Zone Magazine Issue 011 - Paul Oakenfold

feature interview [germany]
Steffen Neuhaus & Stefan Helmke
are Hanne & Lore, the German duo that
has been doing its own house thing for
years now. Over the time they have
headed up their own parties, label and
even ran a record shop, all the while
DJing and producing increasingly
influential sounds.
Taking inspiration from 80's and 90's
life as much as music – e.g. the fashion,
skating, video games and home
computing of those decades – Hanne &
Lore have played at esteemed clubs like
Watergate in Berlin as well as on many
festivals such as Amsterdam Dance Event,
Nature One, Rave on Snow and Nation of
Gondwana, among others.
Often committing drums, vocals or melodies
to iPhone apps, this German pair’s music is a
collage of sounds, sketches and snippets
recorded on the road and during every day life
that are then reworked in their studio into
tracks like the recent tech house of ‘WhatIF’,
released on Kitball Records. To date their
considered material has been released on labels
including Monaberry, Terminal M, already
mentioned Kittball and Snatch Records, and the
two-some have also been called in to remix
artists like Super Flu, Lexy & K-Paul, Monkey
Safari, Tube & Berger, Andhim and a multitude
of others. In 2013 Hanne & Lore founded their
own label, Heulsuse. With their latest EP on
Kittball Records, impressive podcasts and some
fresh stuff in the pipeline, Hanne & Lore are as
essential and influential now as they have ever
been.
How was your Festival experience this
year? How did it compare to prior years?
We played a lot of interesting Festivals like in
the years before. It’s always a pleasure to play
open air and enjoy this special feeling. It’s really
awesome to recognise how much love and
afford organizers, mostly of the smaller
festivals, put in the event itself. Nevertheless
many open airs have been cancelled this year
due to the bad weather…unpredictable weather
seems to be the new german summer
dimension. But hey, we have to deal with it. By
the way - You’ll find some festival feeling and
some of our recorded live sets on our
soundcloud page.
Your wildest moment in the booth in 2016
so far?
It happened in august at a private party – a
secret spot - exceedingly crazy party crowd in
indescribably party mood - every 5 minutes
somebody stumbled over our floor monitor
speakers or fell over on the dance floor. But all
that in best humor - a real freakshow of a
techno party. Fortunately there are still some
months left for more party madness. Really
looking forward to the upcoming club-season
already.
You just released your WHATIF EP on
Kittball Records. What went into its
inspiration and creation?
It was like always - turning on the gear and
started improvising and jamming. The 70’s
string hit was very inspiring - so it was clear
that "WhatI" would get a special touch of
summer feeling in the end. The B Track called
"Luna Sqaure" was finished earlier than the A-
Side indeed and includes some fresh summer
vibes as well. We recommend some freshly
squeezed pineapple juice, while enjoying this
beauty.
You have worked with guys like Thomas
Schumacher, Ramon Tapia and Monkey
Safari in the past. Are you down with all
these guys, too?
For sure, we see all of them during the year
while we are touring. It’s always a pleasure to
meet such nice guys and respectable artists. We
always have a drink or two and spent some time
together.
You delivered a massive output of
mixtapes and podcasts over the last few
months. Soundspace, Electronic Beats,
Whenwedip – just to name a few. What’s
your secret to maintain the quality in high
level?
While the listening behavior is changing
mixes and podcasts get more and more
important. We’re really happy to work with
these great blogs and magazines and deliver
good mix sessions. And on the other hand it
gives us the possibility to express ourselves in
different styles to different audiences.
Sometimes a little smoother and other times
more clubby or straight to the floor. But all in all
we love to work together on a mix and digging
the tunes out for it.
You’ have been in Ibiza this summer – how
are the crowd and isle this year?
As always Ibiza has that special feeling that’s
hard to explain – everybody is free and mad for
a unique party time - you have a huge property
of parties with big line-up's every day & you
have an unbelievable open minded crowd. So
spinning there is always a special moment of
the summertime. Besides this it’s always nice to
meet other artists and to find inspiration at the
beach or while cruising.
How is the scene in your country,
especially in Berlin, doing in your eyes?
Berlin is still the place to be for electronic
musicians. More than any other city in Europe,
probably around the globe. The number of
parties every day is still incredible and the lineups
are top notch. And there are so many
groundbreaking clubs and interesting venues.
Next to this some of the most innovative
software and studiogear companies are in town.
Besides the music scene Berlin offers an
incredible street art movement, so you are able
to explore the city everyday a new experience.
What gear do you use in the studio? Any
particular plugins or pieces of hardware
you are using in the cave for shaping your
typical Hanne & Lore style?
It's a mixture of hard & software - for
example; Roland Juno 106, SH 2000, CR 8000,
JX3P, some Yamaha, moog and AKAI stuff like
Advanced 49 Master keyboard. A special toy is
the emulator 2 - this has always been an
unrealizable dream of our childhood.
For someone who hasn’t explored one of
your DJ sets, what sort of style can they
expect?
Just have a try! It's sort of deep/tech house
that will make you dance immediately! You
should check out our social media channels and
explore our sets. Let the music speak for itself.
What can we expect from Hanne & Lore the
next months?
Many groovy sets and even more rocking
dance floors! Our latest remix for Djuma
Soundsystem has been really housey and
sunney side up. Actually we are working on a
little bit more darker sounds. Some more
releases are planned already and you will have
the possibility to enjoy them very soon.
Connect:
http://www.facebook.com/hanneundlore
Words By Lars Kämmerer
Pics By Urs Siedentop
ESSENTIALDANCEMUSIC 43