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IWASIG

Hubert von Goisern: Iwasig

Westdeutsche Zeitung 16th April 2003 | Text: Thomas Reuter

A wonderful international commuter: That is what Hubert von Goisern is and remains, he stays true to himself on Iwasig (which means something likes over or above) and declares the crossover between styles as law, whereby the African element in von Goisern's varied world of real folk music plays a weighty role this time. The fact that he freely sings in Austrian only has to be mentioned in the margin.

With Heilige, he wailing jazzes away a wonderful background music for his getting even with hypocrisy. Yodelling cries are the only reminders of the alpine country. He opens Aus is with yodelling, in order to then set the spoken text (warning: no rap!) against it. The keyboard drops funkily along to it. There is another style change in the third piece. A blues harp leads into new musical worlds in Besser werd'n, where the African is already an audible focal point. That's world music! In Volxjammer, von Goisern plays with directions with even less restraint. In this instrumental, he lets flies with his beloved squeezebox, which meets a blues organ ... He sings English-Austrian in Afrika, which has a lot of Paul Simon's Graceland with its strong rhythmic direction. And here von Goisern proves how well yodelling and African singing harmonise.

Hubert von Goisern opens new perspectives of folk music time and time again, in which he frees it from scowling requirements, allows for new influences and opens it for pop, rock and co. Iwasig is a really intoxicating album.

Iwasig

www.audio-music.info 2002 | Text: Dave Sleger

Iwasig by versatile Austrian singer Hubert Von Goisern illustrates his genuine uniqueness as he melds a variety of styles into his own. With a foundation in Alpine folk music, Von Goisern has steadily, through the course of several albums and exotic world travel, implemented African music, funk, R&B, and rock & roll into his repertoire. This album is a culmination of sorts of his extensive influences. Aus Is is a funky yodelling number and Poika is an accelerated polka bordering on punk rock. The instrumental Volxjammer is a folk-rock piece featuring Von Goisern's instrument of choice (accordion) and heavy on the electric guitar. Afrika is a pop number flavoured with African rhythms and keyboard effects. He also touches on jazzy lounge singing in Schön Wars and some serious funk on I Bin ån. This is truly a unique album performed by an eclectic performer who knows virtually no boundaries.

"I see the light"

Salzkammergut Rundschau 26th September 2002 | Text: Hannes Heide

On Monday last week, the time had come: two years after Fön and a year and a half after Trad, the new Hubert von Goisern CD came onto the market. It is called Iwasig and shows on the title photo, a Hubert who is throwing his accordion into the blue sky with relief.

A picture which communicates what the listener expects with playing this CD: no album from Hubert von Goisern has been so free, so relaxed and easy.

The experiment was a success. Since it is normal practice to first polish the individual numbers in the studio and to then present them, after the release of the album, to the public at live concerts in a tour. This time Hubert went a different way - first the tour and then the release: He started his Grenzenlos tour with the new material in March this year in Assiut, Egypt. Appearances in Cape Verde, in Senegal, in Burkina Faso followed, before then concerts in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and a legendary concert in Sarajevo (or was it the arduous journey there which will be legendary?), with a concert in Bad Ischl's Lehàrtheater which ended the tour for the time being. But even for someone like me who was able to hear as good as every concert this year, Iwasig is a surprise.

And so, (even though my colleague Handlechner is certain that I am working on making Hubert a hero) I dare to lean out of the window and discover that: for the first time, I consider a Hubert von Goisern CD to be at least as good , if not even better than the live programme.

The fact that I have listened to the new CD Iwasig more than 30 times since I first had it in my hand proves that a close relationship to the artist is not responsible for my euphoria. "I siag des Liacht" ("I see the light") it says in i bin an. I see it and hear it.

