Hippie Sabotage

About Hippie Sabotage

Hippie Sabotage is the duo of brothers Kevin and Jeff Saurer from Sacramento, who've spent the past decade making electronic music that refuses to stay in one lane. They started out in 2005 making hip-hop beats in their bedroom, which is how most of these origin stories go, but they actually stuck with it long enough to figure out their own sound somewhere between trap, ambient, and indie electronic.

Their breakthrough came in the most 2010s way possible. In 2014, they remixed Tove Lo's "Habits (Stay High)" without permission, turned it into a hazy, slowed-down thing that caught fire on SoundCloud and YouTube, and suddenly everyone knew who they were. The remix has racked up hundreds of millions of streams, which is ironic since Tove Lo's label wasn't exactly thrilled about it initially. But that's the thing about Hippie Sabotage—they've always operated on their own terms, sometimes to their detriment.

They followed up with Providence in 2015, which featured tracks like "Your Soul" and established their aesthetic: atmospheric production, heavy bass, and this floating quality that works whether you're driving at night or trying to zone out. "Your Soul" became one of those tracks that just lingers in the culture, showing up in playlists years later. Options came in 2016 with "Floating" and "Ways," both of which expanded their range. The music videos leaned into desert visuals and that certain California wasteland vibe they've made their signature.

By 2017's Drifter, they were headlining their own tours and had developed a reputation for intense live shows. Maybe too intense—they got banned from Coachella after an altercation with security in 2016, which is both the most rock and roll thing that can happen to an electronic act and also incredibly stupid. The incident became part of their mythology whether they wanted it or not.

Red Moon Rising dropped in 2019 with tracks like "Shine On" and "Smoke and Retribution," showing they could still evolve without abandoning what worked. The production got cleaner but kept that nocturnal energy. They've maintained a prolific output, constantly dropping singles and EPs, never really disappearing for long.

Now they're in this space where they're not festival poster headliners but have a dedicated following that shows up. They tour consistently, their streaming numbers are solid, and they've managed to stay relevant without chasing trends too desperately. The sound has matured a bit—less SoundCloud chaos, more deliberate atmosphere—but it's recognizably them.

They're still based in California, still brothers working together, still making music that soundtracks a very specific kind of nocturnal mood. Not a bad place to be more than fifteen years in.

Their sets feel intentionally detached, with production doing the heavy lifting while the brothers stay in the background. Crowds are there for the mood, not the spectacle. Energy is subdued but focused, with people actually listening rather than jumping around. Shows feel like going to someone's apartment to hear new music.

Known for Your Soul Today, Floating, Ways, Shine, Smoke and Retribution

See Hippie Sabotage Live