+++ THE STORY +++
+++ THE MEETING +++
+++ THE PROTAGONISTS +++
+++ THE PHILOSOPHY +++
+++ THE AIMS +++
+++ THE WHAT WE DO +++
+++ THE THE +++


+++ THE STORY +++

OK. The story begins - locked away in paradise. The govenator is ruling, George W. is winning, migrants & drugs crossing - and the sun shines. This is San Diego, California in 2004 where the clubs close at two. You can go to war but you can't get a drink. Don't worry: Bring your guns to Tijuana and feel free to party until five. In the meantime the INTERNATIONAL SUPERGROUND emerges SOMEWHERE. Later that day, ACHTUNG RADIO gets its name; sometime after it conquers the airwaves. First at SDSU´s KCRlive, then at www.radioglobal.org. Everything runs at high pace.

Parties are being organized - at some dudes place, in the club, across the border and even in the desert. A piece of paper with directions is all it takes. Not only the police comes… The night is raved away. DFA is hot!! and Daftpunk playing at YOUR house. This is the beginning of the New York - Paris pingpong game which brings a new style on the agenda, which until now is easiest affordable in Berlin.

But until the Beauty Bar opens at the end of 2005 So-Cal wears flipflops / short skirts / big boobs, and the so-called alternative radio stations play "Sublime" until even frat boys have to puke (which, seemingly they continue doing). Tijuana´s avantgarde still likes minimal techno from Cologne and loves blogging while San Diego´s rock kids rock it rococo, and prepare to join the Hot Fuss around Las Vegas outfit "The Killers".

Meanwhile rich persian and arab expat kids listen to bad house and trance tracks at pool parties, drunk by the booze sold by their fellow countrymen that run american liquor shops. The next vietnamese store around the corner hast the best and cheapest vegetables and definitely the best-value pink ACHTUNG RADIO flyers. Even groups of people you never thought they existed you can meet here- or have you heard about Pacific Islanders (Well, since we lived right next to them we had to notice: Highly religious, amazingly friendly and hilariously out of tune - especially while singing sunday mass).- and what better place to practice your spanish- although better not with identity-crisis-ridden chicanos ´cause the most you´ll get out of it is a mediocre degree in spanglish. Better think it white and go north to La Jolla. Apart from some mexican drug moguls the degree of riches there goes by the simple formula: The whiter the richer. This formula is aptly applicable also to San Diego´s Mormon temple. By entering you´re literally blindfolded by whiteness. Heaven must be somewhere in this multi-billion dollar construction, hmm..

And why not think a bit about the Mexican Zapatistas that uploaded the revolution onto the internet in 1994. You can easily learn about this at La Jolla´s UCSD campus, that offers not only a Supercomputer Center but also courses about "Electronic Civil Disobedience".

In the meantime, somewhere in Northern California, the story of myspace already had begun. When Tom's and ACHTUNG's ways cross Tom has already 30 million, mostly american, friends. Now he has 180 million + ACHTUNG RADIO. Exciting times! On the way to the Whistle Stop, already a dozen people recognize you from their virtual friends list of what is now known as the dark reign of Murdoch. While Europe´s don´t seem to be aware at all of the development, some german internet entrepeneurs are clever enough to copy the idea and cash in (like they did before during new economy times).

A new wave of music, fashion, art, internet, crime, politics, religion and revolution. Borderlandia/2004 is a good place/time to start a wonderful story..



+++ THE MEETING +++
(as heard on Kölncampus, a Cologne based, superground radio station, on 06/28/2007):




philipp at hotel viktor, miami
You guessed it: This is the story how the protagonists of Achtung Radio Eli, Vincent, Philipp and the mysterious Supergrounder met at a shady place..

Philipp: Now, from Achtung Radio, I have with me Eli aka Len Bias from Boston. But I heard, Eli, that you haven´t been in Boston for a long time…

Eli: Yeah, you´ve heard correctly Philipp: I haven´t been in Boston for about seven years. Just a month here and there to visit some people. I´ve been in Japan for a couple of years, Iceland for some time, I was traveling around, spend quite a bit at the US westcoast, you know- living the jet set style…

P: You mentioned the westcoast - from what I know you´ve lived in San Diego for quite some time. And I heard also, that it was there that you met THESE guys from Achtung Radio, is that correct?



eli enjoying the jet set life
E: Yeah, this is correct. It is funny that you ask me Philipp, I mean, you probably didn´t have any clue..

P: Hm…ahem…well--- y--e--a--h that could be actually….. I have no idea to be honest…So tell me.

E: I mean really, that came just by accident - I was flying to Japan for some business. And I was flying from Boston- and the planes usually stop at the westcoast.. So I had this huge layover in San Diego and I got off the plane to stretch my legs and I went to the bar to have a drink. And I saw --fucks-- this beautiful girl. And, you know, we had a couple of drinks, we got along pretty well, but then I go a little sleepy, and then from there I…I don´t know what happened. I must have blacked out or something. And I woke up…. I woke up in this room. And the sun was shining, I didn´t know what time it was….and, you know… all my stuff was gone. I mean, I still had my clothes… but my wallet was gone, my passport, my bag.. So I didn´t know where I was and I heard spanish and I was like "What´s happening???? What´s happening???" So I walked out of the house and: I`M IN MEXICO!! I thought: Oh my god!!! The thing that I must do is: I have to get to the border, cross the border, get to the airport, as soon as possible. My bags were probably already on their way to Tokyo. And so, by the time I got to the border I also realized that my passport was gone.. and at the border they wouldn´t let me cross because they didn't know if I was american or not. And while I was there I saw this french guy, and, well that is where the Achtung Radio story starts I guess…



the mysterious supergrounder
P: Wow, that´s a crazy story you have there. You know, you should always be aware of strange people giving you drinks, especially when they are beautiful girls..

