''The Golden Ravedays'' is the third

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by Aksel Schaufler under his alias of

Superpitcher Aksel Schaufler better known by his stage name Superpitcher, is a German producer affiliated with Cologne's Kompakt music label. Background Superpitcher made his first appearance on Kompakt's ''Total 2'' compilation album in 2000 with the song " ...

. It was released by his label Hippie Dance over the course of 2017, with one 12" "chapter" vinyl record released at the end of each month (barring ''The Golden Ravedays 12'', released mid-December.) The album has been described as autobiographical, inspired by all of Schaufler's favourite musical touchstones. Schaufler wished to release all of the songs included within in their original lengths, which necessitated the release of a series of 12" records. The end of 2017 saw the release of a boxset called ''The Golden Ravedays Collection'' that included all twelve 12" records with a poster and book; the 12th installment was also released in an edition that contained the box, poster and book for those who had already purchased the other 11 installments. All twelve parts were also released digitally through

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online audio distribution platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California, US. On March 2, 2022, Bandcamp ...

Contents and production

Instead of returning directly to

tech house Tech house is a subgenre of house music that combines stylistic features of techno with house. The term ''tech house'' developed as a shorthand record store name for a category of electronic dance music that combined musical aspects of techno ...

, Schaufler decided to create a record based on all of his own influences. As such, the album runs a gamut of

indie dance Alternative dance (also known as indie dance or underground dance in the U.S.) is a musical genre that mixes alternative rock with electronic dance music. Although largely confined to the British Isles, it has gained American and worldwide expos ...

dub reggae Dub is an electronic musical style that grew out of reggae in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It is commonly considered a subgenre of reggae, though it has developed to extend beyond that style.Dub: soundscapes and shattered songs in Jamaican re ...

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...

Balearic beat Balearic beat, also known as Balearic house, Balearic, Ibiza house or Ibizan chillout, is an eclectic blend of DJ-led dance music that emerged in the mid-1980s. It later became the name of a more specific style of electronic dance music that wa ...

broken beat Broken beat (sometimes referred to as "bruk") is an electronic dance music genre characterized by syncopated beats and tense rhythms, including staggered or punctuated snare beats and/or hand claps. It has been heavily influenced by styles such a ...

Philly soul Philadelphia soul, sometimes called Philly soul, the Philadelphia sound, Phillysound, or The Sound of Philadelphia TSOP, is a genre of late 1960s–1970s soul music characterized by funk influences and lush instrumental arrangements, often featu ...

Americana Americana may refer to: *Americana (music), a genre or style of American music *Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States Film, radio and television * ''Americana'' (1992 TV series), a documentary series presented by J ...

and

downtempo Downtempo (or downbeat) is a broad label for electronic music that features an atmospheric sound and slower beats than would typically be found in dance music. Closely related to ambient music but with greater emphasis on rhythm, the style may ...

music. Only one song, "Resistance", is a tech house song. "Flying" and "Sleepy Head" are two full-length ambient pieces; elsewhere, most songs disassemble into ambient reflections of themselves instead of fading out or cutting off. ''The Golden Ravedays 5'' was primarily influenced by

South African music South Africa is well known for its distinct musical styles which have played a huge role towards the country's society. The music of South Africa is very diverse with a wide variety of genres such as Marabi, Kwaito, house music, Isicathamiya, G ...

, while ''The Golden Ravedays 10'', released just before

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...

, was purposefully "spookier" than other installments, featuring outsider house producer Rebolledo growling out the lyrics on "Rock & Roll Baby". Stylistically, the album touches on various forms of melancholy, either in a straightforward manner, or with a knowing twist to it. "Bluesin" is an extended

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

song; "Protest Song" and "Resistance" reflect politicized anger, particularly at the Paris attacks from 2015-2017. "Andy" is dedicated to pop artist

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationsh ...

, while "Yves" is dedicated to fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, and the suffering that both artists lived through.

Reception

''The Golden Ravedays'' received mixed reviews. Bruce Tantum, writing for

Resident Advisor ''Resident Advisor'' (also known as ''RA'') is an online music magazine and community platform dedicated to showcasing electronic music, artists and events across the globe. It was established in 2001. ''RA''s editorial team provides news, musi ...

, said that "the electric piano, organ and wistful lyrics—"Hey, little raver / do you remember?"—on "Little Raver" grab you from the start" and that the album - and by extension, its author - has "the patience to let a tune unfold slowly." Writing for

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

, Philip Sherburne noted that "several songs mark the welcome return of Superpitcher’s trademark velvet touch," but notes that the album's more leftfield offerings are potentially better. Ultimately, both reviewers' main complaint with the album was its six-hour length, with Sherburne noting, "''The Golden Ravedays'' is crying out for an edited version, something to distill all Schaufler’s jokes and poems and scribbles into a manageable frame." Several songs also got pegged for wearing thin quickly, with Tantum citing "Mirage," "Rock & Roll Baby" and "Resistance" as examples. Sherburne pointed out that a few songs sounded too derivative of artists like

DJ Shadow Joshua Paul Davis (born June 29, 1972), better known by his stage name DJ Shadow, is an American DJ, songwriter and record producer. His debut studio album, '' Endtroducing.....'' was released in 1996. Biography Early years (1989–1995) DJ Sha ...

and

Röyksopp Röyksopp (), a Norwegian electronic music duo from Tromsø formed in 1998. The duo consists of Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland. Berge and Brundtland were introduced to each other through a mutual friend in Tromsø, Norway. They enjoye ...

Track listing

Credits

* Aksel Schaufler - writer, producer, main performer * Rebolledo - vocals on "Rock & Roll Baby" * Titaua - voice on "Tuesday Paris Texas" * Fedor - Electric and acoustic slide guitar on "Bluesin'" and "Tuesday Paris Texas" * Matthias Schaufler - cover artwork * Oscar Cochois-Baur - cover artwork * Arthur Bonifay - cover artwork * Nicolas Choye - cover artwork * Pierre Vanni - cover artwork * Jean Gabriel Franchini - cover artwork * Valentin Fontaine - cover artwork * Bastien Sozoo - cover artwork * Lou Benesch - cover artwork * Esteban Gonzalez - cover artwork

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Golden Ravedays 2017 albums Superpitcher albums