The cute double crooners of So Soon here have been making music and taking it on the road (and daisy meadows) for some time. Finally the two of them got together to record and release their sweet tunes – their debut album goes by the name of Whether You Like It Or Not and just came out last week via Hamburg’s very professional Clouds Hill.

Weighing in at 9 songs it floats like a hummingbird and stings like a bee. Through multi-layered soundscapes and carried by the trademark crisp vocals, the album absolutely sounds fantastic. And it will be a treat to catch them play it live around the Bundesrepublik of Germany: they make a stop in Hamburg tomorrow, Dec 4, at Häkken, with further dates including but not limited to Kiel, Hannover, Berlin and München – find the complete list right here, all the way to Christmas.

Now, all of this and grooving to their general vibe and aesthetics was reason enough for Team Poule to reach out and inquire about a photo-interview for our prized series. Hit play, and dive in.

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The one and only Y’Akoto quietly (at least for this outlet) released a fourth solo album this year, her first independently produced one, after cutting ties with the major labels. While her previous releases were distinctively her and have brought her sizable commercial success, it feels like this album titled Pt. 4 The Witch may be her most complete and unique work yet.

Driven by the experience of the majors and freed from their production line, she was able to truly follow her own directions, it seems. Being guided by well chosen producers certainly didn’t hurt: she worked with Nabeyin whose accolades include grammy nominations and works with Kanye West, Travis Scott, Drake, and others as well as songwriter and producer Dan McDougall, who currently drums with the charming Liam Gallagher.

Enough name dropping, this album really speaks her language and is carried by her vision and navigation. It’s a  great and enjoyable listen from first to last, a true album. Attached below is the opener London, neatly showcasing her amazing voice and sense of direction, songwriting and tempo. A marvelous LP.

She will be touring Germany next year, playing Munich, Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne and more in February and March. Listen to Pt. 4 The Witch on Spotify or Apple Music.

From service animals to recreative substances, there are a lot ways to help and support you by whatever it is you have going on. The only special assistance Team Poule frequently calls for, comes in the form of German singer and producer Der Assistent and his sun-drenched tunes that take you straight under the cooling shade of juniper trees and offer the kind of air-conditioned hotel lobby climate that routinely attracts Western spies in the tropics.

Der Assistent just released his second album titled Amnesie am Amazonas – out via the wonderful Papercup Records in Cologne – and it neatly continues the sort of international, detached mood that makes you feel lost, found and right at home. Reason enough for Team Poule to reach out and see what he is all about. Hit play on the latest single Blaue Stunde, and scroll through the visuals.

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Where did it all begin? [continue reading…]

One of the finest selections coming to this year’s Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg can be found at Uwe where the Canadians present their finest exports over the course of two days: Thursday and Friday, Sept 19/20. One of the most exciting of the 24 acts playing the Canada House are Montreal krautrockers Yoo Doo Right. Their noisy smashy melange of guitars and reverb should be a wonderful experience on the fine soundsystem this venue usually prepares, scheduled for Thursday night, 20:30.

Yoo Doo Right released an EP this year on Mothland, titled The Sacred Fuck, which is a little bit less accessible than their refreshing album from 2022 whose opening track is attached below, at your convenience.

Hamburg’s Reeperbahn Festival will take place this month for the 19th time, from September 18-21. It has grown immensely in the past decade, this is in terms of size as well as international reach. What started as a club festival at the end of summer has developed into one of the most important music industry conferences in the Northern hemisphere. This happened partly by its own success, and partly by large amounts of city money being invested. So much so, that even the Mayor himself shows up for its grand opening, celebrating this year’s motto Let the Music Grow.

But while the festival became a nice little badge of cultural and economic success for the city, the name-giving Reeperbahn street and its many small clubs and music venues experienced much less city-supported growth in the past decade. If you walk down Reeperbahn and its side streets, you will see many empty store fronts and unoccupied buildings as well as vacant construction sights. Many of the music venues that made the neighborhood in the 80s and 90s and gave rise to Reeperbahn Festival in the early 2000s have since been forced to move or to close, crumbling the microcosm they had created.

Now, change is always welcome of course, and neighborhoods experience all sorts of gentrification, but while the city happily spends millions elsewhere, the smaller players of the scene need to fight hard to “justify” a few thousand euros that would make a real social impact that is so sought after. For the average music head then, Reeperbahn Festival is the only time of the year, when music and culture are returning to Reeperbahn.

Frustrating as this may be, Reeperbahn Festival is once again a big stage and a great opportunity for a lot of rising musicians and market participants: 400+ concerts in more than 80 venues. It creates a wonderful atmosphere around this failing street and its large audience from across the globe give Hamburg what it so often lacks: international appeal.

It would be great to see the same enthusiasm that the city authorities have shown for this festival for almost two decades bear fruit for the neighbourhood in which it is located and whose name and cultural brand it happily carries.

Team Poule will present our favorites from the line-up right here, in the next few days.

It’s festival season and one of the finest, longest festivals in the Hanseatic City of Hamburg is Draussen im Grünen – a concert series throughout the month of August. The shows are taking place outside, under the city skies, in the evergreen park belt of Planten un Blomen. On the ticket this summer are, among others Allah-Las, Ty Segall, and German producer Orbit.

On August 2nd, Orbit’s trajectory leads straight into the mighty circular of Musikpavillon. Team Poule got together with the festival to co-present this gig – and as avid fans of the Poule d’Or you are once again in luck! The show was sold out quickly but we managed to get 2×2 tickets under our wings, waiting for two lucky winners.

All you need to do to win a pair, is send an email stating your name to win-big@pouledor.com before Tuesday, July 16, 12 pm CET sharp. It also doesn’t hurt to follow Team Poule on Instagram. The winners will be drawn at random and notified immediately.

If you like what you hear, check his fall tour dates that take him to Vancouver, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, and many more!

Photo credits go to Julia Preiß, and Julia Preiß only.