The crowd stood ready to gobble up whatever Hippie came out with. The newness of
Hippie Sabotage lent a certain energy to the crowd. There was a raw excitement, a feeling that
anything is possible, and perhaps anything was. After all, this is Hippie Sabotage's first tour
headlining the ticket. This is Hippie's moment, a fact not lost on them, revealing itself with the
first steps on stage.
Hippie Sabotage, the electronic brother duo out of California, is just beginning the
journey of a promising future. Following the impressive performances of rappers Kembe X and
Alex Wiley, Hippie came out, fiercely independent, bemoaning the music industry and reflecting
on their success. “Two years ago we were living out of the back of our van,” one brother said to
the other. And on this night, they stood in a soldout venue, before an audience of
600, anxious to celebrate.
Hippie Sabotage got their start in the mid 2000s producing beats for rappers, before
collaborating with rappers from Chicago and expanding outward, becoming more and more
popular. Following an endorsement from Ellie Goulding for their remix of “Habits” by Tove Lo,
Hippie Sabotage earned international recognition, and broke through as a force to be reckoned
with in the electronic world. Dropping their first EP in 2013, Hippie has been releasing a steady
stream of beats since.
It's hard to imagine a more intimate setting than Majestic. Front row, I leaned against a
speaker sending ripples through my clothing. One of the brothers stood on the edge, my fingers
brushing up against his shoes. Periodically, water came raining down as set members emptied
water bottles from balconies above. As the concert came to climax, Hippie invited the crowd on
stage, and a euphoric hysteria pulled all those on their feet up to the stage. Here we danced,
mingling with speakers, vibing amongst the brother duo. Never once did I feel unsafe or
overwhelmed. Hippie knew how to nudge the boundary just enough, pushing it to peak
experience. This is a theme also prevalent in their music.
Hippie Sabotage is hard to pin down. Their music can be gritty and heavy, it can be light
and airy. Hippie has a great handle over tempo, and an artful taste of timing. The music can be
rave, ambient, house, switching and blurring at any given time. This diversity was reflected in
the crowd it drew; people sporting salmon shorts, thrift store flannels, LED gloves and rave
bracelets. One constant with Hippie Sabotage is leaving a song feeling satisfied, on a note that
makes sense… something that isn't always gained with electronic music. People left this
concert on a high, soaked from water, still dancing to beats rebounding in their heads.
Satisfied.
