Hippie Sabotage are an electronic and hip-hop duo from Sacramento, California, consisting of brothers Kevin and Jeff Saurer.[1] Often classified as chillwave, their music features elements from a variety of genres including trap, psych rock, and indie rock.[2] They are well known for their remix of "Habits (Stay High)" by Tove Lo, which has accumulated over 1 billion views on YouTube and 1.6 billion streams on Spotify since release, as well as "Devil Eyes" with over 700 million Spotify streams.[3] Hippie Sabotage have toured frequently since 2015, including a number of headline tours with two shows at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, festival performances at Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, Firefly, and Hangout among others, and sets supporting Zedd, Gramatik, and Big Gigantic.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]
Hippie Sabotage | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Sacramento, California, United States |
| Genres | Electronic |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Labels | iHipHop Distribution |
| Members | Kevin Saurer Jeff Saurer |
| Website | hippiesabotage |
Career
editEarly career
editKevin and Jeff Saurer grew up in Sacramento, California.[12] As avid skateboarders, the brothers began working on music at age 12, when they first began creating beats to accompany their skate videos.[13] Jeff attended music school at UCSD, where he submitted the duo's first EP for his final project, marking the first time Hippie Sabotage incorporated Jeff's vocals into their music.[14] The brothers lived out of a car for six months and slept on their former music professor Mike Gao's couch, who would eventually become their career mentor.[15] In their early career Hippie Sabotage collaborated with local artists like Yukmouth, as well as Chicago artists like Alex Wiley, and Kembe X.[12][16][17] The name Hippie Sabotage was inspired by their fathers' initials H.S.[18] Hippie Sabotage released their own material in 2013 with their debut EP Vacants followed by The Sunny Album in 2014.
"Stay High"
editOriginally released as a soundtrack for a YouTube video in April 2013, Hippie Sabotage self-released "Stay High", their remix of Tove Lo's "Habits (Stay High)", as a free download in September 2013.[19][20] Tove Lo later heard the song and reached out to the duo on Twitter, eventually releasing it as a single and on her Truth Serum EP in March 2014.[21][22] Ellie Goulding shared the remix, which vaulted it onto the iTunes charts overnight.[23] The remix hit the top 10 in a number of countries in Europe and Oceania, as well as number one on Billboard's Next Big Sound chart, and has been credited for the success of the original song, as well as bringing Tove Lo into the mainstream.[21][3][24][25]
Touring and album releases
editHippie Sabotage began touring in 2015, playing their first festival at Splash House in June and opening for Cherub that fall.[26][27] In February 2016, they released their third EP Providence, including the single "Devil Eyes", which has since gained virality on TikTok and amassed 700 million streams on Spotify, followed by their first headline tour.[28][29][30][31] The duo continued releasing projects and singles, including “Options”, "Drifter", "Running Miles", and "Wrong Time", and performed frequently on headline tours (both US and international) and at festivals.[32][33][34]
In 2016, the duo was seen in a physical fight with a security guard in Portland, Oregon, at What The Festival, strangling the guard in a chokehold until event production crew members intervened.[35][36] Videos of the altercation went viral.[37] At the time Hippie Sabotage addressed the incident in a statement, commenting that “it was an unfortunate event that placed us in an unsafe situation in the middle of our performance".[38] EDM concertgoers were reported still angry about the incident three years later, protesting the inclusion of Hippie Sabotage on a festival lineup in 2019.[39] Later the duo reflected on the incident in an interview, acknowledging fan disappointment: "...that bums me out. That’s not what we’re about. We try as hard as we possibly can to show that to people. We’re about positivity and joy and respect."[40]
In September 2020, Hippie Sabotage released Red Moon Rising, their first album after several years of touring which allowed them time to "process a full project that represented [their] creative thoughts."[41][42] That month the duo also partnered with Flower Records to release their "Devil Eyes OG" cannabis strain.[41] Hippie Sabotage released their albums Floating Palace in December 2021 and Trailblazer in April 2023.[2]
Musical style
