Modeselektor interview
HUCK catches up with electronic act Modeselektor to get the lowdown on touring with Radiohead and losing a band member in Asia.
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Berlin duo Modeselektor, consisting of Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary, have been mixing their way into the hearts and minds of hedonistic club kids for almost a decade. Their effective combination of hip hop, electro and big bass techno has earned the group critical praise by the truckload.
The success of albums Hello Mom! and Happy Birthday! has cemented Modeselektor’s reputation as a groundbreaking electronic act and earned them some very influential friends such as Thom Yorke. The Radiohead frontman is so enamoured with the pair that he invited Moderat (a collaborative project between Modeselektor and German electronic musician Apparat) to support Radiohead on tour earlier this year.
HUCK took the opportunity to catch up with one half of the unstoppable hype machine, Gernot Bronsert.
HUCK: You have been touring and releasing material for over a decade. What essential comforts do you take on tour with you?
Gernot Bronsert: We always travel with a tour manager. This is a real comfort. She wakes us up, helps with getting ourselves dressed, she sometimes even plays our gigs if we don't feel like it - a real nanny! And we always have our own VJ from Pfadfinderei.
Moderat recently supported Radiohead. How was that experience?
Great! It's always nice to present your own music and visuals with amazing bands like Radiohead. We already toured with them in Japan when we did a Modeselektor tour, so it wasn't for the first time. But still exciting!
What is the craziest touring experience you have had during the last year?
We lost Sascha (Apparat) in Singapore! We had his passport and his phone but he was gone. After six days, he called from Malaysia where he chilled with a beautiful young girl at the beach. We actually thought that he got kidnapped or killed or whatever. Singapore is a tough place to be. Those were six worrying days.
Your last album was released in 2007. Do you have any plans to record another album?
We just started to prepare the production of a new Modeselektor album. A new studio will be build and a new espresso machine has to be bought. We will start this winter and finish it up in New York in spring, where we'll temporarily move. That's the plan so far. We’ll see…
You have worked with Thom Yorke and Maximo Park. Are there any artists you would like to work with but have not had the chance to yet?
There are many! But we'll keep it a secret for now.
How has the way you create music changed over the last ten years?
I don't know. The way we do music changes from month to month. There is no real secret behind it. We put our pants on one leg at a time…
What differences do you notice in nightclub culture in different countries? Are there some countries that stand out for a particular reason?
It always depends on the event itself. But if I think about it - Berliners and Scots are pretty crazy!
You are both known for your sense of humour? Do you know any good jokes?
We are, really? We actually hate being funny and telling jokes. What we really find funny are little animal babies, cotton candy, funny coloured hats, tight pants, scarves worn in a club, people who think they are important and financial crisis.
Modeselektor are currently on tour throughout Europe. For more details, visit their Myspace page.
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