Garden of earthly
delights
Swiss techno producer Ripperton is pumping much-needed vitality, heart and
soul into dance music, and swinging a spotlight towards his country’s much-
neglected club culture. His debut album ‘Niwa’ (“garden” in Japanese) is set to
elevate him to dance’s upper echelon. DJmag finds out what makes him a man
apart…
Words: Ben Murphy
t ain’t where you’re at, it’s where you’re from. Or so we did an album and won the Diesel Music Awards in
I
it seems in the world of techno, where geography is 2003,” he remembers. “We were touring across
all-important. While some pockets of the US and Switzerland, but there were 11 of us on stage, so it was
Europe remain, for historical reasons, renowned difficult to export! It was really difficult in a group, to
for their musical output, other parts are unfairly manage five or six people at a time. It’s cool to do it when
ignored. you’ve got energy, but by then I was completely ready to
None more so than Switzerland; while its neighbours do something solo. I wanted to expend my energy in
Germany, and Berlin in particular, get all the credit, the production, not organisation.”
Swiss are consistently overlooked. It’s surprising when
you consider the country’s thriving club culture, supreme But it wasn’t time for solo recognition just yet. It was his
coterie of super-cool labels like Drum Poet Community, next project that would seed Ripperton’s name in the
Cadenza and Mountain People, and artists like Luciano, dance world’s wider consciousness. In 2006, he cut his
not to mention the Zurich Street Parade — which rivals first record alongside fellow creative Mirko Loco as Lazy
the Love Parade with its hedonistic celebration of beats. Fat People, on James Holden’s Border Community. ‘Big
But while the Swiss are too often consigned to the City/Dark Water’ was a starburst in a pitch-black sky, a
footnotes of dance, these geographical reputations can blast of soulful electronic brilliance that made techno
be something of a double-edged sword. and deep house nuts wet their pants, and soon had all
The other side of the blade is that in seclusion, out of the the big wigs queuing up to work with them, from Carl
glare of the media’s gaze, it’s possible to do your own Craig to Mathew Jonson.
thing, create a unique style not overburdened by “We met James Holden, gave him the tracks and it was an
excessive outside influence, and this is something that explosion! It was absolutely magic, one day you’re
the enigmatic Ripperton knows all too well. no-one, then the next day the Border Community release
was out, and we had three gigs in a week. After that we
The Lausanne-born, and based DJ/producer, (full name met so many people, everyone was so excited about the
Raphaël Ripperton), has taken advantage of his splendid project. It was actually really easy, and friendly.”
isolation to fashion a reflective, emotional musical
character, that stands for soul, emotion, and feeling, and Individual
resolutely against all the dead-eyed, mechanistic tracks All the while, Ripperton was honing his individual sound,
that litter the stack ’em high, sell ’em cheap musical acquiring a reputation for intricately detailed, dubby,
landscapes of dance. and beautifully melancholic techno with releases on
“We’re not so exposed in Switzerland, so we can do what Rekids, Connaisseur, Systematic, liebe detail, and
we want,” reasons Raphaël. “I would never want to go to Dessous; indeed, his music seemed at odds with the
Berlin to live because there are so many talented people prevailing minimal trends of the time, presenting a
there. I prefer to stay here to do stuff for my country, my fathoms-deep, headphone-friendly alternative that
city.” music aficionados from within and without the scene
couldn’t help but take notice of. This was music that
Characteristic seemed tailor-made for the album format, music to listen
This single-mindedness is characteristic of an artist who, as well as dance to, but curiously, there wasn’t an album
since first arriving on the dance scene, has blazed a forthcoming.
unique trail. Ripperton began DJing in 1992, inspired by Until now, that is: ‘Niwa’ (‘garden’ in Japanese), out now
early clubbing expeditions in Lausanne to witness US on Joris Voorn and Edwin Oosterwal’s Green imprint, is
house heroes like Tony Humphries, and after gigging exactly the long-player those expectant fans, and
through the ’90s honing his skills, he made the leap into anyone with a pulse, has been waiting for. Expanding on
production. But cutting electronic tracks was not the themes and constituents that have made all
enough: he formed two bands, lacing their instrumental Ripperton’s music such an addictive, inscrutable
grooves with pounding electronic house drums and FX, proposition, ‘Niwa’ harnesses club-ready, dubwise bass
and took to the Swiss live circuit, first as Soul Merge, pulses, 4/4 kicks, and needling, wintry ice-drift synths,
then as Reasons. and links them with alternately eerie and warm live jazz
“With Soul Merge, we only did one ”12, of instrumental instrumentation for an enveloping, bewitching listen.
house, and I was working on the production. Then, Collaborating with musician friends Germain
Reasons had singers, it was a much bigger project, and Umdenstock on guitar and percussionist JD ‘Cicco’
052
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DJ482.riperton_feature.indd 52 14/1/10 15:28:50
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