FÖN

Yodelling, wailing, shrieking with delight

"Alpine rocker" Hubert von Goisern returns with Fön

Shrill yodelling and dissonant yodelling in defiance: the worn path of alpine folklore is terrible for him. Away from petit-bourgeois conformism and traditionalism, Hubert von Goisern has experimented with sound and style directions since the release of his first album, Alpine Lawine in 1988 - always endeavoured to elicit new sounds from the diatonic accordion, flugelhorn or the Styrian harmonica. The search for inspiration led to finally to Tibet, Africa and India - there he searched for distance from the Alpinkatzen project, left Hiatamadl behind him, "Goisern", who sang the praises of his homeland, said a quiet farewell.

But now the "alpine rocker" is back. Energetic, effervescent with delight in playing and linguistic jokes, he pulls out all the stops on the CD Fön (Blanko Musik), mixed folksy elements with rocky rhythms in his unmistakable manner. In the number, Kålt, he expresses syllables in striking dialect imaginative, loaded with meaning, behind which coded quotations from the right wing populist, Jörg Haider, are hidden: "Mir ist kålt, und mir wird kålter, und des liegt, des liegt nit am Wetter. ("I am cold, and I am getting colder, and it's not down to the weather"). He attacks the double moral standards of the church as well, like he beats against power and war. While in Die Stråss'n he draws - not without melancholy - a final line under the past: "Wås vorbei is', is' vorbei..." (What's past, is past...")

Hubert in Hof

On 28th March, Hubert von Goisern is coming to Hof, bringing Fön. Whoever thinks of headaches and depressions certainly has nothing to worry about. Fön is Hubert von Goisern's new CD and creates neither one nor the other.

A bit of disappointment could perhaps arise for the folk musicians among his fans. But above all the style made an impression on us, how he mixed traditional music with international music culture in earlier productions. But there is not too much traditional music to hear any more - apart from a Styrian accordion in the background. Salsa, reggae, blues (a cover version of Janis Joplin's legendary Mercedes Benz is there too), simply global sounds dominate the album.

Everything is good and beautiful without a problem. His ordered dialect fooling around is fun, far, far away from the popular "Viennese singer-songwriter jokiness". His music also has power. Power that is not just drawn from volume and distorted guitars, but from the earth in which his music is set. He is vicious when he gives his opinion on Haider and the Catholic church. And he would like his fans to come along when he sings his new love songs on the 28th March in the Hof Freiheitshalle. Songs like Fia Di.

Hubert von Goisern - Fön

Former Original Alpinkatzen member von Goisern reminds us that there is such a thing as Austrian roots music, and that it can be a beautiful thing. Drawig, the lead cut, takes Austria into jazzy hip-hop territory, while the lovely Spåt uses yodelling in an ambient context to make for a wonderful journey. Yes, there's a little oompah, and at times the band seems to enjoy the cocktail blues too much, but when von Goisern leads them into poppier and rootsier pastures, they create something quite remarkable that deserves a much wider exposure.

Hubert von Goisern

A man of a quite different line of business will travel around Austria with his Fön tour, namely Hubert von Goisern. With new songs, that are so different from, for instance, Hiatamadl that he wants to take up the old success. With his new style of funk, jazz and Austro-rap, he sets new standards inside the Austrian music scene and lets us hope for an interesting concert.

Like warm alpine wind

The alpine yodel-punk Hubert von Goisern is back. The small, but fine fan community look forward
to his collection of curiosities.

Six years ago, the Austrian musician said goodbye with a live album and unknown zeal in the music business. He granted his band independence. In the meantime, he produced two CDs with Tibetan and African music for the purpose of cosmopolitanism and self-awareness. Now he is here again. Not quite an old man.

The Fön - all the same whether hair dryer or alpine wind - brings warm air, as you know. And like a warm wind, the Goisern-sound gushes out of the loudspeakers. But not at all like stale air.

