Beneath the Teutonic smile lies a wealth of sadness. At an early age, Gerry 'DJ Otzi' Friedle was abandoned by a mother who didn't feel like raising him. At school, the boy seldom received the attention he felt he deserved.
Despite attending an agricultural school, a fear of cows meant farming wasn't an option for the child. The only option was to sleep on the streets, but after being taunted by a passer by one fateful evening, DJ Otzi decided to push it to the next level. He became a provincial party DJ.
It wasn't long before Mr Otzi recorded Austria's biggest selling hit. Once you've topped the Austrian charts, there's just no turning back, so now the self-professed workaholic is on a mission, to conquer the world with an all-new strain of Euro pop.
Hence 'Never Stop the Alpenpop', party album of the year. Having already spawned the strangely successful 'Hey Baby (Uhh Ahh)', you might expect that DJ Otzi would just be cashing in with this release, but the boy firmly believes that "second place just isn't good enough", and as such, this is clearly his "World Domination" release.
So there's a surprising amount of depth here. The aforementioned Austrian-smash 'Anton Aus Tirol' is a vaguely mocking, moral tale of Anton, who's "just the best, the best of all", and has the girls lining up when he "swings his handsome ass." Played out for your delectation over a strange mixture of traditional Germanic instruments and synthesised beats.
'Do Wah Diddy' is a party mix of the old Manfred Mann number, with Otzi's unique take on the lyrics bellowing over a strange mixture of traditional Germanic instruments and synthesised beats. For the old folks, obviously.
'My Bonnie Is Over the Ocean' seemingly breaks the mould, by being a vaguely soft-rock reinterpretation of the Scottish folk song, for at least 90 seconds. Before temptation takes hold, and once again Otzi is chanting furiously over a strange mixture of traditional Germanic instruments and synthesised beats.
It's the soundtrack of a man whose self-professed motto, "I LIVE PARTIES!!", inspires utter indifference. Please, just look the other way. You'll only encourage it.