But maybe we should interview this french guy and see how the story continues… So we have now Vincent from Paris on the phone. He is not only part of the parisian record label ZE RECORDS but also member of ACHTUNG RADIO. So I´m sure you can tell us now how you met Eli at the US-Mexico border in Tijuana.

Vincent (imagine a french accent): Well, I guess my part of the story is even weirder.. You know, I was on my way to Los Angeles for a stupid meeting… But since every flight was already booked, I had to take the bus. Without thinking I took the very first one I saw - but I guess, at that time I was already completely wasted. (these nice So-Cal Margaritas, you know)


vincent with a record, on a roof
in tokyo

This was probably also the reason why I fell instantly asleep on the bus. Next thing I remember: I AM IN TIJUANA!! SLICY SHIIT - I took the wrong bus!! No chance to be at that meeting in LA in time. So I went to the border and tried to explain my story to the border guys. But they laughed at me, of course, cause I´m french. (laughs) . Yeah, that didn´t work out that well…. And then I saw this guy at the back of the room. He seemed as lost as me. So I started speaking with him. It happened to be Eli from Boston. We hang out for a while and then started to make up plans about how we can get back to the US. Yeah, that is kinda the story how we met at the border in Tijuana. Could be better I guess, but that is how it was..

P: Well, I guess that´s a good story. You can still tell that one to your grandsons (laughs)

So let´s take a look to how the third guy met Eli and Vincent at the border in Tijuana. His name is El Supergrounder and sometimes goes also by the name: Einer von Philip(p)s. They say he is of german descent. Unfortunately he can´t be here right now since he´s busy with crossing borders SOMEWHERE. But I talked with him before. And what he told me is this: El Supergrounder met Eli and Vincent in this very miserable situation. So, he said that he figured out: Well, I have to help them because I have this very good contacts with the US government - so I can smuggle them across without any problem. So he put on his mask, because he´s one of these, you know, marvel comic guys, that like to put on their masks… (it was a Mexican wrestling mask by the way). Well, and then he just said: "I´m gonna rescue you guys". And that´s exactly what he did. He brought them across the border to San Diego. Safe and clean… And, well this is where the ACHTUNG RADIO story really comes into rolling…



+++ THE PROTAGONISTS +++


MAIN CAST:

PHILIPP GREFER
Nobody really knows when this regional scientist (yes - he has a good ol german diploma) is where, but, mostly at the right time, he turns up SOMEWHERE, usually crossing borders to some emerging countries way into the arms of the global capital (music) markets. He has a fervent passion for the politics of popculture (and popculture of politics) but, despite meeting several ambassadors and investigating the relationship between China and Latin America while advancing interplanetary cultural exchange, couldn´t yet deliver on his final plan to hit the World Bank with a groove. The bureaucrats are already dancing though..


VINCENT TAJANA aka VINCENT VEGA - He was there when Bush came into office and he was there when he was kicked out (yes ? he was there!!) In the meantime he worked his way up - from the San Diegan Achtung Radio founding fathers to the slave business of running legendary ex-New Yorken No-Wave label Ze Records office to finally being part of Paris´finest clic La Clique. If he doesnt smoke coffee out of champagne glasses you can find him djing the worlds finest disco tunes at one of his Parisian (and occasionally New Yorker) nights Mein Disko / Drifter.


ELI COHEN aka LEN BIAS - There is not many places in the world where this Springfield (Massachussets)-born Disco-afficionado hasn´t spun for a while. Consequently he knows pretty much every record shop between Tokyo and Antarctica (yes - he got this sexy 80 bpm penguin 12"). Living globalization by avoiding a myspace and facebook account but investing in their stocks (and of course vinyl) proofs, that he not only knows how to save time in style but also to make money. Congratulations!



+++ THE PHILOSOPHY +++

Crossing mental and geographical borders is part of understanding the globalized world of today. Having an inside in different worlds, be it socially or culturally while maintaining a historical perspective, is a condition for realizing what is going on on this planet. A multi-faceted, interdiscplinary and extraterrestrial approach will help to realize, that nothing is neither black nor white, but in most cases fairly grey… and sometimes even slimy green. Especially in popculture.



+++ THE AIMS +++

Since it would be presumptous to aspire for peace on earth we rather identified some more modest goals:

1. To raise popularity of selected (mostly german) artists (mostly musicians) abroad and to connect them with foreign artist and foster "intercultural exchange" (We´re living it, baby!!)

2. Creating the INTERNATIONAL SUPERGROUND - a worlwide network of wonderful people, that do interesting stuff.

3. To inform about trends and tendencies in different areas (mostly popculture, though). But also we disinform and raise critical awareness through decreasing media illiteracy (WHAT - you didn´t see the three-headed monkey!?).

4. Having fun!



+++ THE WHAT WE DO (SELECTION) +++

Hey, don´t forget: it´s mostly (but not exclusively) about "music and stuff"!!

1. A fair bit of (foreign-)management and promotion

2. Organizing parties and concerts

3. Traveling

4. Interviewing, connecting, reading, meeting, listening, discussing, writing, broadcasting, dancing

5. Having fun!


+++ THE THE +++

the (special mention for conferring coolness upon smb. from mid- to beginning of the 00yeasrs)