The alpine pasture hummer has become more soul, jazzier. His lyrics (a glossary in the booklet helps the high German listeners) are more direct and uncompromising. Lone quotations from Jörg Haider (Austria's model right-winger, like Goisern, comes from Goisern) are printed in pieces as code in Kålt. We must take the trouble to listen precisely. And that was probably his intention ...

Hubert von Goisern & Fön

Original quotation: "...with music and lyrics, it's like love..."

Now it's ready: the new CD from Hubert von Goisern has been available since Monday. There was much speculation, now you can hear for yourself to what extent Hubert starts up where he left off six years ago.

With Fön Hubert opens his listeners up to new sounds of the world, and with each song lets them immerse themselves in another dimension of feelings. Fön is not a CD which one listens to once, which pleases straightaway and which one then simply puts away.

Fön - much more than any other of Hubert von Goisern's CDs until now - works slowly, gradually compels you to listen to it several times.

And each time it opens new entrances and grabs you again with something new and in other ways. The more often you listen to it, the deeper you fall into it and are equally thrilled and gripped by the music and lyrics.

Not a break, but a development

To answer the question how far Hubert von Goisern is now from the path he trod with the Alpinkatzen: Fön is not a break, but much more a development. With new musicians (Arnulf Lindner on bass, Bernd Bechtloff on drums, Burkhard Frauenlob on keyboard, Helmut Punzenberger on guitar, Irene Troi on violin and viola Monika Drasch on violin and vocals, Robert Friedl on saxophone as well as singers Aia Zischg and Ingrid Moser) Fön is presented with a great deal of feeling.

Fön has a few things to offer: on one hand a title which placates the Alpinkatzen fans and which joins former times. On the other hand, it opens up an audience which perhaps until now could not yet get on with Hubert.

The palette ranges from yodelling and sensitive sound pictures to soft, detailed ballads and then to rock or pop songs. Also the lyrics open many new sides to the creations of Hubert von Goisern and turn honestly and unvarnished inside out.

But as he write as himself in the booklet:"... with music and lyrics, it is like love. One can yearn for it, open yourself up to it and it is actually always there; but to discover it in oneself is not done by wanting and effort alone ..."

Hubert von Goisern's Fön is on sale from Virgin Musik. March 8 2001: Concert in Bad Ischl.

There is also information on Hubert von Goisern at www.hubertvongoisern.com, with detailed information such as translations of reviews of the new CD and interviews as well as English versions of the lyrics well worth reading.

Hubert von Goisern - Fön

After six years a Hubert von Goisern album, after the dissolution of the Alpinkatzen, as his fans expected. Anyway, whoever expected a new attempt in the style of Hiatamadl will be a little disappointed by the new material, but still surprised. So often the style of Hubert von Goisern is attempted to be copied, with this album he sets jealous people and admirers a still higher goal to reach. Latino-style, reggae, jazz, rock or classic, probably goes with the Styrian folk music style of the instrumental arrangement, as long as the world traveller Hubert von Goisern takes over the composition. The razor-sharp lyrics appear to flow with the music and describe love, stupidity, tediousness and zest for life. The personality always appears transparent, but also endearingly inscrutable. But with the jokiness of an obstinate marathon-runner-despiser, which Austria needs so urgently.

Geh Herrgott hiazt kauf ma an Mercedes Benz .... auch wenn es kalt is und nit am Wetter liegt. ("Come on, Lord, now buy me a Mercedes Benz ... even though it is cold and the weather isn't to blame.")

Fön

Long time no see. Want to say: Hubert von Goisern was away a long time from so-called showbiz. Six years, to be exact. Enough time to assimilate the successful but finished era of the Alpinkatzen. But also enough time to use his newly won free time usefully with family and travelling. Now he is back at last and once more has succeeded in mixing traditional folk tunes with elements of different genres in a relaxed manner and, above all, anything but awkward with one another. The Alpine rocker has blossomed into a world musician. His newest disc Fön is interesting and inspiring.

