A few people that influenced Kahuna Kawentzmann’s approach towards his music are of course the classic surf and rock’n’roll heroes like Elvis, Link Wray, Dick Dale and Cliff Gallup, but also guitarist/producers like Les Paul, Vincent Bell, Al Caiola and Ladi Geisler.
Long running influences on the German guitarist’s production-style come from Joe Meek and Phil Spector on one side, and Jazz (f.e. Cal Tjader) and 60s big bands (f.e. Bert Kaempfert) on the other. The naturally balanced soundscapes of the latter two are increasingly reflected in the more recent recordings, while The Tiki & The Guitar sculptures each individual track more freeform.
Django Reinhardt, Scotty Moore, Cliff Gallup, Dick Dale, Nokie Edwards, Claus Ogerman, Bert Kaempfert, Hans Rehbein, Brian Setzer, Deke Dickerson, Arthur Lyman, Martin Denny, Werner Müller, Joe Meek, Shadow Morton, The Lively Ones, The Sandals, Laurindo Almeida, Link Wray - just too many to name here,
here’s more.
- Kahuna Kawentzmann has been recording surf music since 1988
- the album Cool Surfin’ was released in 1994 with The Looney Tunes band (Hamburg, Germany)
- two more albums followed: Modern Sounds of…and Beyond The Dune (’95 and ’97 respectively)
- various line-ups of the band made small tours in Germany, until the summer of 1998, when the band broke up
- in the summer of 2002 Kahuna Kawentzmann moved to Berlin from Hamburg
The Looney Tunes were more or less a traditional surf-band, featuring the proper vintage equipment and line-ups from three to five members.The material was about one third Kahuna Kawentzmann tunes, one third surf classics and one third oddities, like german 60s soundtrack themes channeled through Kahuna Kawentzmann’s reverbed Fender Jaguar guitar.The range of influences in Kahuna Kawentzmann’s solo projects is a good deal wider.While always aiming at an early/mid 60s sound impression, he incorporates spaceage-bachelor-pad-music and exotica, soul and funk, and modern touches of breakbeats and dub echos.The Tiki relation in this whole project (The Tiki & The Guitar), apart from the obvious Exotica based title track, is regarded to Kahuna Kawentzmann’s time as a DJ. In those days his Tiki Lounge nights in Hamburg’s bars (the Meanie Bar and the Komet), were melting pot style events. With the same wide scope of music that today reflects in Kahuna Kawentzmann’s own music. Tiki being the god of the artist, and thus creativity, he was the charm, the bond to 60s Easy and Surf, 50s Rock’n’Roll and Jazz, as well as Bossa Nova and any tropical music that suited the particular hot summer night in Hamburg’s red light destrict, from Dub to Limbo, from Exotica to Steeldrums.
Discography
Tiki Traveling with Kahuna Kawentzmann 8 track album. The Tiki & The Guitar 12 track album. Je t’aime (moi non plus) on Beyond The Sea, V.A. (Cordelia) Good Morning Starshine on Hair, V.A. (Omom) Gogo Sitar on Oriental Club, V.A. (Universal Music) See You In September on American Graffiti Re, V.A. (Omom) Gogo Sitar on Soul Shaker Volume 2 V.A. (Record Kicks) Gogo Sitar b/w Road to Estoril 7'' single on Stark Reality Gogo Sitar on Mojo Club Volume 9 V.A. (Universal Music)
You see, the opener of The Tiki & The Guitar, Gogo Sitar, got it’s due recognition, with the other tracks waiting unpatiently in row.
Filmography
Prüfstand 7 (Next Film Filmproduktion, Robert Bramkamp, VCC Perfect Pictures AG)
used Sunrise Surf
Autobahnraser
(Constantin Film, 2004) used Gogo Sitar
The DVD of Tiki
(Armchair Travelling, september 2007) the 8 tracks on Tiki Traveling with… were composed for this DVD release
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