Jakob Häglsperger is one very busy man…
In 2025, the Berlin-based musician and producer has not only released an album ‘Girls Gang’ as part of DINA SUMMER but there has also been a record ‘Tyrannosaurus Rave’ with his elektropunk outfit FRITTENBUDE which he founded in 2006. And now comes his fifth long player ‘Alles’ under his frozen dessert inspired solo moniker KALIPO.
With driving electronic beats and stirring melodies, ‘Alles’ is just as the title suggests, a melting pot of punk, goth, psychedelia, dark disco, synthpop, electroclash and Italo styles that point to all his work over the last 20 years via his three musical outlets.
This is an energetic rhythmic album with a disco punk spirit that is swathed in melody which despite some of the heavy sonic resonances also point towards light to show the way out. If you like deep electronic basslines, sparkling synth sequences and big beats, it is all here. ‘Alles’ tells of departures and new beginnings, alongside inner conflict, depression, desire and love.
Jakob Häglsperger spoke to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK about his musical ethos, juggling the thoughts in his creative brain while straddling the seemingly incongruous but ultimately compatible notions of club and indie on ‘Alles’.
From a concept and approach point of view, in what ways does ‘Alles’ differ from your previous KALIPO record ‘WUT’ for you?
‘WUT’ was more of a transitional EP, paving the way for what became ‘Alles’; a track like ‘Seeking Angels’ for example, could easily have landed on the new album. The bigger contrast is with my previous full-length ‘Happy Little Accidents’, which was conceived as something warm and immersive, almost like a refuge. With ‘Alles’, I wanted to live things out more fully, to fuse melodic depth and emotional warmth with a harder edge in the beats, even a certain laid-back coolness or emotional coldness. It sounds almost impossible, but that tension, finding something warm within the cold, is what defines my sound.
You wear many hats, how do you decide it is time for FRITTENBUDE, DINA SUMMER or KALIPO?
It depends. Sometimes things happen almost simultaneously. This year, all three projects released new work. Usually though, they balance each other out. When I run dry on ideas in one, I can throw myself into another and find new inspiration. The projects feed off each other, which keeps me constantly inspired.
You have described ‘Alles’ as “genre-fluid” and “indulgent”, what particular influences did you put in the pot? Was there any new direction that you particularly wanted to pursue?
I hear many genres in it. I often describe it as “psychedelic disco punk”, but there are also traces of electroclash, EBM, goth and indie. More than anything though, it reflects myself, how music shaped me and how I’ve forged my own handwriting through it. On this album, you can hear more of FRITTENBUDE and DINA SUMMER bleeding through, though that wasn’t intentional. My real aim was to return to a rawer, more direct sound that shaped me early on, and to reimagine it with today’s knowledge.
In terms of production set-up, what are your preferred tools to work with?
It varies. Most ideas start at home on my laptop. I’ll sketch the MIDI notes and save them. Later in the studio, I’ll hunt for the right textures with analog synths. I love working with the Moog One, Voyager, Prophet 6, or MS20. I also enjoy pushing things out of the box with re-amping or distortion to make the sound feel more alive.
What is it about Berlin that continues to be the ideal location for creatives of all types?
The network, for sure, the fact that everyone I work with is close by. But also the cultural scene; before writing this album, I deliberately went back to clubs as a guest, just to re-experience what it feels like to be on the dancefloor. That definitely inspired my own shows and edits. Berlin remains an inexhaustible city, even after all these years, I keep discovering new things.
‘Alles’ starts with the doomy goth disco title song, what about it made you decide this should be the album’s opening salvo?
Because it contains almost everything the album has to offer, like a teaser. It starts out dark and restrained, then drops into this emotional break that still catches me every time. For me, it was the perfect way to open the record.
What makes you decide to sing in German or English?
It depends on how the song arrives. ‘Geister’ or ‘All Things Must Come to an End’ both started with specific phrases that couldn’t really be translated without losing their essence. ‘Geister’ felt too personal not to sing in my mother tongue, while ‘All Things Must Come to an End’ came naturally in English. Writing in English makes sense for a wider audience, but sometimes it just doesn’t fit.
The dreamy ‘L’Hiver Éternel’ though is in French but not sung by you?
It is my voice. I wanted a female timbre, so I used AI to transform my vocals.
Is ‘All Things Must Come to an End’ a personal or wider existential statement?
The phrase came to me after playing at the closing parties of Mensch Meier and Watergate in quick succession. At the same time, my personal life was shifting, which brought a wave of melancholy. But I didn’t want it to feel resigned, so in the verses I focused on frustrations that will also eventually end. That gave the whole thing a bittersweet optimism. It was also important that the instrumental wasn’t too melodramatic but carried a certain lightness.
‘Sparkling Tears’ takes a harder approach to the dancefloor but it maintains a hypnotic groove and features your characteristic low end percussive hits, how has your rhythmic approach developed over the years?
I’ve always been more of a melody-first, songwriting-driven producer. That’s why my “field trips” to Berlin clubs were important, to remind myself that on the dancefloor, sometimes a single note and the right groove are enough. With ‘Sparkling Tears’, I wanted to capture that raw live energy. It’s become one of the highlights of my sets.
Similarly, there’s a real throb and thrust to ‘Deine Worte’ while there appears some anger in your vocal delivery too?
Not really. The shouting style might come across as angry, but that wasn’t my intention. Still, I understand why it feels that way. The instrumental is dark and energetic, with techno influences that place it firmly in the dark disco realm.
‘Vantablack’ features Nina Nails, how did the collaboration come about?
Nina is my partner. She’d already helped me with vocals on the ‘Hildegard Kalipo Edit’ for FRITTENBUDE; ‘Vantablack’ was a track I struggled to finish, but she loved it. So I asked her to contribute vocals again and in the end, she saved the track.
With its dark post-punk influences, ‘Any Compromises’ appears to be a narrative on the world political climate?
That’s the beauty of lyrics. They allow multiple interpretations. I actually wrote it as a love song, about two people who know exactly what they want and throw themselves into it without compromise, overcoming everything together.
Which are your own favourite tracks on the ‘Alles’ album that might not have been mentioned yet?
‘Crimson Rain’ deserves a mention. It’s very lyric-driven, about being drawn to long nights of excess while also feeling their toll. It touches on depression too, but in vivid, metaphorical imagery, carried by an 80s-inspired beat and vocal. After finishing it, I realized the melody echoed an iconic 80s song that must be deeply rooted in me. I debated whether to keep it, but ultimately found it exciting to leave such references in, as if I reinvented them for myself.
What is next for you and in which guise?
First, I’ll head out on a short KALIPO tour. After that, there will be more from FRITTENBUDE and DINA SUMMER.
ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its grateful thanks to Jakob Häglsperger
Special thanks to Carina Cheung at Eclectica
‘Alles’ is released by Iptamenos Discos on 19th September 2025 in white vinyl LP and digital formats, buy and pre-save link at https://bfan.link/kalipo-alles
KALPPO 2025 tour dates:
Katowice Sixa (4 October), Cologne Yuca (17 October), Vienna Flucc Deck (23 October), Prague Café V Lese (24 October), Zürich Exil (25 October), Munich Live Evil (26 October), Hamburg Turmzimmer (31 October), Lübeck Treibsand (28 November)
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Text and Interview by Chi Ming Lai
Photos by Bastian Bochinski
17th September 2025
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