CD of the month

Hubert Achleitner alias Hubert von Goisern does not want to be known by Hiatamadl any more. When he comes to Aschaffenburger on the 18th March 2001, he would rather play songs from his Tibet or Africa CDs. Or from Fön, his current LP which shows Hubert von Goisern in best form once more. Here there are no more yodelling Alpinkatzen at work, but the sophisticated musician from Austria, who probably combines the best classical folk music (with squeezebox etc.) and rock music without disregarding Caribbean influences or blues, jazz, soul and classic. In order that people who speak High German may also understand the lyrics, there are a few translations in the booklet. To understand the music it needs no translation whatsoever, but just time. First of all, an hour to listen to the CD. And then a second straight away...

★★★★★

A Man: Hubert von Goisern

Well, what a splendid fellow. We have pined for him for six years, now there are cries of delight, rejoicing and performing of slapping dances with joy! Hubert is here again, the good person from Goisern, and he can still yodel, so that each mountaineering enthusiast will be jealous. His new CD is called Fön and in spring next year, he finally goes on tour around the "veal sausage equator". Indeed no-one understands him, but the message is unforgotten: folk music is for everyone, not just the alpine hummer on Musikantenstadl, so the "player" takes off the lederhosen.

To the great! Hubert, who would like to wear lederhosen himself and be worshipped as a crossways harmful alpine socialist, has succeeded as an Ethno-Crossover between beer tent and blues cellar and with the "squaring of the billy goat" (Frankfurter Rundschau). That gave him enormous success - and the great need for a time out: "When I started, I shook people up. At the end, I was worried that I was one of the people being shaken up."

He wanted to dedicate himself to his partner, his two children and the beautiful homeland deep in Salzkammergut. No more Hiatamadl and no fun with the squeezebox. The fans remain behind crying. But the private man Hubert Achleitner is not idle in the spa town of Goisern, where the natives go slowly and "only the infirm feel better". He composed the film music for Schlafes Bruder and gave his acting debut on the ZDF drama Hölleisengretl. He travelled to Tibet and to Tanzania, he made friends with the Dalai Lama and discovered a congeniality with Jane Goodall. "If you have looked once into the eyes of chimpanzees, you are never the same again," she told him.

In any case, it has not hurt him. Used to fighting, on his new CD, Hubert has railed against his old adversary Haider - like him, a son of Goisern. And his worldwide-understood yodelling is more soul than ever, especially if the songs are about fear of being left. Holy Mary, Hubert - never do that to us again!

This Fön blows in Haider's face

This man is quite beautifully go-getting. Always trying something completely new. In the last years he was in Africa, India and Tibet, presenting two splendid CDs: Inexil and Gombe. Now Hubert von Goisern is back again, presenting Fön (Blanko Musik/Virgin) a new studio album - one of the best in the year 2000.

Look back: Start of the 90s. There Hubert Achleitner from Bad Goisern in Salzkammergut kicks loose an avalanche. Sets the folk music under current, sweeps from the Austrian health resort straight through the alpine republic, dares himself over the boundary to Germany, storms to Texas. Hubert von Goisern and his band the Original Alpinkatzen revolutionise the folk music. Their ethno rock with the accordion, with electric guitar and bass, whistle and muzzle drum shoots into the hit parades. The album Aufgeigen stått Niederschiassen (1992) achieves quadruple platinum in Austria. Omunduntn (1994) also becomes a success, but afterwards Hubert von Goisern sets himself new targets, writes the music to Joseph Vilsmaier's Schlafes Bruder and to the children's film Ein Rucksack voller Lügen, then Inexil and Gombe follow.

Now he wanted "to make something perfectly new, something else" again - his requirements for the new CD. He succeeded. On Fön the composer, lyricist, singer and multi-instrumentalist further developed himself. His (folk) music became more artistic still more versatile, more sophisticated, in the positive sense. Imaginative compositions, great variety of styles, clever harmonies, class texts (ironically, critically) and terrific music. The master sings and yodels (from tender to effusive), plays on the guitar, the accordion, wing and old horn, harmonica and whistles. In addition comes the bass, drums and key instruments and additionally violin, viola and saxophone provide for alternation and different tone qualities.

