Kevin and Jeff Saurer grew up in Sacramento, California.[12] As avid
skateboarders, the brothers began working on music at age 12, when they first began creating beats to accompany their skate videos.[13] Jeff attended music school at
UCSD, where he submitted the duo's first
EP for his final project, marking the first time Hippie Sabotage incorporated Jeff's vocals into their music.[14] The brothers lived out of a car for six months and slept on their former music professor Mike Gao's couch, who would eventually become their career mentor.[15] In their early career Hippie Sabotage collaborated with local artists like
Yukmouth, as well as
Chicago artists like
Alex Wiley, and
Kembe X.[12][16][17] The name Hippie Sabotage was inspired by their fathers' initials H.S.[18] Hippie Sabotage released their own material in 2013 with their debut EP Vacants followed by The Sunny Album in 2014.
"Stay High"
Originally released as a soundtrack for a YouTube video in April 2013, Hippie Sabotage self-released "
Stay High", their
remix of
Tove Lo's "
Habits (Stay High)", as a free download in September 2013.[19][20] Tove Lo later heard the song and reached out to the duo on
Twitter, eventually releasing it as a single and on her
Truth Serum EP in March 2014.[21][22]Ellie Goulding shared the remix, which vaulted it onto the
iTunes charts overnight.[23] The remix hit the top 10 in a number of countries in
Europe and
Oceania, as well as number one on Billboard's
Next Big Sound chart, and has been credited for the success of the original song, as well as bringing Tove Lo into the mainstream.[21][3][24][25]
Touring and album releases
Hippie Sabotage began touring in 2015, playing their first festival at Splash House in June and opening for
Cherub that fall.[26][27] In February 2016, they released their third EP Providence, including the single "Devil Eyes", which has since gained virality on
TikTok and amassed 700 million streams on Spotify, followed by their first headline tour.[28][29][30][31] The duo continued releasing projects and singles, including “Options”, "Drifter", "Running Miles", and "Wrong Time", and performed frequently on headline tours (both US and international) and at festivals.[32][33][34]
In 2016, the duo was seen in a physical fight with a security guard in
Portland, Oregon, at What The Festival, strangling the guard in a
chokehold until event production crew members intervened.[35][36] Videos of the altercation went viral.[37] At the time Hippie Sabotage addressed the incident in a statement, commenting that “it was an unfortunate event that placed us in an unsafe situation in the middle of our performance".[38] EDM concertgoers were reported still angry about the incident three years later, protesting the inclusion of Hippie Sabotage on a festival lineup in 2019.[39] Later the duo reflected on the incident in an interview, acknowledging fan disappointment: "...that bums me out. That’s not what we’re about. We try as hard as we possibly can to show that to people. We’re about positivity and joy and respect."[40]
In September 2020, Hippie Sabotage released Red Moon Rising, their first album after several years of touring which allowed them time to "process a full project that represented [their] creative thoughts."[41][42] That month the duo also partnered with Flower Records to release their "Devil Eyes OG"
cannabis strain.[41] Hippie Sabotage released their albums Floating Palace in December 2021 and Trailblazer in April 2023.[2]
Musical style
Originally beginning as a hip-hop project, Hippie Sabotage's music has evolved to electronic, described as "soulful" and "melodic" "trap-meets-chillwave", with "strong elements of hip-hop and psych rock".[13][43][44] Over time their sound has adapted to their live performance, incorporating "extended jams, guitar, and live solos", resulting in "trance-inducing jam music that has set them apart from mainstream EDM DJs".[45][46][47]
Live performance
Hippie Sabotage are known for their "high octane live performances", mixing
trip hop, live instrumentation, and vocals.[33][48][44] Their shows are often interactive, with Kevin venturing into the crowd during certain songs as well as inviting fans on stage.[49][50] They are also known for their extensive visual setup, featuring multiple screens displaying colorful kaleidoscopic images.[51][52]