Yellow sunshine Explosion
Psychedelic, Garage Rock, Neo-Psychedelic, Krautrock, Neo-Kraut (Germany)
Yellow Sunshine Explosion was one the most important German Psychedelic Krautrock, Neo-Psychedelic and Garage
Rock bands, of Germany's
"Psychedelic and Garage Rock Revival", in the 80's.
The band was founded 1981 by Hans Hubert Schlexer, Thomas Hopf and Georg Eckbert Schulte.
Hans Hubert, at that time playing the trump (lateron bass and vocals) and Thomas Hopf (drums) played music already since 1979 in various experimental and electronic bands before Georg joined the band with e-guitar and vocals. First they covered songs of the 60's, later they more arranged their own songs.
After some official concerts and party gigs, all of the sudden in Dortmund, in the mid 80's about 200 people showed up in paisley-shirts with frilly collars & Lennon glases. Around 1984 an British/Canadian named Paul Hadley Langley showed up. His grandmother was an Iroquois, just like his haircut. With his bluesharp he then was a fix part of the band from 1988 onwards. For some gigs and some songs on their same titled debut album "Yellow Sunshine Explosion", recorded 1987 in Berlin, Huggy Borchert on piano and Gerd Neumann alias "Swami Ravioli" on sitar joined the official studio recording sessions.
End of the 80's the three founding members moved into a renovated hog house at the city limit, which formerly was
a hair cutting studio and in which the wife of the hair cutter did suicide by hanging herself, but this the band get know years later. Their style changed from the 60's garage beat to a completely own sound and
own rythm structures, which never existed before (or later) in this way. So they would be light years ahead of other bands and
the hip sound of that time. In the room of the drummer they built up the studio with a 4-track-tape recorder and they spent a
lot of time by creating their own sound worlds. This way, amongst others, the magnificent own produced tape, which is
very well known as "The Legendary Tape", developed which, although only 100 official copies
have been published, reached an absolutely cult status & consolidated their fabulous reputation as one of the most important Neo-Psychedelic bands.
A show together with the Damo Suzuki (from the most important band ever, the Krautrock Legend Can)
band in the Balver Höhle, lead to the fact that Damo Suzuki joined YSE. Despite of overwhelming critics and numberous
gigs, sadly not much really happend, thus the band split in 1992 and Thomas Hopf moved from Dortmund to Cologne. Michael Karoli (Can) and Damo Suzuki, who both were deeply impressed of
his great drum skills, after a few collaborations and listening to Yellow Sunshine Explosion's
marvelous "Legendary Tape", wanted to work together with Hopf,
so he a.o. still is playing music with Damo Suzuki and did
an US-tour with him and Michael Karoli, in 1998, which got enormously good feedback and also resulted in the great TV
documentary "Over the Air", which was
broadcasted in 1999 for
the first time.
Afterwards he played drums at Michael Karolis Can - Solo project until his death in November 2001.
Up to today, Thomas Hopf is playing drums and percussions for several artists and in various bands like Frankensteins Ballet, in 2019 Thomas Hopf joined Aumega Project and re-released Yellow Sunshine Explosion's superb debut album & "The Legendary Tape". He also released as well some never before released YSE recordings, which shows the superior & mind blowing psychedelic sound Yellow Sunshine Explosion created in the 80's and early 90's & his previously unreleased, terrific solo work.
Georg Eckbert Schulte, the guitar player of YSE moved to India without leaving any adress.
Hans Hubert Schlexer the singer and bassplayer died on June 7, 1997, which makes a reunion as well a re-production of YSE's extremely unique psychedelic sound, unfortunately completely impossible.
Aumega Project is very happy and feels honored, to be allowed to present this gem to the world!!!!!!!
Thomas Hopf is also a solo artist and also a member of
Thomas Hopf, Damo Suzuki, Bert Schlexer, Georg Schulte (ca. 1990)
All Aumega Releases
Soul Slime Dive
aumegaproject.bandcamp.com/album/soul-slime-dive
The Legendary Tape
aumegaproject.bandcamp.com/album/the-legendary-tape
Yellow Sunshine Explosion
aumegaproject.bandcamp.com/album/yellow-sunshine-explosion
Links