The eleven songs (fortunately they are in dialect again - it fits best) stretch from rousing and lively to beautifully and tenderly atmospheric. His ballads are wonderful like Da Diab, Ang'lacht and Hubert von Goisern brings the art of yodelling to a new level, as one can hear in the fantastic gem Spåt. By the way: In the supplement to the CD, the most difficult Austrian expressions are translated . And there is a song on the topic of Jörg Haider, i.e. Kålt - and in the CD booklet are original quotations of Haider as coded eight-liners (you can have a go at being a code breaker).

CD of the month - Hubert von Goisern

Fön: The founder of the alpine rock has unwrapped a conglomeration of pipes, flugelhorns, harmonicas and guitars for his first commercial album for nearly six years and serves up an emotional collaboration of blues, jazz and folk music. The conception reminds you of the foundation of his perfection and playful versatility on Grand Master like Sting or Peter Gabriel. Goisern caricatures the right wing populist Jörg Haider and searches for a new type of yodelling in the reggae-like Ang'lacht.

Hubert von Goisern - Fön

Hubert von Goisern, or rather Hubert Achleitner from Bad Goisern, and his Alpinkatzen conquered the hearts of many fans in the 90s, with more unusually, dialectic alpine folk music from Austria. They ended the very successful relationship in 1994 and Hubert withdrew to meditate, wandering to Tibet and Africa. He used the influences gained there for two world music oriented albums, which however did not bring any great success. Rather, Hubert von Goisern achieved fame and honours in the past years, by his film music for Schlafes Bruder and his role in the film Hölleisengretl.

Now, in the year 2000, Hubert von Goisern is walking on folk music soil again. With a multiplicity of artists at his side, he lets different influences meet and ring out. The blues, soul, funk and jazz, accompany a popular country dance; harmonica, violin, saxophone and accordion ring out. Over everything a usually dialectic text floats. But watch out! You must hear it twice, before the music reaches and pulls you into the spell. But then...

With Fön Hubert von Goisern returns extremely impressively. Without shrinking from the risk, he and his band juggle and play with melodies from most categories. That style-mix is fascinatingly and boldly selected. Not simple, nevertheless an impressing album. Tip: Mercedes Benz - a homage to Janis Joplin, with accordion and quite Austrian.

Fön from Hubert von Goisern

Evaluation: ★★★★★★ Should not be missing from any collection!

Congratulations, Hubert! One distinguished good, Austrian production! His newest work is a firework of precision, new folk music, jazz and folk.

The times of Hiatamadl (number 1 hit in Austria) are finally past! The change of trend with the "Goiserer", as he is affectionately known by his fans, with his journeys to Africa and Tibet. Gombe and Inexil, the titles of his last two works were travel documents and showed modifications of the beer tent musician to the avant-garde folk musician.

With Fön he continues a step further, mixes jazz, funk and folk music with breeze world music. His particularly perfect musicians compliment the "Goisern secret" in the best way.

Sometimes one could believe that this CD is a declaration of love to his wife, (Fia di). Nevertheless, in the next moment one is already again at home with genuine Austrian gstanzls (Da Dåsige).

It is to be hoped that more musicians' mouths find new ways, as Goisern shows us - and so the music landscape finds new impulses.

CD of the week

Perhaps the most original album of the year. From one, who indeed not everyone understands, (Da Dåsige), but who however masters Mercedes Benz with the diatonic accordion. Steel drums are yodelled to and country dances in reggae rhythms are indeed overdue. Well, the alpine cat has kept his ears open!

Top title in November at HMV

Hubert von Goisern - Fön : Hubert von Goisern is one, who travels the world with open eyes and ears, yodels on Tobago to the steel drums and once more at home plays the Landler in the reggae rhythm. Accordingly one hears Caribbean rhythms, soul tones, jazz sounds and the pure blues mixed with native sounds on the new album Fön, which is able to sound astonishingly new in this combination.

