Hi there. Can you start with a description of the two of you, and maybe some background story about what first drew you towards production?
Yeah well we are brothers, 5 years apart in age difference. Since we were young we have had a lot in common, with similar interests and tastes in music. Both of us have had various influences on each other over the years , inspiring each other in many ways as brothers do who spend a lot of time together. We were drawn to Music production back in 1997 when we were both living in Japan at a time. We had the opportunity to experience and hear some amazing music while we were there. Japan as we know is the Mecca for electronics so it was there where it all started, where we brought our first bit of studio equipment. MC303, Nord lead 1, Novation Bass station, Mackie mixer and some outboard Reverb & Delay Fx Racks. Our very first Productions were made only with this kit with no computer PC's. All sequenced and recorded Live to DAT tape.. Was awesome!
Do you have any formal musical training?
No neither of us have any real formal training. Barton had a few Piano lessons when he was a kid. We've learnt all we know as we've gone along the past 10 or so years. Its been a real hands on learn as you go experience. Both of us have really tuned our ears to know what Chords and harmonies work together. Some of our formally trained Musician friends have said to us in the past that our chord structures and progressions, in theory should just not work? If it feels right then go with it! No rules no boundaries!! Thats our Motto!
Do you make a living making music?
We make a pretty good living with our music. Touring is how we make most of income along with advances and royalties on record sales. We both gave up the day job a couple of years ago and now were in the studio Monday- Friday 10am ish - 5pm ish. We treat making music like a real job. Although its not a Job nor task for us to do this. We both get a lot of pleasure and the rewards from it are endless. We are both very committed and determined to what we do and we are definitely living the dream! We also work on commercial projects, designing theme's for TV shows, Jingles and Sound FX etc. A few of those jobs throughout the year bump the Bank account up just nicely :)
It’s around 10 years since you had your first track released. You started out with the psychedelic progressive trance sound, and then your music gradually got slower and more house and techno-influenced. What will you say were your main motivators behind this development of your sound?
Yeah we started out definitely with a lot of Psychedelic trance influences. But we never really produced that sound. We took Ideas and Elements from that music and put our own angle on it. We really loved the Phat rolling bass lines, hypnotic melodies, Emotive atmospherics and intricate Hi hats & percussion.
Since then our taste and style of production hasn't really changed to much. We still like to keep it deep & phat with infectious percussive grooves.. Over the years our tempos have slowed from 145 bpm (Our first productions) to a nice easy 122-127 bpm range...We love this tempo, you can really hear and feel so much more in the space that these slower tempos create. Its been a very natural progression getting to where we are these days. We'd put it down to all the musical influences we have been exposed to over the years and naturally maturing in our productions. Getting older has definitely been a key factor in us hanging out in these slower bpm realms ;)
If we look beyond your own music for a moment, what music is for you the most interesting, inspiring and /or enjoyable at the moment?
Pixies rocked it on friday night! There is so much interesting music out there. couldn't really say what type of sound is more or less enjoyable. Listen to a lot of Rock, Downbeat, New Wave, Alternative country, Jazz, the list goes on.... We draw inspiration from everything that tickles our fancy really.
A lot of the readers out there probably already know that the two of you are brothers. Do you think that this fact has an influence on the music that you make and how you work in the studio?
Yeah for sure because we are brothers we make the music we make and have what we have in the studio environment. Most of the time we have a pretty good synergy going on in the studio. We get each others vibes and ideas with out to much effort. If one of us is feeling it wil be almost certain the other is feeling it also. The amount of time we spend together there is no wonder its like this. know each other pretty well. We do need time apart a lot to keep this all flowing. Its not always easy spending so much time together as anyone in a close relationship would know especially when in business and working creatively together.
Ok, now let’s concentrate on your new 4th Antix-album on Iboga Records. What has been your motivation behind the album, and how would you describe the sound on the album compared with your earlier works?
Yep # 4! very pleased to be working on this new one which we hope will be a real treat for people. This album is going to be more of a showcase of ourselves as Electronic musicians. This Album reflects a lot of our influences and tastes in music. You could say its more of an Artist's album that tells a story and has a journey from the begging to the end. This album will come out on CD and will be seamlessly mixed together to create just that. The listener can press play sit back and enjoy the ride taking in all tracks as a whole musical experience, but could also skip through if wanting to play the individual tracks. Our last albums we think were more of a compilation of Dance floor tunes designed more for the Dj with less focus on the flow and continuity from the first track to the last. We have taken a more traditional approach to the creation of this Album.
With your Fiord-project you’ve recently appeared on more widely known labels like Audio Therapy and Global Underground. Why did you decide to still stay with Iboga Records on your new album?
We've been with Iboga from the start really and it has grown with us. The new album is very suited still to the Iboga vibe, both Emok and Banel really love what we do and there is no reason to leave. Plus we are all very good friends. If its not broken why fix it.
Concerning the Fiord-project; you released the first track under that name some years ago. Why did you choose to start this project?
We wanted to break into a different market. Being the techno/house genres so in order to do this we had to start something new. Similar to what Son Kite did with Minilogue. It stops you alienating your fans and gives you a fresh canvas to go in new directions. And we are achieving some great results, so the plan is working.
Looking back on the 10 years you’ve been releasing music, which releases/tracks/remixes are you most proud of today, and which have had the biggest impact on your career?
The first track we ever released "Rainstick" was obviously very important for us. It broke us into the scene and had good success. Then our first album "Lull" for Iboga. Some people say we bought progressive trance/house into the scene, the scene was at that time quite fast and intense. These days its hard to pin point any, as we are really proud of all our work and don't release anything that is sub standard in our eyes. Another very popular track was the "Hiding Place" the remix we did for Rheen Shian.
You’ve played in many parts of the world during the last many years. What clubs, parties and events have been the most memorable?
Japan is a favourite place for us to visit, we have played at Womb there, wicked place. Also in Brazil, playing to 12000 people in the morning and catching a private plane to another gig where there was 15000 people waiting. Was quite the rush. Other than that we love the Rainbow Serpent in Australia and the Ozzy crowds rock!
Looking beyond the new album, what are your plans for the future?
Both of us are still really enjoying the music making. We want to continue pushing the boundaries, working with respected clubs and labels. Both Fiord and Antix have been going very well, with lots of support from all the big Djs. We want to continue these relationships and gain more success.
How about the future of the “scene”? What do you hope (or maybe even fear) the future will bring when it comes to electronic music?
The scene is growing all the time, there is nothing to fear there, I guess the bigger the audience the bigger the support so its all good. We hope that people will still like our music and we hope that they are gonna enjoy the new album as much as we have making it. We hope we get lots of bookings and get to see more of this world. Thanks for all your support!!!