editOriginally beginning as a hip-hop project, Hippie Sabotage's music has evolved to electronic, described as "soulful" and "melodic" "trap-meets-chillwave", with "strong elements of hip-hop and psych rock".[13][43][44] Over time their sound has adapted to their live performance, incorporating "extended jams, guitar, and live solos", resulting in "trance-inducing jam music that has set them apart from mainstream EDM DJs".[45][46][47]
Live performance
editHippie Sabotage are known for their "high octane live performances", mixing trip hop, live instrumentation, and vocals.[33][48][44] Their shows are often interactive, with Kevin venturing into the crowd during certain songs as well as inviting fans on stage.[49][50] They are also known for their extensive visual setup, featuring multiple screens displaying colorful kaleidoscopic images.[51][52]
Touring
editHeadline tours
edit- Debut headline tour (February - May 2016)[53]
- Force of Nature tour (September - October 2016)[54]
- Chasing the Wild tour (February - April 2017)[55]
- Path of Righteousness tour (February - March 2018)[56]
- Lost California tour (September - October 2018)[13]
- Beautiful Beyond tour (February - March 2019)[57]
- Legends of the Fall tour (October - November 2019)[58]
- Direction of Dreams tour (February - May 2020)*[59]
- Drive-in tour (August 2020)[60]
- Rooms of Hallucination tour (January - March 2022)[61]
- Trailblazer tour (April - May 2023)[62]
- Enter the Unknown tour (March - May 2024)[63]
*Partially canceled due to Covid-19
Festival performances
edit| Year | Festivals[64] |
|---|---|
| 2015 | Splash House SnowGlobe Music Festival |
| 2016 | Hangout Music Festival Spring Awakening Music Festival Firefly Music Festival What The Festival Electric Forest Pemberton Music Festival Day N Night Fest Billboard Hot 100 Festival Breakaway Music Festival Backwoods Music Festival Bumbershoot Freaky Deaky Music Festival |
| 2017 | Something Wonderful Festival Summer Camp Music Festival Moonrise North Coast Music Festival Imagine Music Festival Oaktopia Gold Rush |
| 2018 | BUKU Music + Art Project Euphoria Festival Bonnaroo Firefly Music Festival Bonanza Campout Music Festival Forecastle Festival Sloss Music & Arts Festival Global Dance Festival Lollapalooza HARD Summer Electric Zoo Voodoo Music + Arts Experience |
| 2019 | Lollapalooza Chile Hangout Music Festival Zedd on the Rocks Electric Forest Splash House Moonrise Bumbershoot Made in America Festival Austin City Limits Music Festival Santa Cruz Music Festival Day N Vegas Corona Capital |
| 2020 | Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival |
| 2021 | Firefly Music Festival |
| 2022 | Float Fest Wonderfront Festival |
| 2023 | Hangout Music Festival Breakaway Music Festival Same Same But Different Festival |
Discography
edit
Albums
edit- The Sunny Album (2014)
- Providence (2016)
- Vibes (2016)
- Drifter (2017)
- Red Moon Rising (2020)
- Overdrive (2020)
- Floating Palace (2021)
- Trailblazer (2023)
Extended plays
edit- Vacants (2013)
- Johnny Long Chord (2014)
- Devil Eyes (2016)
- Options (2016)
- Hentai (2018) with Azizi Gibson
Singles
edit| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2014 | "Broken over You" (with Grace Mitchell) |
| "Waiting Too Long" | |
| 2015 | "Fast Car"[65] |
| 2017 | "Fire the Blunt" |
| "Fuck It" | |
| "Holy Mind" | |
| "Mirror" | |
| "Righetous" | |
| "Running Miles" | |
| "Save Me"[33] | |
| "The Path" | |
| "Watching" | |
| 2018 | "I Found You" |
| "The Mist" | |
| "Temptation" (with Azizi Gibson) | |
| "Real Things" (with Alex Wiley) | |
| 2019 | "Carpe Diem"[66] |
| "Caught Up" | |
| "Coffee" | |
| "Distance" | |
| "Enemy" | |
| "Fading into Fog"[67] | |
| "Flash" | |
| "Patience" | |
| "Find Me"[68] | |
| "Trust Nobody"[68] | |
| 2020 | "Overdrive" |
| "Wrong Time" | |
| 2023 | "I Don't Care"[69] |
| "All At Once"[51] | |
| "Trailblazer" | |
| "Pole Vaulting" (with Kembe X)[70] | |
| "Boy Problems" (with Izzy Bizu) | |
| "Rolling Stoned" (with Kembe X)[70] |
References
edit- ^ Murphy, Tom. "The Sun Doesn't Set on EDM: Hippie Sabotage's Selfie Extravaganza and Gramatik's Expansion of the Genre". Westword. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
- ^ a b Lugen, Mikala (2021). "Hippie Sabotage Surprise Drop Sophomore Album 'Floating Palace'". Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ a b Wilkes, Emma. "Tove Lo's 'Habits (Stay High)' Hippie Sabotage remix passes 1billion YouTube views". NME. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Paulson, Dave (9 January 2018). "Bonnaroo 2018 lineup: Eminem, The Killers, Sturgill Simpson, Muse & more". The Tennessean. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Sacher, Andrew (21 March 2018). "Lollapalooza 2018 lineup (Jack White, Arctic Monkeys, The National, Vampire Weekend, St Vincent, more)". Brooklyn Vegan. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Griffin, Kaitlin (11 June 2019). "Austin City Limits 2019 Lineup Revealed". 5 NBCDFW. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Amis, Matt (24 September 2021). "Firefly Music Festival 2021: An Inside Look at the Delaware Concert". Delaware Today. