»Wir wollen im Bass baden, der muss brummen, wie Lastwagen« (We want to bathe in the bass; it’s got to rumble like a lorry), sang Denyo – one third of the still unbeatable Hamburg based hip-hop trio Beginner – in his 2001 solo track »60Hz«. At around the same time, the duo Modeselektor released their first 12″, »In Loving Memory«, making it unmistakably clear that they, too, preferred to splash about in hefty low frequencies.
A great deal has happened since then: the Berlin duo of Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary have produced two albums, countless 12″s and remixes, and toured the planet with stars such as Radiohead. Their sound has never amounted to a concession to any single genre. Instead, they have always juggled hip-hop, techno, IDM, UK bass and indie with playful unpredictability. At the centre, bass has always revolved – at times harmonic, at times disharmonic, always voluminous and overwhelming. On their third album Monkeytown, it remains the motor.
Stylistically, Modeselektor once again meander from hip-hop to techno to dubstep and indie electronics. This time, too, guests such as Apparat, Miss Platnum, Anti Pop Consortium, Busdriver, Otto von Schirach and Thom Yorke are singing on the record. And they do so with such commitment that one immediately senses none of them was simply hired in. How do you make such twisted, hard-to-classify music without sounding overthought? How is it that a British rock star like Thom Yorke appears on a Modeselektor album for the second time? Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary gave us a brief answer.
You both look relaxed. Wasn’t it stressful producing an album for your own label, Monkeytown Records, for the first time?
Modeselektor: It actually went quite well. We’ve got a small army looking after us so we don’t go mad. The harder part was sticking to the time limits we imposed on ourselves. We really pushed ourselves to the limit there. The whole record was made in eleven crazy weeks.
And with lots of guest vocalists … did you ask for them deliberately, or are they all friends of yours who just got involved spontaneously?
Modeselektor: All of the vocal features came about naturally, because all the artists are friends of ours. But really, the whole album came out of a feeling. There was no concept. We were just glad that suddenly we had so many songs. Even the final tracklisting was purely a gut decision. We only left out the tracks that felt too overthought.
»Thom Yorke came to Berlin, took his shoes off in our studio and played guitar barefoot.«
Thom Yorke from Radiohead – a friend as well?
Modeselektor: We’ve actually known him since 2003, when we first played with Radiohead. But he’s not only a friend, he’s also a fan of ours. At some point we sent him sketches and asked him to sing over them. He sent one track back with a new kick drum. That’s when we knew: we need to meet. Then he came to Berlin, took his shoes off in our studio and played guitar barefoot. The songs he appears on aren’t really pure Modeselektor tracks, but a collaboration between the three of us.
You’re especially in demand in Great Britain. Why is that? Is it your understanding of bass?
Modeselektor: For us, Great Britain is the most innovative stronghold when it comes to new music. We’re one of the few German acts that are genuinely appreciated in the UK bass camps. A lot of the artists on our label work well there too. Some of them even come from Britain. And yes – our success on the island probably does come down to our bass. When we start a new track, we always put enough bass into it and push it right to the edge of what’s possible. That’s our horsepower. Bass is our engine. But not in a way that only works in the club. Our music should work brilliantly in the car as well. That’s why we always test new tracks in the car and drive through Berlin. If all we do is stare at the road – everything’s fine.
Earlier on, your tracks often emerged out of live situations. Was that the case with Monkeytown too?
Modeselektor: No, not a single track came out of the stage situation. In the past, we used to collect loops from concerts and turn them into tracks. This time it was pure studio work.
And how should one imagine that?
Modeselektor: We’re not musicians who have a form in our heads. We value chance. Quite often you end up somewhere you never meant to go. We like that. It keeps everything loose. You can hear that on the new album too. The record isn’t polished for success. There’s only one real techno track on it. There could have been more, but that felt too much for us. We wanted to be intense without being exhausting. We’ve also got three hip-hop tracks and three indie tracks on the record. We can dance at every wedding. Ideally, we’d love it if record shops created a Modeselektor section of their own, because every artist should have an individual signature.
