1h 8 min
Freakin Podcast 43 - The Gemini Brothers Freakin Podcast
-
- Música
More house music goodness from the freakin podcast series. This edition comes straight out of Romania from the excellent Gemini Brothers. Here's a little interview with the guys:
What is the best thing about Romania? What is the scene like there?
TGB: We believe that Romania still has a lot to learn; from how to manage itself as a country - politically speaking, to music/ fashion/ art culture! We have an incredible country: lovely and generous people which is the great ingredient to comfortably living here, fantastic fairy tales places like Black Sea seaside or Carpathians mountains, folk art, lovely and fresh food (the vegetables are still organic and the sheep or goat cheese - telemea is incredible)!
Unfortunately, the music scene is quite small, if we refer to the entire Romania! But there is our capital Bucharest, which is in top with clubs and the clubbing scene, but Cluj or Timisoara are coming back with great clubs and the artists invited to play and perform!
The bars and clubs are quite pretentious and commercial seems to gain a lot of attention, probably like everywhere, where people are going out only to show their clothes and latest cars or iphones! Still the underground clubs comes with strong and heavy competition with big names from the scene and the crowed is warm and starts to be very knowledgeable in this house music culture!
Do you still live in Romania? Can your country be “heard” in your music?
TGB: Yes, we are based near Bucharest, just moved out from the big city madness at the country side, which is better for inspiration and healthy. No cars, no sirens, no sidewalks, just cats and dogs around!
We don't really use too many things from the Romanian folk traditional music; our inspiration is not quite Romanian. The Romanian folk music is multicultural, still popular and divided into regions, and the main and common instruments are violins, taragots (which was replaced by the saxophone lately), pipes, and accordions. There are as well big influences from the traditional music from tartars, Turkish and Bulgarian style and characterized by Balkans and Turkish rhythms. Maybe a little bit our drum parts have some small influence, but really small.
What would you say were the biggest influences on your music?
TGB: We listen a lot of music; from classical music (we have a rule by Monday to be the non-electronic music day), '70s psychedelic rock to ambient or hard techno. We're quite influenced these days by the acid techno from the 90s, some old Josh Wink or Baby Ford, but as well loving the 80s disco era. Nevertheless, some time ago we've produced some nu-funk releases and remixes, so James Brown, Johnny Hammond or Gil Scott Heron soul tracks were never missed in our iPod track-list. Lately we discovered more and more obscure artists and bands who were, in their side, been influenced by the Nordic disco from Todd Terje or Prins Thomas, as well Sir Andrew Weatherall or Ivan Smagghe have big places in our minds and souls for inspiration.
What are your favourite tracks of the moment?
TGB: (Ionut) - Gameboyz - Foco / (Razvan) - Pink Floyd - Echoes
You have only been releasing your own productions relatively recently, how long were you djing before this?
TGB: Well, we've started some time ago, in 2001, in one of the hottest places from Bucharest in those days, probably the best underground place ever - Web Club, which was owned by a Greek guy and friend of us. Here most of the old-skool DJs formed and performed. You could find here parties from hip-hop to techno or d’n’b. Lovely place and full of positive, inspirational, creative home! We used to play here only on vinyl, even if we didn't know at that time to sync too much, but was such a great fun and beautiful people!
The production side came in time, some part came from frustrations that without productions nobody knows you, some came from ambition to play and produce for (continued)
More house music goodness from the freakin podcast series. This edition comes straight out of Romania from the excellent Gemini Brothers. Here's a little interview with the guys:
What is the best thing about Romania? What is the scene like there?
TGB: We believe that Romania still has a lot to learn; from how to manage itself as a country - politically speaking, to music/ fashion/ art culture! We have an incredible country: lovely and generous people which is the great ingredient to comfortably living here, fantastic fairy tales places like Black Sea seaside or Carpathians mountains, folk art, lovely and fresh food (the vegetables are still organic and the sheep or goat cheese - telemea is incredible)!
Unfortunately, the music scene is quite small, if we refer to the entire Romania! But there is our capital Bucharest, which is in top with clubs and the clubbing scene, but Cluj or Timisoara are coming back with great clubs and the artists invited to play and perform!
The bars and clubs are quite pretentious and commercial seems to gain a lot of attention, probably like everywhere, where people are going out only to show their clothes and latest cars or iphones! Still the underground clubs comes with strong and heavy competition with big names from the scene and the crowed is warm and starts to be very knowledgeable in this house music culture!
Do you still live in Romania? Can your country be “heard” in your music?
TGB: Yes, we are based near Bucharest, just moved out from the big city madness at the country side, which is better for inspiration and healthy. No cars, no sirens, no sidewalks, just cats and dogs around!
We don't really use too many things from the Romanian folk traditional music; our inspiration is not quite Romanian. The Romanian folk music is multicultural, still popular and divided into regions, and the main and common instruments are violins, taragots (which was replaced by the saxophone lately), pipes, and accordions. There are as well big influences from the traditional music from tartars, Turkish and Bulgarian style and characterized by Balkans and Turkish rhythms. Maybe a little bit our drum parts have some small influence, but really small.
What would you say were the biggest influences on your music?
TGB: We listen a lot of music; from classical music (we have a rule by Monday to be the non-electronic music day), '70s psychedelic rock to ambient or hard techno. We're quite influenced these days by the acid techno from the 90s, some old Josh Wink or Baby Ford, but as well loving the 80s disco era. Nevertheless, some time ago we've produced some nu-funk releases and remixes, so James Brown, Johnny Hammond or Gil Scott Heron soul tracks were never missed in our iPod track-list. Lately we discovered more and more obscure artists and bands who were, in their side, been influenced by the Nordic disco from Todd Terje or Prins Thomas, as well Sir Andrew Weatherall or Ivan Smagghe have big places in our minds and souls for inspiration.
What are your favourite tracks of the moment?
TGB: (Ionut) - Gameboyz - Foco / (Razvan) - Pink Floyd - Echoes
You have only been releasing your own productions relatively recently, how long were you djing before this?
TGB: Well, we've started some time ago, in 2001, in one of the hottest places from Bucharest in those days, probably the best underground place ever - Web Club, which was owned by a Greek guy and friend of us. Here most of the old-skool DJs formed and performed. You could find here parties from hip-hop to techno or d’n’b. Lovely place and full of positive, inspirational, creative home! We used to play here only on vinyl, even if we didn't know at that time to sync too much, but was such a great fun and beautiful people!
The production side came in time, some part came from frustrations that without productions nobody knows you, some came from ambition to play and produce for (continued)
1h 8 min