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ "Hangout Music Festival 2023". Consequence. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Voss, Auguste (9 May 2022). "Hippie Sabotage Brings "Rooms of Hallucination" Tour to a Sold-Out Red Rocks". Prelude Press. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Kirk, Alexander (21 March 2023). "17 new shows added to Red Rocks schedule". 9NEWS. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Kirk, Alexander (25 February 2019). "Zedd announces Red Rocks concert in June". 9NEWS. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ a b Laddin, Stephen (1 February 2021). "Subverting The System With Hippie Sabotage". High Times. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ a b c Jaimes, Janet (21 September 2018). "Get High with Hippie Sabotage in Our Exclusive Smoke Sesh Interview". EDM.com. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Kausin, Jordan (12 April 2018). "Hippie Sabotage: New Aged Hippies". Festival Squad. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Shirju (12 October 2018). "Hella Juiced: Hippie Sabotage". FOMOBLOG. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Coe-McNamara, Juliana (27 October 2017). "Hippie Sabotage had The Observatory in Santa Ana going crazy on October 7th". La Vista. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ CK, Sean (3 October 2013). "TBT: Hippie Sabotage Interview with Sean CK 11.30.12". The Standard Bulletin. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Callwood, Bret (February 1, 2018). "Hippie Sabotage Are All About Love, Though Not Necessarily Peace". LA Weekly.
- ^ Hillard, Chad (18 September 2013). "Hippie Sabotage - "Stay High" (Tove Lo Flip)". Hilly Dilly. Archived from the original on 25 December 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Stay High dir by Aris Jerome (Motion picture). YouTube. 11 April 2013. Archived from the original on 12 January 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ a b Raymer, Miles (2 September 2014). "Swedish singer-songwriter Tove Lo is an emotional rollercoaster". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Chebil, Sasha (6 September 2014). "Interview: Tove Lo – 'Reopening the wound'". NBHAP. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Wass, Mike (10 March 2024). "Tove Lo's "Stay High" (Hippie Sabotage Remix) Explodes On iTunes Thanks To Ellie Goulding". Idolator. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Fiedorowicz, Michael (10 October 2014). "Album Review: 'Tove Lo'". Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ "Hippie Sabotage". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2016-09-24. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
- ^ Blueskye, Brian (15 June 2016). "Review: The June 2015 Splash House". Coachella Valley Independent. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Vigil, Dom (21 July 2015). "Cherub Announce "So… You DTF? Tour"". Prelude Press. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Alif, Jordan (2019). "Album Review: Hippie Sabotage's "Providence"". EDM Bangers. Archived from the original on 3 August 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ "Hippie Sabotage - Spotify Top Songs". Kworb. 19 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ De Freitas, Jackie (28 February 2020). "Should Cancel Culture Dictate Music Festival Lineups?". Miami New Times. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Clancy, Moira (13 June 2016). "Does Hippie Sabotage Have a Flip Side?". Relentless Beats. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Chalkopoulou, Nancy (22 June 2016). "Hippie Sabotage – Options". Conversations About Her. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ a b c Raney, Nicole (14 November 2017). "Talking Tunes, Tours, and Life on the Road with Hippie Sabotage". The Manual. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ "Hippie Sabotage Deliver Two New Singles 'Overdrive' & 'Wrong Time'". IHOUSEU. 25 January 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ "Hippie Sabotage assault security at What The Festival". Dancing Astronaut. 2016-06-21. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
- ^ "Hippie Sabotage Fights Security at What The Festival, Duo Claims Self-Defense" (June 22, 2016). Billboard
- ^ Meadow, Matthew (June 22, 2016). "Hippie Sabotage Still Haven't Learned Their Lesson". YourEDM. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
- ^ "Hippie Sabotage Fights Security at What The Festival, Duo Claims Self-Defense". Billboard. 22 June 2016. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Meadow, Matthew (October 14, 2019). "EDM Fans Are Pissed Okeechobee Booked Hippie Sabotage & They're Blocking Everyone On Twitter". YourEDM. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