IWASIG - Hubert von Goisern

Folker! 1/2003 | Text: Annelies Pichler

Towards it, through and further! Hubert von Goisern turns with his new album and the message is in the title: Iwasig - above or: over above. He shows what he means with each track in a specific way. Equally number one Heilige brings you to where "Soul mit an Reggae unten drunter" ("soul with reggae underneath") explains that you can only dance on your own feet. No matter where, there is an above everywhere, and exactly because Goisern does not blindly float away, but takes momentum in the consciousness of the whole mess of the swing of life, it is such fun to be beamed by him straightaway into the over above. Even then, when the way to it in Poika turns out so masculine, that the nose flips out and the smell of a sports team changing room makes itself known. Exactly that brings the kick to the lift. When melancholy later sounds with Volxjammer, it earths again, a joke is heaved in where it will be great. Naturally the musical journey to Africa is not missing either: it shows the wretchedness there and brings it to a much stronger truth. But the loops in Nix Toa lead quite tremendously into the over above. They and the lyrics develop an angle with veritable leverage. Just ask yourself where the Goiserer has flung himself to, he was already beyond alpine rock.

World music expert

Tirol Online 8th September 2002 | Text: lipi

Hubert von Goisern - Iwasig (Virgin/Blanko Music)

Iwasig is an unrestrained style mixture of funk, jazz, blues, rock and folk music. Shaped by marvellous rhythm ecstasy and courageous direct lyrics. Despite the odd multicultural moment in the picture of sound, Hubert von Goisern remains true to his diatonic and therefore his original music. Egypt here, Senegal there. Goisern remains the folk music innovator, but gets mixed up in unknown things and thereby notices a new self. He is striding radically honestly forwards. Cool disc!

Hubert von Goisern - iwasig

Dirty Linen April/May 2003

Except for Attwenger and a few other examples, Austria is known for either its folk or its pop music. Hubert von Goisern is one of the most popular artists from that country. Von Goisern is a world traveller who mixes traditional music from his own country with rhythms from farther away.

The first few tracks on iwasig are modern pop songs that have a rock and funk foundation, but what makes them unique is that Von Goisern pollinates them with his Tyrolean yodelling. Poika was released as single and is a fast-paced song that could almost pass for a punk-rock song if it weren't for the accordion and the yodels. That's followed by Volxjammer, the single's flip side and an instrumental that starts slowly with Von Goisern's accordion and builds in intensity with the organ and electric guitar. I bi an, an amazing example of funk and gospel, is followed by a track that doesn't hold up as well to repeated listening, Nix Tuan. Schön wars is a jazzy song that features Von Goisern doing some scat singing. The album ends with a couple of beautiful, slower tracks. Von Goisern's song lyrics are printed in the booklet but only in German. Fortunately, this is a singer/musician who is sufficiently compelling to be of interest even to those who don't understand what he's singing about.

Blending of cultures

Stuttgarter Zeitung 25th September 2002 | Text: Lex

Hubert von Goisern's Iwasig

When the Poika single was released in the summer, you could have deduced a load for the new album from Hubert von Goisern. You would have thought at least. This Poika is fast and lively, reminiscent of classic Alpinkatzen times, with the little difference that it is not a question of a rehash, but of the consequential development of alpine rock. With it the ska elements which weightlessly romp about like the accordion chords in this song. The second song on this single was called Volxjammer.

And now the album. The title is Iwasig and freely translated, means something like "over" or "above". But the classification as regards content helps just as little as the single which was released before. As usual there are - on the one hand - sunny melodies again and quiet ballads. But after the excursion into jazz, after a CD with pure (Austrian) folk music, Goisern now dedicates himself again to the blending of different musical cultures.

And this time it is more open than ever. The African influences cannot be ignored this time. But Goisern experiments with loops and samples with just as much pleasure. And sometimes his songs are only constructed quite tritely. For the old Goisern fans that is not always a small cost. But those who buy a new album in order to discover something new on it are best served by Iwasig.

Hubert von Goisern - iwasig

Blue Rhythm Nr. 20/02

A fascinating musicality, which - including poetic reflections - moves itself through the mountain ups and downs of the cool globetrotter. Twelve strong, self-confident numbers, which show the man from the Salzkammergut to perfection, but also as a notorious queer fish who does not find a place on any stool with his variety. Puts its predecessor Fön in the shadows!

