown. This year Berlin is slightly more open – but most importantly, I’m much better equipped emotionally to deal with so much alone time. Also, without a lot of distractions, I’ve been really focusing on making music, learning different digital artwork apps, and exploring the business side of starting a record label. I’m also watching a lot of anime.
Electronic Groove: We’re glad to hear you’re doing well. Congratulations on the Valentine’s Day release of ‘Every Piece Of My Heart’ by the way! What has the reception been like so far?
Chimp Hardy: Thank you! I’m super excited. The reception has been good. It premiered on Les Yeux Orange, one of my favorite places to find new music. And my fans are super excited because it’s been a few years since I released any new music.
Electronic Groove: So, what’s this one about? What was the inspiration for ‘Every Piece Of My Heart’? What will your fans find on this one?
Chimp Hardy: ‘Every Piece of My Heart’ is really about that rush of emotions you get when you fall in love – that feeling that a person completes you. You feel full of their love, your love for each other merges, and they make up every piece of your heart. D’ya know? With this track, I think fans get a mix of my rave and my Texas roots. Blues is such a part of me that I can’t help but break out some more psychedelic or blues elements like funky bass lines, reverb-drenched everything, and crazy pedal FX. At the same time, as a raver, since I was a teenager, I’ve been driven by techno and house.
I wrote ‘Every Piece of My Heart’ last year. We were still in lockdown, but spring was starting to show her colors. The sun was shining in the studio after what felt like months of nothing but gray, and I felt that overwhelming joy that you get in Berlin when the sun is out. The piano line sprang from that joy, but it needed something a little bit darker, so I created a really funky, almost slutty acid-inspired bass to keep it a little grounded. Then out of nowhere, I kind of had this feeling that fellow Texan Janis Joplin was with me, and I just started singing those vocals. I guess she was still present with me when I took out the guitar pedals and created that psychedelic build-up. It wouldn’t surprise me; we both lived in the same hippie cooperative housing in Austin (but at different times, obviously).
Electronic Groove: ‘Every Piece Of My Heart’ is a first glimpse into your ‘Love Songs For Ravers’ EP, which is due out in April. What can we expect sonic-wise?
Chimp Hardy: I don’t know if being stuck inside alone so long made me dream about being in a relationship, but what came out is a series of songs that encapsulate different elements of love. Sonically, I was inspired by the mid-90s New York house and UK Rave scene. At the same time, I was listening to a lot of old disco and 60s French pop, which throws a little bit of Donna Summer, Gwen McCrae, and Serge Gainsbourg into the mix.
Sonically this translates to a lot of distorted pianos, soaring string arrangements, breathy moans, and strong vocals – also more FX Pedals. Oh, and I was super excited to have vocalist Gilli.jpg on one of the tracks. She’s sung for Mark Hawkins (Marquis Hawkes), Will Saul, and Cinthie, so that might help get a feel for the direction.
“As an artist, it’s really easy to feel like you’re just pushing through in the dark – then, all of a sudden, someone acknowledges your music, and you feel validated and re-motivated”
Electronic Groove: You’re also behind your own label, Kaiser Wilhelm Records. How has the label been fairing so far? What can we expect from Kaiser Wilhelm Records in 2022?
Chimp Hardy: The label has been a huge learning process for me. There’s so much to do! I’ve been pretty happy so far. ennio_neon’s Balearic, italo-inspired hard house album got some nice spins in South America. My side project Downtown 212 also got a good reception.
This year we’ve got a bunch of Chimp Hardy releases that dive deep into what’s happening in the underground rave scene. ennio_neon is working on a follow-up EP coming out this fall. Downtown 212 has a few funky, NYC-inspired, naive house tracks coming out – the first one in March. We’re also gonna be signing some more artists for releases later this year.
Electronic Groove: You recently won a merit-based grant from Musicboard Berlin. Must have been a proud moment. How is that going?
Chimp Hardy: I’m so thankful for Musicboard Berlin’s generosity. Being awarded that grant was incredibly transformational. As an artist, it’s really easy to feel like you’re just pushing through in the dark – then, all of a sudden, someone acknowledges your music, and you feel validated and re-motivated. I’ve been a DJ and musician for over 10 years now – and this award made me feel like someone believed in me. It gave me a bit of a boost that has given me a nice high through this pandemic. So, yeah, it’s been an incredibly transformational year full of a lot of positive momentum all sparked by that grant.
Electronic Groove: At the moment you are living in Berlin, but were born in Austin, Texas, right? When did the move happen? Was it motivated by music? Did you find what you thought you would?
Chimp Hardy: Yup! I’m a Texan! I was born in Dallas but spent most of my time in Austin. I moved to Berlin…almost 7 years ago now. In Austin, I was pretty successful as a DJ. I opened for Vince Clarke [from Depeche Mode], Erasure, Crystal Waters, and others [under a different DJ name]. I had a popular music blog and was mentoring a lot of musicians – but I felt a little bit stuck. Austin is a great city, but I wanted to be challenged. I wanted to be around and inspired by electronic music all the time. I also wanted to be mentored by folks from the industry – so I packed my suitcase and record bag and moved to Germany.
Berlin is a lot different than I thought it would be. Austin has a pretty tight music scene. I was a big fish in a small pond. I thought it would be easy to move to Berlin. The city, however, is a bit rougher and I kind of lost myself here. It took me a while to get up, dust myself off, and keep going, but in the process, I found myself again. That alone is priceless. And although I’m friends with so many of my influences and favorite artists, I learned that the only person you really need to listen to is yourself. I’m my own mentor now.
Electronic Groove: Your sets are wildly eclectic and traverse through genres in a carefree manner…Which electronic track would you say is your favorite all-time piece? Why? Have you ever attempted to recreate that same feeling you experience when listening to it?
Chimp Hardy: Uffff. This is such a hard question to answer. It really depends on my mood. Right now what springs to mind is Armand Van Helden’s Summer Fuck Mix of ‘Oohhh Baby’ by Veda Simpson. It’s beautiful, sensuous, and light, while still remaining super raw, sexual, and hard. I think it’s a feeling that I’ve tried to inject in a couple of the songs in this series of love songs. We’ll see!
“And although I’m friends with so many of my influences and favorite artists, I learned that the only person you really need to listen to is yourself. I’m my own mentor now”
Electronic Groove: What else can we expect from Chimp Hardy in the future? What new milestones are you looking forward to in 2022?
Chimp Hardy: Fingers crossed we’ll see the clubs open soon and Chimp will be back in the booth! Other than that, I’m just wrapping up the mixdown of a mini-album that takes a dive into some of the darker sounds coming out of the underground right now. And I’ve started recording demos for a full-length album. I also want to do more collaborations with digital artists and dancers to bring the sounds of Chimp to life visually.
Electronic Groove: Thank you for your time Chimp! We wish you all the best for the future!
Chimp Hardy: Thank you. And thanks for having me! Sending big hugs!
Chimp Hardy’s ‘Every Piece Of My Heart’ is out now via his own Kaiser Wilhelm Records. Purchase your copy here.
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