DJ Hell  

When Hell launched his International Deejay Gigolos Empire in 1996, his rebellious creative streak gave the label a punk DIY aesthetic. An open-ended techno imprint with a natural pop sensibility, Gigolo immediately stood out and attracted like-minded artists such as Fischerspooner, Vitalic, Miss Kittin & the Hacker, Tiga, even the Pet Shop Boys, Jeff Mills and Dopplereffekt. Today, Gigolo in Berlin is to Hell what the Factory in New York was to Warhol. Like Warhol, Hell is the man with the vision, whose enthusiasm and inspiration to this day is fueled by, and rubs off on, the close-knit family of musicians, fashion designers, photographers, film makers, video artists and actors who surround him. Fans of the label will remember the short-lived collaboration with Amanda La Pore, who can often be found in the Gigolo logo and on the Tiga & Zyntherius Video for “Sunglasses at Night.” There are many examples of Gigolo and Hell blurring the lines between music and art, a popular aesthetic in Hell’s arsenal and one that was celebrated in two gallery exhibitions; one in London, and one in Berlin both in 2007.



Hell – once, a long time ago, Helmut Geier – has DJed for more than half those years. In 1985, he was one of the first in Germany to DJ house music, back when Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley made the first Chicago house tracks. Later, through Gigolo, he put out lost classics by Chicago house legends Bobby Konders and DJ Pierre. He also re-released what’s considered the first Detroit techno song, “Sharevari” by A Number of Names, and rekindled the career of new-wave heroes Tuxedomoon. One of Gigolo’s key releases is Hell’s compilation of early-’80s German post-punk, New Deutsch.

HELL FEATURING BRYAN FERRY 'U CAN DANCE' from Gigolo Records on Vimeo.