Reggae yodeller

www.wahnsinnzz.com October 2002

He is here again, Hubert von Goisern: "There is no room at all on a CD for all the souls which live in my chest," says the artist of his newest opus, by which the audience should perhaps be intimidated. Whoever nevertheless dares to listen, experiences a mad style mixture with Iwasig (Virgin) which you could perhaps call world music, from Afrika to Poika, including the promising title Besser werden.

Recommendation of the month: December 02

Vogtland Bibliothek December 2002

Iwasig / Hubert von Goisern. No CD like another: on Inexil he experimented with Tibetan sounds, totally returned to traditional roots with Trad and with Fön celebrated a successful excursion into jazz. Now on Iwasig the African influences can barely be ignored. Polished percussion, balaphone sounds and much denser, multi-voiced singing is equally reminiscent of music from Mali - but just in Goisern dialect.

Hubert von Goisern: Iwasig

Soundbase Online January 2003 | Text: SB

[11/12] Holy Mary, mother of God! I know that a dear friend will now resign, running his fingers through his beard and grumbling to himself in the face of the 11 flashing stars and will secretly decide never to release me on this website again, let alone on mankind. But what do you want to do, I am just crazy about Hubi ... I do not want launch into any "it would be so nice" groupie waffle here, but Goisern simply has what it takes and know I will say why: he was my unplanned alternative to this year's Summerjam, where my friend amused himself without me and with Mary Joana, while I zapped around in the area at home without motivation, my reinforced universal remedy my illusion, afflicting me at regular intervals, of being imprisoned in my body. I first heard that drumming and in the first tenth of a second it induced me to stay and have a constant stream of Bayern 3. The African rhythm vibrated through me and to some extent gave me that feeling of being at home again induced me in the first tenth second to staying and sprinkling letting on Bavaria 3. The African rhythm vibrated me through and gave themselves the feeling to be in me again to some extent at home. At first I could not assign the singing. A language, with whose identity I did not want to load my little head, in addition the music was too funny. Squeezebox came in - bad childhood memories of my accordion lessons with Mr Misel, who was actually really great and always smoked a pipe. But the controlling picture is still of my untrained stubby fingers, still smeared with Pelikan water colours, which only very laboriously found the way from one bass button to the next in Es regnet ohne Unterlass. My favourite button was always the "boozing button", as Dad called it, which has the function of discharging steam when the accordion is squeezed together, after one had slowly lost the equilibrium in the middle of the song with a wide spread accordion and simply nothing more came out of the number because shortly before one was swept from the desk chair (equipped with underhand wheels). What I heard there immediately reconciled me. It looks quite easy and is good fun. And meanwhile my hands are no longer bright, instead they have grown a little.

A few weeks later Iwasig (emphasis on the "i"!) came out and I was already prepared to be served with something completely new, that wasn't to have been heard from Goisern before. Yes, after the alpine rock with the Alpinkatzen, small detour into the Afro scene with Gombe and to India with Inexil, then the blues and jazz impregnated Fön record, now the funky soul number. "Souuuuuul mit an Reggae untndrunta... Dub didu..." You have to first get involved with the music, but those who can't be bothered listen to The Ketchup Song or Lieber Gott for the flood victims by Dental Metal Marlon - or - as a genuine alternative, Goisern's trad interpretation of Stadltür: Wer das braune bier nit mag der kommt in das kühle grab, i mecht aber krank nit sein kellnerin schenk ein..." The melody goes similarly to Paulchen Panther's Wer hat an der Uhr gedreht and for days has crept to me like a really good tune, which has really annoyed a good many of my contemporaries. The otherwise round disc has rough edges and that is the attraction. I bi an is pure dry funk which somehow mutates to Gospel so that at the end you almost collapse with joy. I can only describe the folkloristic instrumental Volxjammer (accordion/keyboard) thus: do you know the liberating feeling when you first sit comfortably in the sauna and steam and sweat like mad and sizzle away to yourself, then wobble around while going out somewhat disorientated in the liberating feeling because everything is turning and you squint out of the corner of your eye at the black circulation spots, find the ice water basins and flop into them. You expect this feeling at about 1.45 into Volxjammer. Poika simply just knocks you for six and with Afrika, as the title makes you suspect, is dominated by the African influences, an excellent percussion yodel mix.

