track by track -brandt brauer frick

Brandt Brauer Frick have become highly recognised for their ethos of combining machine and hand-made music. Well known for fusing classical and techno, including having a ten-piece ensemble playing dance music live. Their upcoming release will be the latest installment of the !K7’s lauded DJ-Kicks series and the trio’s attitude towards music takes shape in the way that they handle the mix. The boys in Berlin took some time to talk us through some of the key tracks they’ve curated for the release, due out on 24th February…

A song that never loses up-to-dateness, as long as we don’t achieve a global world piece… Germany is unfortunately not included in this address to the world, but it should be, as it’s failing big time in European and World politics.

This moment when somebody uses new technology and dares to use it very freely is breathtaking. Onyeabor made so personal combinations of elements in Nigeria in the 70s, that the tension can still be felt decades later.

Max is one of the freshest musical minds from Berlin coming up in the last years. Even when he is more housy and functional like in this track, he puts it together with so much soul, unorthodox approach and attention to detail that it becomes more than just a normal club track. The way any element is slightly wonky on the beat…

We’re releasing this song and another of his on vinyl with a Glenn Astro remix on our own label The Gym. And he’ll release his debut album close after on Tartelet Records.

This blows us away. Even if a proper beat never comes in, it keeps you craving over all its length. And meanwhile you end up totally hypnotized and floating 1cm above the floor. A masterpiece from this new duo from Singapur, who are soon to present a bunch of new material.

Maybe the heart of our mix. This Underground Resistance classic has such a strong and direct message, to take your life into your own hands and to open up towards changes. A song that brings a whole room together, turning a party into a spiritual get-together…make your transition.

Such a special producer, whose music touches many contexts but manages not to step into any of them completely. Can also bring to mind some of the best early 4Hero sometimes. The R&B vibe makes it very emotional and addictive…

Thundercat makes us believe that Jazz is not entirely dead. His psychedelic approach is more futuristic than almost anything right now. A great virtuoso who – unlike most other virtuosos – finds a very clear and direct way of expression. Anybody who can needs to see him live with his band.

His gig at Berghain Kantine was probably the best thing we saw in 2013. Dean Blunts presence on stage and on recorded medium transcends our listening habits. After getting into his music, you can’t stand any singer who seems to imitate somebody else’s feelings instead of being himself. We chose this song as the rather melancholic farewell song of our mix.

James Braun from Copenhagen is a producer we’ve been working with several times in the last years. We released his track “606 n Rock n Roll” on our label and also made an Ensemble version of it. “Wooden Knuckles” has a similar charm, a mean chromatic bass hook that doesn’t give you a chance to escape. And then it crawls all around you… One of the real peak time techno moments on our mix.

We stumbled upon Glenn Astro through several mutual friends, also his buddy Max Graef. He has that certain alchemy in which weirdly quantized elements come together so naturally and lift you up. “How I Miss You” is one of the sunniest songs in the mix. His way of producing house music makes you wanna listen deeper into something that you already thought to know.

Our main contribution to the mix. Plus two rather toolish and dark pieces and several little piano and percussion elements that we added to other tracks. It’s boring to try to describe your own music.. But watch our video for the track!