You don’t have to know what SP-404 stands for to grasp the legacy of the Hi-Hat Club series by Melting Pot Music. Back when phrases like »Germany’s beats can hold their own« were common currency in the music press, there was already a community that cared more about hi-hats than punchlines. The realisation: rap still hits hard, even when no one’s rapping. That’s a given today. Set to return to Hamburg’s Knust on 30 August 2025, the next edition of High Jazz welcomes the crème de la crème of Germany’s beatmaker scene.
Buy tickets
Between jazz loops and sample dust
It’s no surprise that Hulk Hodn and Twit One will be pushing jazz loops, soul edits and Bummtschakk sketches through the membranes of the former abattoir in St. Pauli – after all, they laid the foundations for that glorious Cologne-based series. Figub Brazlevič, boom-bap royalty, may not stem from the same audio lineage, but he’ll certainly add another layer of sample grit between the kicks and snares. 12Vince knows a thing or two about dope beats and cuts, and among this roll-call of icons, High John counts as the newcomer. Oh, and Retrogott is coming, too. The »Beatmaker Deluxe Summer Special« already promises to add a third line to the old phrase: »One for the treble, two for the bass« – and now, quite a bit of spirit.
