What would in most cases be a mildly amusing joke of ‘A Greek and a Northern Irishman walk into a bar’ would at the moment translate into AnD entering a club ready to seduce its inhabitants with their predatory bass lines, sassy percussion and Dave Clarke inspired techno.
The two are yet another faceless and covert production unit to have released on the equally enigmatic Horizontal Ground and Black Sun Records imprints. 2011 has been a year that has garnered them most attention since first releasing on Manchester label Mindset in 2009. With an unstoppable amount of techno seen from the two this year it’s clear that a release-less 2010 was the bi-product of being left to their own devices in an abandoned air raid shelter beneath the streets of Manchester, the city the two currently call home.
The duo entrusted the launch of their vinyl only imprint Inner Surface Music earlier this year with the relatively unknown Wireman aka Andrew Langfield. With rumours of ISM002 being just around the corner, TEA caught up with the unidentified techno objects for talk of hitting the clubs at fourteen, two Australian migrations and one making it through to late Sunday night after opening for Frozen Border’s Berghain Klubnacht in March.
AnD - Horizontal Ground 09 - HG09 clips by AnD
So your both Manchester lads at the moment, a city well known for its music. Tell us a bit about how you guys met and where you both grew up.
We have both lived in Manchester for the past 7 years, but I'm originally from Belfast and Dimitri is originally from Thesaloniki in Greece. We first met each other about six and a half years ago through a mutual friend and we both happened to be studying music production at the School of Sound Recording. We never really started working together until two years after we first met, Dimitri gave me a CD and I said to him we should hook up and do some work together, everything clicked from there really.
Andrew - Growing up in Belfast was cool, it was never really a massive musical city but certain DJ's and certain nights really helped shape the sound that I'm into today. When I was growing up David Holmes was a massive influence for me as he played trip hop and funk one night and then the next time you'd see him he'd be playing acid house and techno. I always found this fascinating and really inspiring even though I didn't DJ or produce at the time. I also made my first trip to Shine in 1997, I shouldn't of been in there as I was only 16, I remember Dave Clarke was playing and as soon as I heard a 2 hour set from one of the masters I was totally hooked and fell in love with the genre that I still love today.
Dimitri - I grew up in a typical city environment. Thessaloniki is the second largest city in Greece and is a lovely place next to the sea with a nice harbour with loads of bars and clubs. There was always a lot of interesting things going on in the city, from art installations and exhibitions to live theatrical performances and full philharmonic bands on the street. I was lucky enough to live a little bit out of the city centre, near forests and parks. It was nice to experience tranquil places like that on a Sunday morning, I used to enjoy taking in the scenery and isolation, left only with my thoughts and music. This only satisfied me so much and I decided to move to the city for some new experiences. It was there that I got some part time work and started going to school which inevitably lead to experiencing the nightlife. After a while I started going out more and more and not long after this I started DJing in a club at the age of 14. From then on I started playing in more clubs across Greece and that's where my musical journey began.
Andrew, you were in Perth, the western part of Australia for a while too?
Yeah I lived in Australia for about 18 months when I was 14, my family decided to emigrate to Perth as we had family living there already. Things didn't go so well first time round so we moved back to Northern Ireland. My family decided to go back when I was 20 so I spent another year in Perth and this time had alot of fun, but it wasn't for me and I eventually moved back to the UK.
How influential has Manchester been on you?
Manchester can be very influencial as it's an industrial city with plenty of old mills and warehouses all over the place. It can also be very grey with a lot of rain, so it can help put you in the right mood to make some dark moody techno (laughs). The music scene here is really good, there tends to be loads of great artists performing here on a regular basis. The thing that makes Manchester what it is, is the amount of really talented young producers all doing their own thing. Manchester never gets the props London does, but there are enough talented people here doing a lot of amazing things at the moment. You can really draw a lot of inspiration from the music that your friends are making, no matter what the genre.
Manchester seems to give off a vibe of being a tight knit community when it comes to techno, is this true?
Manchester is a very tight knight community in the sense that it's not actually that big, so you get to know everybody pretty quickly. I would say it's the same as everywhere, certain groups of people really help to push each others sound, and others don't (laughs).