- ^ Castillo, Ryan (27 March 2018). "On Living Our Most Authentic Selves: Hippie Sabotage address the naysayers at BUKU Music + Arts Project 2018 [Interview]". Dancing Astronaut. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ a b Langdon, Laramie (26 September 2020). "Hippie Sabotage Chats About Cannabis Collaborations, Content, and Music in Exclusive Interview". Respect My Region. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Soukhathivong, Jaci (23 October 2020). "Exron Exclusive Interview: Hippie Sabotage". Exron Music. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ De La Bruyere, Kylie (25 June 2018). "Hippie Sabotage Speaks on Staying True to Yourself in iEDM Exclusive Interview". iEDM. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ a b Fabrick, Mark (24 September 2018). "Hippie Sabotage Talk New Music and Recap Festival Season Ahead of Lost California Tour [Interview]". Your EDM. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Shipe, O’Hara (20 November 2019). "Hippie Sabotage: Hip-hop-infused EDM duo to play second show Saturday at Williwaw after first show sold out". Anchorage Press. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Roa, Ray (15 March 2019). "EDM duo Hippie Sabotage brings the power of a billion streams to St. Petersburg". Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Mann, Paul (1 May 2021). "Hippie Sabotage Delivers Live EDM to Drive-In Concert". Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Hilberath, LJ (29 December 2017). "Review: In Ft. Lauderdale, Hippie Sabotage tokes, moshes, and hugs its way into Culture Room's heart". Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Cotton, Lelia (11 March 2019). "Review: Hippie Sabotage at Terminal 5". Music Fest News. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ xerxestzolis (13 March 2018). "Path of Righteousness Tour: Hippie Sabotage- SOLD OUT at the Buckhead Theatre". Concert Hopper. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ a b Topol, Kateryna (12 May 2023). "We Are All Just Shapes In This Room: Hippie Sabotage Live in Toronto". Quipmag. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Gottlieb, Zoe (28 March 2020). "Concert Review: Hippie Sabotage". KUTE Radio. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Clancy, Moira (13 June 2016). "Does Hippie Sabotage Have a Flip Side?". Relentless Beats. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ Wuest, Kendrick (15 September 2016). "Hippie Sabotage: Force of Nature Tour". EDM Chicago. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ "Did you get your tickets yet". Facebook - Hippie Sabotage. 29 December 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ Bhanawat, Akshay (20 January 2018). "Hippie Sabotage announce extensive 'Path of Righteousness' tour". The Music Essentials. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ Gonzales, Phoenix (15 November 2018). "Hippie Sabotage Announce The Beautiful Beyond 2019 North American Tour". Raver Rafting. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ Perreault, Olivia (August 2019). "EDM Duo Hippie Sabotage Announce 'Legends of Fall Tour'". Ticket News. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ "Hippie Sabotage to Embark on Direction of Dreams Tour". Exron Music. 21 November 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ "Hippie Sabotage Shares Dates for their New Drive-In Tour". Out Now. 29 July 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ Lugen, Mikala. "Hippie Sabotage Announce 46-Date 'Rooms Of Hallucination' Tour". Volume Utah. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ "Hippie Sabotage Kicks Off 2023 with Blistering New Single "I Dont Care"". Music Is 4 Lovers. 26 January 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ @HippieSabotage (December 4, 2023). "ENTER THE UNKNOWN TOUR 2024" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Hippie Sabotage Concert History". Concert Archives. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ Montes, Patrick (27 April 2015). "Hippie Sabotage Flip Pleasures' "First Love" Into "Fast Car"". Hypebeast. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ Infante, Victor (7 March 2019). "Go with the flow". Telegram & Gazette. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ Jaimes, Janet (6 July 2018). "Powerhouse Duo Hippie Sabotage Release "Fading Into Fog" Along with Fall Tour News". EDM.com. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ a b Dünser, Thomas (12 July 2019). "Trust Nobody". Eargasm. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ Chavez, Conny (24 January 2023). "Hippie Sabotage At The Wiltern On April 20th". Mxdwn. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ a b Fisher, Caroline (18 November 2023). "Kembe X Joins Forces With Isaiah Rashad & Hippie Sabotage On "Rolling Stoned"". Hot New Hip Hop. Retrieved 28 January 2024.