Everyone should know by now that Get Physical is one of the best music labels in the world! Well, that may be an exaggeration on our part, primarily because we’re big fans of all of their artists, but they really are a force to be reckoned with. One Get Physical act recently put out their sixth studio album and are currently on a colossal tour. The German electro house duo, Booka Shade, has recently released one of their best albums yet, More!, featuring their signature electronic percussion, a trademark in their live shows.
Clubplanet recently caught up with Booka Shade’s Arno Kammermeier and chatted about their latest album, their current tour in the U.S. and the difference between electronic music in the U.S. compared to that of Europe.
Clubplanet: How has the year treated you so far?
Arno Kammermeier: This year is very exciting! We recently released our new album, More!, and the world tour started off with a big festival round in Australia, followed by our own club shows throughout Europe, where we performed the album. It's great to play the songs from the album live and get the feedback from the audience.
Clubplanet: Congratulations on the release of your latest album. What was your production approach to More! in the studio compared to your other albums?
Arno Kammermeier: In general, our mood in the studio was a lot more "up." The pressure we felt during The Sun & The Neon Light had gone because we realized that we could progress and attract more and more people to come to our shows. We could also work our way up on the line-ups of festivals without copying ourselves. The great thing about The Sun & The Neon Light is that it opened us up to an additional audience, it made a step out of the club. People like Yello, the Swiss electronic pioneers, worked with us on the new album because they loved The Sun & The Neon Light.
Clubplanet: What would you say is the all-encompassing theme to the album?
Arno Kammermeier: We tried to capture a lot of the energy of our live shows; that's what many people know us for. The album takes you through the night and gives you the energy and emotion of club tracks, but in a way that's enjoyable to listen to at home, too. The songs are rather short, without the long groove intros and outros. We have that for the club mixes of course, which are for the DJs. The album (and the night) starts with the high energy song "Havana Sex Dwarf" and ends very positively with a beautiful sunny morning with "This Is Not the Time."
Clubplanet: You're currently on a massive tour that has taken you from Europe to the U.S. then back to Europe later. What are some of your favorite cities to play in the U.S.?
Arno Kammermeier: We've played many of the major cities like NYC, LA, San Francisco and Miami before. This time we also play regions where we've never been before, like Red Rocks or Sasquatch Festival. That's always exciting because you meet completely new audiences. And it'll be fantastic to play Detroit's Electronic Music Festival again. We played there before in 2007 and the audience was awesome. Some other memories to keep: Lollapalooza in Chicago (we've been the only electronic act on the rock line up), and Coachella. Also, our shows at the Fillmore Theatre in NYC.
Clubplanet: When it comes to electronic music, what's the main difference between producers in the U.S. compared to those in Europe?
Arno Kammermeier: In house and techno, there's no real difference anymore. You can find great Chicago house producers in Berlin and producers from the States, such as Dubfire, produce a very international sound, not a typical US sound. In R&B, it may be different; everything's focused on the bass. You wouldn't believe what superbly sounding demos we receive from Eastern Europe! Techno and house have become a global sound.
Clubplanet: You guys are from Berlin, one of the coolest cities in the world. How much of an impact do your surroundings there have on your music?
Arno Kammermeier: Berlin is a cool city to live in; it's extremely creative. Artists from all over the world move here because the cost of living is quite cheap... and this city never sleeps, especially in terms of partying. You can go partying 24/7. Many people find this quite attractive. But for us, because we travel so much, it's quite rare that we go out to clubs like Watergate or Panorama Bar when we're in Berlin. If we're not spending time in the studio, we'd rather go to a good restaurant or be in a park with the family.
Clubplanet: Get Physical is definitely one of the best music labels in the world when it comes to tastemakers that know their groove. How would you describe the Get Physical sound to someone who's never heard of it?
Arno Kammermeier: Maybe... "science fiction house"? So many names were used to describe the sound of Get Physical: disco, electro house, minimal. The sound of course constantly changes over the years. It's our great wish to not stand still, but always try out new sounds and styles. That's why we're very eager to always hear new demos from producers.
Clubplanet: What's on your agenda for the remainder of the year?
Arno Kammermeier: We'll be touring the globe with More!, and after the U.S. we'll play many of the biggest festivals in Europe. After that, we'll go to Australia again.