Is Manchester where you plan to stay?
For the foreseeable future yes, but who's knows what is around the corner. If the opportunity comes up to do something else in a different place we are not the sort of people who would ever say never.
Wireman was the first release on your new label Inner Surface Music. How long have you had plans for ISM and how did it all come together?
We had been in touch with Wireman for about 3 years and we've been holding those tracks tight for a long time. We had always wanted to start a label and the opportunity came up to start one last year with Tom Dicicco, we all felt the time was right to get things moving. We had talked about some ideas and what we felt was going to be the right direction for the label to move in aesthetically and sonically. So we were already on the same page when it came it choosing tracks and artwork etc. We all like very similar styles of music and we all have a very similar ethos when it comes to music so there wasn't too much to work out.
B2 Wireman - To the Sleeper by innersurfacemusic
What plans do you have for the label?
As we are all 100% vinyl when we DJ, the label is only going to be vinyl only. The next Inner Surface Music 002 will come from ourselves and should be coming out within the next 2 months, later in the year we will also have an EP coming from Tom Dicicco. We have some great EPs planned for next year already, we want to keep people guessing so watch this space.
Tell us about your relationship with Tom Dicicco.
We met Tom a few years ago through Eastern Bloc Records in Manchester. He gave us a copy of his first EP on Baud and from there we became really good friends. As we said Tom's into very similar music and has a very similar ethos to us when it comes to DJing and production, so we all hit it off very quickly. A very talented guy and an all round nice bloke.
Black Sun Records 002 recently dropped. Tell us about those 3 productions and how your involvement came about with BSR.
We had our first Horizontal Ground release in August last year and had been sending loads of material to Jeff, the label owner. He wanted to take quite a few of the tracks off us but he felt like these productions were too hard for the Horizontal Ground label. So he asked us if he could pass them on to Black Sun Records on our behalf, so everything stemmed from that. The A side and B1 on that record are alot more traditional techno than some of our other deeper chord driven tracks, but they are essentially us making techno similar to the styles we grew up listening and dancing too in the club.
Do you guys have more plans for work with BSR?
There has been nothing planned as yet, but we will certainly hope to have some new material out with them in the future.
AnD ep Black Sun Records BSR02 clips by AnD
How is the dynamic between you two in the studio.
We work well as a duo, as one of us is extremely calm and relaxed and the other is very impatient, this tends to work very well. (laughs) We spend alot of time writing together and we also write a lot individually, we always throw all of our ideas into the one pot, that way you are always twice as creative. Plus it's always nice having someone else to bounce ideas around rather than getting stuck in rut, when you've listened to a set of elements on loop for 20 hours it's very easy to lose the plot. The best thing about working as a duo though is that you get to share the experiences with someone else who also happens to be your best friend.
Do the two of you work on any solo material.
No.
You opened proceedings for Frozen Borders Klubnacht at Berghain in March of this year. How was it and how did you go about opening Berghain? That set time can allow for quite a bit of experimentation.
Playing at Berghain was the best experience we've ever had DJing! The club, the staff, the crowd and of course the sound system are all amazing, it was very special and something we really hope that we have the opportunity to do again. There was no plan, we packed two record bags worth of tracks that we love and from there it was all working completely off the vibe that we got from the crowd. We don't think you can plan for a gig like Berghain as the place has a life of its own and you just have to go with what feels right at the time.
Did you make it to the end Sunday?
One did, one didn't. Long story! (laughs)
Psq006 clips AnD ep with Tom Dicicco Remix by AnD
In may of last year FACT Magazine interviewed Frozen Border, a label shrouded in secrecy in which it made a statement about its roster “At the moment it’s 6 artists and I have never met one of them in person, so I would say it’s quite a loose collective” How is it to work with mysterious labels such as Frozen Border and Black Sun Records?
The reason why we first contacted Frozen Border / Horizontal Ground was because we loved the music that they had released. I think the one thing a lot of people forget these days is that if the music is good who cares who releases it, makes it or plays it. If the music is good enough it will stand up by itself. Too many DJ's and producers are only interested in being superstars whenactually they aren't, they are just ordinary people who happen to write music or play other peoples tracks. We think Frozen Border, Horizontal Ground and Black Sun Records all work as mysterious labels because the music is good. If it wasn't, no body would care.