So, now I must still explain why I have not given 12 stars: well, perhaps ... because ... the background singing on Heilige is too electronic for me, or something like that.

Iwasig has two sides so to speak, like the good old LP: rousing lightheartedness with many rock elements to dance to and a relaxed party evening atmosphere - It closes cheerful to cloudy, or we could lightheartedly say to melancholic (and somehow very peaceful) and everyone can confidently interpret whatever they want into it.

Hubert von Goisern has the ambition, "to create a house with many rooms, in which the listener can stretch out. Not just a monument closed in itself". I think he has succeeded and it is just right.

PS: Warning: there's yodelling too - full on for example in Aus is.

Hubert von Goisern: freestyle

Thüringer Allgemeine 15th January 2003 | Text: Michael John

With Hubert von Goisern you never know where the journey is going. Because for him the Alps are a size too small for his musical horizons, for years it has driven him out into the world. From Austria to Africa, further to Tibet and then home again to the mountain pasture, in order to record a touchingly simple album with folk songs from his homeland. Scarcely was the tradition tended than he travelled to Senegal and met musicians like Youssou N'Dour and Baaba Maal.

No question: Hubert von Goisern also feels at home in foreign parts, something which shapes his music more and more. Not much remains of the alpine rocker on the album Iwasig, even if the yodelling and his colloquial language admittedly stand under continual protection. However the rest is freely negotiable. Everything works and above all everything together: funky loans change with a proper polka, African joie de vivre with a bluesy instrumental played on the accordion. The journey into jazz is now obligatory.

Iwasig turned out to be a musical freestyle, which the Goiserer completes with a mischievous smile and Mediterranean ease. With all the wealth of variety it is worth listening to his lyrics. On account of the self-irony alone, with which he ridicules human weaknesses. Certainly also because of the love songs. And not least because of the clear declarations against political and religious naïvety, which must seem particularly stupid to a globetrotter like him. "Wo kimmt des her, wo geht des hin?" ("Where has it come from, where is it going?"). Hubert von Goisern asks that in the song Poika. He does not have to find the answer at all. As long as he is searching, it stays exciting.

Hubert von Goisern - iwasig

Discover 8th January 2003 | Text: Norbert Striemann

It is almost ten years since Hubert von Goisern said goodbye to his Alpinkatzen. After that first of all silence, until he returned with the CD Fön (2000) and with a new, self-composed concert programme (2001). The return was combined with disappointment for some fans, because the king of alpine rock had moved down one or two gears and seemed to have esoteric leanings. In the papers prophecies of doom became loud, editors consulted the oracle, the signs pointed to a Mahavishnu Goisern - nevertheless everything was once again cooked much too hot, as it finally consumed as is known.

What happened, acoustically speaking, was a musical change, which is to be heard still more clearly on the current CD Iwasig. The compositions sound substantially more varied - here reggae tones, there jazz, but never pompously covered, but thought through and well proportioned. But as is right for an Austrian, who now apparently drives on the world music rail, naturally the accordion does not remain silent and occasional yodelling just for the fun of it. Only, it no longer sounds so "folk musical" as it did before.

And so everything is still in plumb and no reason to panic presents itself. Only unfortunately I cannot answer the question, whether HvG has also now carried out a change in regard to lyrics. You cannot do this slang by listening alone - the printed text has to be used. But even then: Des kimmt mer oalles so koamisch voar, wenn i so a Liadl hör (it all seems so funny to me when I hear a song in such a way).

