The Golden Vampire Experience is a Berlin-based open musical project initiated by Olaf Kraemer and Kristof Hahn in 1981. Their latest full-length release is titled Polaris. Operating under various names, such as “Die Goldenen Vampire” and “The Legendary Golden Vampires,” the band has been an exploration into underground music and culture. Erototox Decodings is releasing Polaris on CD, digital download and via streaming services on October 6, 2023 and on 12” LP vinyl in November.
After spending years apart, Hahn and Kraemer reconvened in Berlin and started to write ten songs in five nights in Hahn’s Kitchen in Treptow. This gave rise to an album sung in English and German that mirrors their exploration of “human dreams, darkness, and addiction.”
Kristof Hahn Produced the material and, in contrast to the maximalist approach of the Production he takes on Swans records, the focus of this project lies in “reduction and sparseness.” The album’s ensemble features Tommy Wydler (Bad Seeds, Die Haut), Achim Färber (Phillip Boa) on percussion, and Chandra Shukla (Psychic TV) on sitar and tabla. The only cover version on Polaris is a minimalist version of “She floated away” from Husker Dü.
The musical project has faced big challenges, including an unfortunate on-stage overdose that damaged their prospects at a time when they were gaining momentum. Their unreleased English album, The World’s Greatest Sinner, now holds value in the form of sought-after white label pressings on Discogs.
Following individual pursuits, Kristof Hahn’s collaborations have extended Alex Chilton, Angels of Light, Pere Ubu and his current band The Swans while Olaf Kraemer has ventured into film direction, focusing on Hank Williams, the 60´s, and writing novels. They reconnected over Kraemer using a Les Hommes Sauvages song, from one of Hahn’s bands, for Kraemer´s movie 5 Women in 2017.
