The Formative Years

Die Fantastischen Vier 

I was first introduced to German hip hop through bands like Advanced Chemistry and Die Fantastischen Vier in the early nineties. Both began around the same time and the latter evolved artistically over time to become a reliable entity whose releases I have always made sure to check out when they were released. 

When they first hit the scene, Fanta Vier were a trailblazing, prominent force when it came to liberating hip hop in the old world from aping the superficial clichés known from the US. Instead they focused on taking the core elements and started infusing it with their idiosyncratic DNA and contextualising it for a contemporary Teutonic context, rapping in German.

Having started out as a goofy, fun outfit that fairly on secured mainstream accolades, Die Fantastischen Vier went on to combine commercial success and authenticity in a manner that is not often found on German terrain.

Albums like “Lauschgift” and “4:99” became masterpieces that were lightyears ahead of the efforts of the German compatriots and being pioneers, they managed to not only make rap socially acceptable but accomplished the feat to become an integral component of the Germanic cultural canon.

Lyrically, they conveyed an eloquently articulated, inspiring and spirited attitude to life, which was complemented by tight productions and a refreshing musical catchiness that continues to capture the zeitgeist – elements that remain the common denominator to this very day, thirty-two years after they first incarnated.

The fact that each of the four members has carved out individual careers and side projects for themselves contributes to constant growth as far as their identities are concerned, which in turn reinvigorates the band and contributes to the creation of something fresh and new when they convene to work on new material.

Water of Life

Chief’s Son Distiller’s Select and Bourbon Brothers’ December box

If you have been following this series attentively or, even better, have had the fortunate of sampling a dram from the vibrant, family owned small batch Chief’s Son distillery, there is a high likelihood that you have been waiting with baited breath for their 2021 incarnation of their much fabled about Distiller’s Select series: An annual, limited and coveted release in nature, this hand selected release is by many considered to be the watermark of what has been achieved in terms of exciting and new styles in the respective year.

This year’s release clocks in at  47.5% ABV and is a truly special expression as it is derived from the exquisite base that has matured in Chief’s Son’s richest French Oak ex-Apera barrels, before having been further refined with a range of 20 liter casks. 

Clear yet viscous in appearance and mahogany in colour, what tickles the nostrils upon approach is a complex mélange of roasted coffee beans, honeyed maple syrup and caramelly marzipan notes, backed by a subtle hint of tobacco. 

On the palate, a bold and rich avalanche of flavours unleashes its powers with malty oak highlights, which set the stage for cidery, citrussy and pop rocks nuances to dance and intertwine with roasted nuts and toffee.

The elongated finish reverberates with exceptionally more-ish and Pavlovian response evoking marmalade flavours, which with the piquancy courtesy of the old oak flavours leaves one lusting for another dram.

I have yet to taste an underwhelming drop from the Mornington Peninsula and this year’s Distiller’s Select expression is another example par excellence for Chief’s Son pushing the envelope in terms of depth of flavours without ever running danger of diluting its DNA.

Bourbon Brothers – December Subscription Box

I find subscription boxes to sometimes be hit and miss in that it is nice to receive curated samples, which offer the opportunity to discover an expression or even distillery I normally would not have gotten my mitts on, but quite often I find lacking in the “bang for the buck” department.

Then there are subscription services like Bourbon Brothers.

As the name suggests, the focus is firmly set on Bourbon, which is a territory I am fond of yet not one where my top ten drops are located in. This is where Bourbon Brothers comes to the rescue as I have yet to come across one of their variety pack subscription boxes that makes me not rejoice in the discovery in a drop that makes me take not and seek out to get a whole bottle of. 

The fact that the samples come not only with obligatory tasting notes and flavour profiles (including links to exclusive tasting videos), neatly and securely packaged but most importantly in generous trios of100ml bottles, makes it a curated delivery service both a novice and Bourbon connoisseur will be bound to forward to every month.

While Bourbon Brothers delivers on a monthly service, they have knocked it out of the park with their beautifully presented end-of-year December box as it contains the equivalent of Bourbon porn:

I popped the Barrel Bourbon Blend #D01K straight after the box materialized and I was in for a treat: Being one of only forty-nine micro-blends made in the first ever series of Barrell Bourbon Private Release Bourbon, the nostril are tickled with dominant nutmeg notes, backed by dark cherry nuances that are pervaded by subtle hints of vanilla, seamlessly transitioning in a medium-bodied and oily manner to balanced notes of toffee, walnut and caramel on the palate. The long finish culminates in notes of toasted oak, cinnamon and a hint of deep plum preserves. Delicious.

