In the case of somebody actually buying The Tiki & The Guitar, it would be incredibly cool to leave a review at iTunes. If you dont know what to write you can take a look at Phil Dirts review at reverb central
Just look under K.
KK
The Tiki & The Guitar
by Kahuna Kawentzmann
This album is now finally available through online vendors, namely the iTunes Musicstores USA, Japan and Europe.
It might already be familiar to you in total or by single tracks, because Kahuna Kawentzmann made the finishing touches on the project in 2001.
In the following time he gave it to friends, record labels and radio-stations to gain some attention for it.
There were several offers from labels over the years, but the deals never were finished due to different opinions concerning the way the recordings should be marketed. Or different opinions on sharing the rights to the recordings. This sort of stuff.
But anyway, finally here it is available now to the general public.
biographical info:
- Kahuna Kawentzmann (aka Sebastian Hartmann) has been recording surf music since 1988
- the album “Cool Surfin’” was released in 1994 with The Looney Tunes band (Hamburg, Germany)
- two more albums followed: “Modern Sounds of…” and “Beyond The Dune” (’95 and ’97 respectively)
- various line-ups of the band made small tours in Germany, until the summer of 1998, when the band broke up
- in the summer of 2002 Kahuna Kawentzmann moved to Berlin from Hamburg
The Looney Tunes were more or less a traditional surf-band, featuring the proper vintage equipment and line-ups from three to five members.
The material was about one third Kahuna Kawentzmann tunes, one third surf classics and one third oddities, like german 60s soundtrack themes channeled through Kahuna Kawentzmann’s reverbed Fender Jaguar guitar.
The range of influences in Kahuna Kawentzmann’s solo projects is a good deal wider.
While always aiming at a early/mid 60s sound impression, he incorporates spaceage-bachelor-pad-music and exotica, soul and funk, and modern touches of breakbeats and dub echos.
A few people that influenced Kahuna Kawentzmann’s approach towards his music are of course the classic surf and rock’n’roll heroes like Elvis, Link Wray, Dick Dale and Cliff Gallup, but also guitarist/producers like Les Paul, Vincent Bell, Al Caiola and Ladi Geisler.
Long running influences on the German guitarist’s production-style come from Joe Meek and Phil Spector on one side, and Jazz (f.e. Cal Tjader) and 60s big bands (f.e. Bert Kaempfert) on the other. The naturally balanced soundscapes of the latter two are increasingly reflected in the more recent recordings, while The Tiki & The Guitar sculptures each individual track more freeform.
The Tiki relation in this whole project, apart from the obvious Exotica based title track, is regarded to Kahuna Kawentzmann’s time as a DJ. In those days his Tiki Lounge nights in Hamburg’s bars (the Meanie Bar and the Komet), were melting pot style events. With the same wide scope of music that today reflects in Kahuna Kawentzmann’s own music. Tiki being the god of the artist, and thus creativity, he was the charm, the bond to 60s Easy and Surf, 50s Rock’n’Roll and Jazz, as well as Bossa Nova and any tropical music that suited the particular hot summer night in Hamburg’s red light destrict, from Dub to Limbo, from Exotica to Steeldrums.
discography:
Tiki Traveling with Kahuna Kawentzmann 8 track album
The Tiki & The Guitar 12 track album
Je t’aime (moi non plus) on Beyond The Sea, V.A. (Cordelia)
Good Morning Starshine on Hair, V.A. (Omom)
Gogo Sitar on Oriental Club, V.A. (Universal Music)
See You In September on American Graffiti Re, V.A. (Omom)
Gogo Sitar on Soul Shaker Volume 2 V.A. (Record Kicks)
Gogo Sitar b/w Road to Estoril 7” single on Stark Reality
Gogo Sitar on Mojo Club Volume 9 V.A. (Universal Music)
You see, the opener of The Tiki & The Guitar, Gogo Sitar, got it’s due recognition, with the other tracks waiting unpatiently in row.
Filmography
(Next Film Filmproduktion, Robert Bramkamp, VCC Perfect Pictures AG)
used Sunrise Surf (Sunset Surf)
(Constantin Film, 2004)
used Gogo Sitar
(Armchair Travelling, september 2007)
the 8 tracks on Tiki Traveling with… were composed for this DVD release
The Tiki & The Guitar tracklist:
1 Gogo Sitar
2 Road To Estoril
3 Plage D’or
4 Surfin’ Maumau
5 Ola Nueva
6 Caribbean Love Dance
7 Rockarabique
8 Late Bird
9 Brandung Drei Fuss
10 Come Fly With Me
11 Mr. Potato
12 The Tiki & The Guitar
Kahuna Kawentzmann on the web:
http://www.kawentzmann.de
http://www.kawentzmann.de/wordpress/
http://www.myspace.com/kawentzmann
- Kahuna Kawentzmann Info
- Nicht der Süden
- Go-Go Beach
- links for 2009-06-24
- Kahuna Kawentzmann Stocking Stuffers
