Belooped

MPS and De-Phazz – two musical institutions. Based in southern Germany, at home all over the world. belooped brings together what has drawn hipsters to dance floors from Hamburg to Miami for decades. On one side, the playful lounge sound of De-Phazz, launched in 1997 by Pit Baumgartner. On the other, the archive of MPS, founded in 1968 by Hans-Georg Brunner-Schwer, revered by DJs and rare groove hunters. Old meets new, digital meets analogue – what remains is a unique atmosphere and a shared sense for grooves and melodies.

For Baumgartner, it was a “ticket to paradise” to access over 500 recordings from Germany’s first jazz label, featuring stars like Oscar Peterson, Ella Fitzgerald, George Duke and Monty Alexander. Recorded with exceptional equipment, often in Brunner-Schwer’s villa, where live concerts were captured in an intimate setting. Having used MPS samples before, Baumgartner now officially reworks these gems. Rather than remixes, he calls them restorations – like a vintage car given polish and new energy. His goal: to make the music shine again and reach audiences beyond jazz circles.

“Loop your idols” instead of “Kill your idols” sums up Baumgartner’s approach – honoring musical heroes by giving them a future. In the finale, It feels as if Baumgartner and Brunner-Schwer shake hands across time – a meeting that sounds both natural and timeless.