17 Hippies
A boisterous Berlin collective blending klezmer, French chanson, and American folk. High-energy acoustic music that feels like a traveling circus in a city park.
A boisterous Berlin collective blending klezmer, French chanson, and American folk. High-energy acoustic music that feels like a traveling circus in a city park.
Imagine a crowded Berlin flat where the doors are always open and everyone brought an instrument. 17 Hippies create a sound that is fundamentally communal, a swirling mix of accordion, brass, and strings that refuses to stay in one place geographically or emotionally. It is music that feels lived-in, slightly dusty, and vibrantly alive, capturing the spirit of a city that sits at the crossroads of East and West.
What makes them truly distinctive is their 'Berlin Style' - a radical democratic approach to folk that strips away the stuffiness of traditionalism. They move seamlessly between German, French, and English, treating a banjo like a punk instrument and a clarinet like a jazz lead. The arrangements are dense but never heavy, maintaining a rhythmic bounce that suggests a band that is just as comfortable on a festival stage as they are in a dive bar.
Start with the album 'Ifni' to hear them at their most cohesive and worldly. It perfectly captures their ability to blend melancholic melodies with upbeat, danceable rhythms. If you want something with a bit more cinematic flair, 'Heimlich' showcases their gift for atmosphere and storytelling through purely acoustic means.
17 Hippies is a band from Berlin, Germany, playing largely on acoustic instruments, a radically democratic collective of professionals and amateurs. Their music is a confection of various folk influences. They are most popular in their native Germany and France.
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