Hubert, know that I come from Pott - you cannot simply speak such Low German from there.

Hubert is there for everyone

OÖN 30th September 2002 | Text: beli

CD of the day: Iwasig from the Goiserer

How much will they complain and wail, these damned radio producers, that Hubert von Goisern's new album Iwasig (Virgin) may be quite nice, but - complain, complain! - does not fit into their narrowmindedly formatted playground.
Let's broadcast the broadcasters some advice into their business.

To the joking guys from the wakeup show of Ö3 (Austrian radio station) we'd like to warmly recommend, to get us out of our beds with the funk-soul hit i bin an, which would even have kickstarted the dancing legs of the legendary Blues Brothers.

The regional Ö2 doesn't need to fear being called radio farmhouse if it puts Volxjammer on the air. That song touches, using traditional accordion sounds, the soul, is worthy to become an intimate dance at a garden party and culminates into an organ roar, like the one we know from the end of Janis Joplin's Me and Bobby McGee.

The alternative-missionaries of FM4 should sing praises to Poika, a Pogues-folk-punk for the wild headshaking-party.

The relationship-upsumming ballad Schön wars would be perfect for Rendezvous mit Constanze at Life Radio.

And there's still the funk-rocking yodel Aus is, the light Besser werdn that is inspired by the Cape Verde islands with their onomatopoetic rhythms, the strong percussion-dominated Latin song Schad which touches everybody in a world musical way, and many others.

And now, friends of the waves, start spinning Hubert!

He stands there above

Hamburger Morgenpost 27th November 2002

Hollerähdulliähööö! The yodel king of alpine rock is back. Where was he? In Assiut, Upper Egypt. You mean you didn't know that? It was so: the Goethe Institute in Cairo invited Hubert von Goisern. Together with the Egyptian musician Mohamed Mounir, the Austria stood then in front of 15,000 Egyptians - and filled them with enthusiasm. Naturally nobody understood what the funny bloke with the squeezebox in front of his chest actually sang, but that is also no different for the German concert visitors with the dialect. Spurred on by this success, he went into the studio and recorded Iwasig. In von Goisern's dialect it means something like "above". He is not concerned with critics any more, he is a musical cosmopolitan who lets the public critics be and simply stands above it.

Earthy without frontiers

Die Steirische 19th October 2002

If there is somebody who really deserves the tag "genuine" then it is Hubert von Goisern. Because none other out of the solarium-tanned Yes-to-Austria-scene is more unadulteratedly earthy than this alpine tomcat, for whom this music playing globetrotting or globetrotting music playing, you can see that either way, is both creative foundation and blood circulation.

This and of course the home country, with its indigenous sounds, the free echo of global culture sound. An echo, which in the new album Iwasig (which can be freely translated as "above") has a hot intercultural date between
West African rhythms and indigenous [Austrian] music, to actually stand "above" all that in terms of orchestration, in a jazzy saturated birth out of dialect-folk, typical for Goisern, and rustic coolness, above all of the embarrassment, which world music usually is accompanied by.

Beyond Austria

www.morgenweb.de 24th October 2002 | Text: lang

Hubert von Goisern remains unconventional

No, the Goiserer does not let himself be classified as easily as that. The lederhosen and yodel-clichés for Hubert von Goisern's special alpine rock music were well-worn a long time ago. Aside from hot things like Poika, the Austrian now presents on his new CD Iwasig (in German: oberhalb (above)) a masterly world music repertoire, which now and then comes along wildly, now and then softly and again brings out of the folksy corner the frequently abused but in reality high art of yodelling. The central title of the album is Afrika, in which Goisern achieves the fusion of different ethno sounds from Austrian and the Black Continent in an equally masterly fashion as a crystal-clear, but poetic critique in the lyrics of the piece on the economic and social North-South divide.

Hubert von Goisern - iwasig

www.bebop.at October 2002

Another brilliant mélange of world music and alpine groove as only HvG has!