Dubstep seems to influence British techno producers most. You have just released on Project Squared which dabbles in stepped styles, should we be expecting anything different to what you have previously produced?
Our first release back in 2009 was actually a dubstep and techno influenced track on Mindset Recordings, so we have actually been writing dubstep and techno for a while now. The release on Project Squared does lean more towards dubstep, but what people perceive as dubstep and what we perceive as dubstep can be two completely different things. We are really happy with the EP and have been getting some great support from people like Surgeon, Lucy and Forward Strategy Group. It also features a great remix from Tom Dicicco as well.
Whats next for AnD?
We have some great EPs lined up for the rest of the year with Inner Surface Music, Sect, Hidden Hawaii Ltd, Idle Hands, Krill and more. Apart from that we will be working hard in the studio on some new material and playing lots of great parties.
What is you favourite tea?
Chai
Minus the chiselled jaw line I’m not sure if it is possible for anyone to be any more techno than Fachwerk insider Sascha Rydell.
Rydell belongs to a city where it’s not out of the ordinary for a cab ride, falafel house or convenience store to be soundtracked by minimal mixtapes from the early 2000’s or Jeff Mills. Rydell like many Berliners has experienced the cultivated swing of Berlin's club scene and has seen first hand illegal basement raves now become events listed on Lonely Planet’s travel guide.
This is a good thing insists Sascha, who in his twenties frequented clubs like WMF, Tresor, E-Werk and Walfisch with two chaps known as Roman Lindau and Mike Dehnert, friends he now considers brothers. The three together have helped create and develop a definitive Berlin sound, aesthetic and ethic with influences harking back to the scuffled dub templates of Basic Channel.
Rydell's ability to blend dubby Berghain tackle with deeply reflective grooves and ponderous chords is what makes the Fachwerkian Sascha Rydell so perfect to listen too. TEA caught up with our production dreamboat to talk of his love for the French, the Sascha Rydell remix and life outside of Fachwerk.
How has your 2011 been so far?
So far this year has been pretty good. It started out with our label night at the Berghain, followed by several showcases in Europe which received a great reception. Mike, Roman and I finally performed togther as a three piece. At the moment that kind of live act is reserved for exclusive events. Roman and I also started working with Octopus booking agency and I am really optimistic about my future with them.
In terms of releasing music, how prolific do you plan to be? Are you happy with the amount of material you are releasing at the moment?
I am happy with the amount of music I am producing right now, but I am planning to step it up to a higher level since getting some great feedback for my Marmonner release. I am very strict in what I release, every piece I produce owns a part of my soul which expresses experiences I've gained through music over the past ten years. I like to consider my music as an art form rather than something disposable.
Will any Sascha Rydell material see a home outside of Fachwerk?
Yes. I can imagine it happening and I'm pretty sure it will. Of course it is always a challenge to publish music for a different label as you must take into account everything that specific label stands for whilst expressing your own sound. The most important thing is that the label suits me and that I fit the label. If people are interested and the timing is right then I would certainly be excited about working with others.
Will we ever witness a Sascha Rydell remix?
Oh yeah, absolutely! There is always something special about doing a remix. Getting the chance to interpret a track in your own way is a huge honor. When remixing someone's work there has to be a connection between the track and myself. You have to feel it, otherwise you won’t be able to put all your thoughts into the production. You have to fully trust that song.
Tell us a bit about your relationship with Mike Dehnert and Roman Lindau. Mike is the boss and Roman is the joker, does this leave you somewhere in the middle?
We are all friends through our passion for making good music, especially electronical music. We were all born in Berlin and grew up together doing your usual teen stuff. We used to go clubbing at WMF, Tresor, E-Werk and Walfisch during our twenties, we used to take so much away from these nights. We were not necessarily restricted to techno but also Hip Hop, Jazz , Soul and so on. You can still hear those influences in most of our tracks, there is always something groovy and housy in them. Berlin was really exciting during the nineties, totally different from what it is now. We have all developed with the city of Berlin over the past 20 years. Regarding Mike, Roman and myself, we have a great relationship, fitting each other perfectly. There is this confident feeling between the three of us, like being brothers. So I guess if I am in the middle of the two I should be referred to as the gentleman of the group.