Next up was the Bulleit Bourbon, the aromas of which reeled me in with strong scents of oak, rye and the faintest trace of smokiness.
As the name suggests, Bulleit does not lack impact on the top of the mouth. What starts with darkly sweet notes and layers of woodiness and acidity, quickly transitions to targeted shots of a pronounced bold spicy oakiness.

The lingering finish continues of the spicy oak trail, interweaved with butterscotch and dark fruity notes. A memorable sipper thanks to its deep and complex flavour profile.

The last component of Bourbon Brothers' December box is another discovery for me, i.e. Old Virginia: Despite clocking in a comparatively tame 40% ABV, this baby hits big with a strong ethanol note that is flanked by cidery, oaky and burnt toffee notes.

On the palate, honeyed decadence is the name of the game as syrupy flavours play the claviature from dark chocolate to crème brulee, with the finish rounding things out beautifully with a reverberating oakiness.

Cannot wait to see what Bourbon Brother’s has got in store for 2022...

Welcome to a new playlist share. Each SPB writer handles the "Search/Play/Repeat" concept a little differently. The important thing is we're sharing music instead of talking about it for once.

Here's an 11-song playlist filled with things SPB has covered this year, plus a couple items from yesterday that showed up in our inbox but didn't get much of a writeup at the time.

Enjoy.

(And if you enjoy something on here, I encourage you to search our archives for coverage.)

The Formative Years

Deichkind

There are bands that make complete and utter sense within the cosmos they have created for themselves and the linguistic realm they are thriving in and while they would not lack appeal when it comes to their music being accessible to non-German speakers, there is a je ne sais quoi to them that proves to be difficult to translate.

Case in point Deichkind, a band that started as a hip-hop outfit in 1997 and evolved to not merely a veritable electropunk phenomenon that channels its alchemy in a myriad of layered ways, including an incarnation with their own opera.

The beauty of Deichkind is embedded in their inherent irony, often grotesque and humour laden lyrical content, which more often than not aims at provoking a reaction yet never not also entails a melancholiac and serious underlying dimension.

Musically, Deichkind has always pushed the envelope ever since they emerged out of the hip-hop scene in Hamburg and what they have recently arrived at in terms of targeted experimentalism and fusion of styles really defies any definition, which is further cemented via their live shows, which are more excessive happenings, parties and raves than anything else. Done up with their own costumes and props to inform conceptually intricate show elements inviting audience participation, Deichkind shows are reminiscent of children’s birthday parties aimed at adults.

 If I had to define the common denominator of Deichkind’s approach throughout the years, it would essentially punk rock even though it hardly ever manifests sonically.

A uniquely fantastic imaginative prototype of a band that was never designed for mass consumption yet has garnered mainstream success as it is so much more than the mere sum of its individual parts.

Matisse: Life & Spirit, Masterpieces from the Centre Pompidou, Paris

Art Gallery of NSW

Sydney, Australia

November 28, 2021

Henri Matisse has channelled his alchemy in an idiosyncratically fluid, vibrant  radically simplified way of painting that had the focus of his draughtsmanship firmly set on the electrifying effects of its style rather than what is actually depicted in the works.

Sourced almost exclusively from the collections of the Centre Pompidou, Paris and further substantiated by artworks sourced from collections on terra australis, the Art Gallery of New South Wales set out to shed light on the oeuvre of Matisse via paintings traversing Matisse’s emissions ranging from his smaller toned down paintings to large-scale, coloured paper cuts to culminate in impressively bold compositions that would reverberate and prove inspirational to later schools of abstract art. 

The focus of the Art Gallery of New South Wales’ exhibition is set less on Matisse’s wild experimentalism and rather zeroes in on his more elegant and calm explorations in the decorative realm of colour and form, which are characterized by the use of strident hues and confident, often unconventional abstract brush strokes.

In essence, Matisse: Life & Spirit is not only the largest exhibition of Matisse in Sydney but an intimate, well curated journey through Matisse’s life that spans six decades and documents via over one hundred exhibits in a contextualised and immersive manner both the becoming and later reinvention of a complex artist.

An artist whose legacy in terms of pronounced and playful use of colours to bring objects to life continues to lift spirits, which defines the very core and DNA of the fauvist movement and artistic modernism.

Matisse: Life & Spirit is accompanied by Matisse Alive, which extends the core exhibition by offering a gallery-wide free endeavour to inspire dialogue via performance, music and art informed by Matisse’s life and dynamic approach to the use of colour and energy.

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image from AGNSW website