Fön

The exotic Austrian HUBERT VON GOISERN publishes his brand new studio album Fön at the beginning of November after a break of several years. He became famous for his bizarre combination of yodelling, accordion playing, rock items and "weird" texts. On his new CD one finds 12 songs including a Janis Joplin cover version Mercedes Benz. At times it goes off violently, then rather reflective again - all in all Fön is exciting and just as good as in former times! Internet banner advertisement on "high traffic" websites. Live dates planned for spring 2001!

Hubert von Goisern: Fön

Before we start: Those expecting great thigh-slapping alpine rock like Hiatamadl with Hubert von Goisern's newest work will be disappointed. The time of the Alpinkatzen, that formation with whom von Goisern once celebrated enormous successes, has been over since the end of 1994. Also, Fön has nothing in common with his last two solo publications, Inexil and Gombe, shaped by foreign stays. Hubert von Goisern dedicates himself again to "his" folk music, which is quite different from that to which the traditional dress wearing Musikantenstadl public are used. To that extent it is already a return to his roots, only this time the "rock element" is missing from the Alpinkatzen era.

Yes, Hubert von Goisern goes calmly too. Easy, leisurely and sometimes also melancholically and romantically. Somehow those are also adjectives, which could even fit on the musician and actor (Hölleisengretl) . With Spåt he succeeds with a beautiful yodel, which - not really in the cynical sense - is perfectly suitable for falling asleep and provides for sweet dreams of snow-covered winter nights in romantic mountain villages.

Fön however is not trivial as you might like to think. The texts prove that the rebellious "alpine rebel" is still in Hubert von Goisern, who once mixed up the traditional folk music scene in the German-speaking countries. Enigmatic, cynical and winking he gets down to topics such as superficiality and hypocrisy in society as with politics. Kalt is von Goisern's statement to FPÖ figurehead Jörg Haider - so the cunning song can be interpreted anyhow. The all too obvious words of the refrain stand opposite the incomprehensible gibberish of the stanzas. Von Goisern's love songs are very personal. Gentle ballads like Da Diab, Ång'lacht or Fia Di get under the skin. But they are taken care of by touching, open confessions and a sensitive voice. Perhaps not music for sing-along "fans", surely however one for "listeners".

Review

Hubert Achleitner from Bad Goisern in Austria ranked for many years among the most courageous innovators of folk music. Together with his band, the Alpinkatzen, since the start of the 90s, he created a broad audience to inspire with contemporary, open-minded folk music from the Musikantenstadl. With songs like Hiatamadl or Heast as nit and albums such as Aufgeigen stått niederschiassen and Omunduntn he occupied the top ranks of the charts.

In 1994 Hubert von Goisern ended the Alpinkatzen chapter and said goodbye to the concert stage for the first time, he later supplied the live album Wia die Zeit Vergeht in 1995. In the same year he composed the music to Schlafes Bruder and gave his debut as an actor to Hölleisengretl. In 1996 he then travelled to Tibet and East Africa. Hubert von Goisern processed the experiences which he gained there, in the world music albums Inexil and Gombe.

On Fön, the charismatic singer and multi-instrumentalist concentrates again, his vision more alive, more unusual, on realising alpine folk music. Many diverse influences meet here and result in a fascinating mixture of style, which is clearly more than simply the sum of their single constituents. Drawig for example has funk, Da Dåsige, however, is based on a country dance. Blues, soul and jazz elements emerge, blended with violin, accordion and harmonica tones and combined with texts, which are held throughout in the dialect.

Compared with his time with the Alpinkatzen, Hubert von Goisern proves to have more courage to take risks, lets still more different constituents of many different categories flow into his music . A bold album arose, which is opened not at first attempt, after repeated hearing, however, one is struck into its spell and one keeps ready the most original cover version of recent times: Mercedes Benz by Janis Joplin, with accordion and Austrian text.