How does the dynamic work between the three of you?
Even though we are completely different, we all have the same taste and the same understanding of producing a track, therefore complementing each other perfectly. We catch up once a week for discussions on the label and new tracks, we also help each other out with our work and in doing so makes sure anything that we release is best for the label. In the end our diversity is reflected in the Fachwerk sound. Each of us bring our own individuality to the label and there are no limits set by anybody, not even by Mike, the initiator, founder and Motor of the label.
Tell us a bit about Sascha Rydell pre 2009. What were your influences and how did you get into production Was it a long process?
Electronic music has always been present in my life, you couldn’t escape growing up in Berlin. In the middle of the nineties I bought myself a turntable and haven't taken my hands off it since. Over time I happened to play in a few different clubs around Berlin and producing was a direct consequence of this, I wanted to make my thoughts on music a reality. At the beginning of 2000 I started focusing on producing, first just putting simple loops together until my first “real” track was released in 2007.
You used to throw parties in Berlin. How was that and how do you find the Berlin scene now compared to when you were throwing your own parties?
Berlin always has been special, very different from other cities. There is a special flair, people were much more ingenious and most of them local. All the parties were really underground and the locations were not more than construction areas with some kind of basement. Nowadays, everything is much more organised, gone are the times of illegal clubs and parties. Clubs and parties are bigger now and more open to the public. Most of the clubs are even mentioned in “Lonely Planet” which is great. A lot of creative people come to Berlin and keep up its culture by just living it up.
Music is not yet your full time job. Is it something you would like to make full time?
At the moment I do have a full time job. So far both my music and job are working very well together, even though I sometimes wish I had more time for music. But right now both complement each other. It’s like my job is balancing out the creative part of my mind, it works the other way too. This may change but only time will tell.
Your Serrage EP was by far TEA’s favourite release of 2010. It was an EP of four quarters with the mechanical Contraire and peak time Rude interlaced between the deeper and dubbier approaches of Cette Nuit and A Plus Tard. Was this something you sat down to specifically create, an EP of four quarters?
What I always find exciting when buying records is finding different tracks for different moments. This was a mindset that influenced the tracks on Serrage. When putting together an EP I try to choose a selection of different tracks that will make for an interesting record. This was a goal of mine when producing the Serrage EP. Besides, I don't only want to serve just one genre, I like Techno, House and Dub, the records I make should show that.
You seem to have an affiliation with the French, alluded too by many of your track titles. What is the connection there?
It's simple. We all just love the French accent and so we often use the French language. It started with the track French Lesson that Mike and I produced together on the Colombage EP.
Does this mean that your label night in Paris was a special one?
Oh Paris was great. It was such a great time with people dancing and having fun, it was so crowded. We always look forward to playing in Paris. We love the city and its people, going there always gives us the chance of meet other DJ's as well as catching up with friends, it was great chatting to DJ Deep that night, we had an awesome time.
Fachwerk has been on the road so to speak in 2011. How has the reaction been to Fachwerk’s label nights outside of Berlin.
We look forward to each label night. It’s always a lot of fun for us to spend time in the clubs, be surrounded by great music and nice people as well as play together. So far the previous label nights this year have been a huge success. I think this proves to us that what we have been doing is turning into a success, this is rewarding as we there is so much passion involved. We can take people on a journey with one a night full of Fachwerk. During those label nights the co-operation between the three of us works the same way as our friendship, we complement each other perfectly. Like I have said, we are influenced by a range of different genres and I think this reflects in our DJ sets. There are some more label nights planned for the second half of the year and we are looking forward to London and ADE in Amsterdam in October.
What’s next for Sascha Rydell?
Fachwerk 19 - Lot De Deux by Roman and Fachwerk 20 - Bricolage by Mike Fachwerk has just been released and upcoming is Fachwerk 21 is due soon. Other then that I am going to contine to work on the live act. I have a lot of ideas in my head so I look forward to seeing what I come up with.
What is your favourite tea?
Fachwerk tea
