By Emilia Navarro
Lately, Boston has seen a variety of electronic acts dominate clubs such as the Middle East Downstairs, Wonder Bar, and, just recently, the Magic Room. But none of these clubs have the capacity to withstand a major electronic act like the Royale does. Tonight, Modeselektor will grant Boston a visit from Berlin as they make their way across the U.S. in preparation for Coachella. Gernot Bronsert, one member of the playful duo, spoke to me wearing a classy fedora in his Berlin studio over Skype, with his partner, Sebastian Szary, hiding by his side. Their newest album, Monkeytown is an eclectic mixture of styles and sounds. Despite a widely held view that club music is one-dimensional, Modeselektor’s album demands audiences to reconsider.
Emilia Navarro: Are you excited for your North American tour?
Modeselektor: Yes! Very excited.
EN: What sort of techniques will you use for your live performances?
M: We are touring like a band so we have a visual artist, a VJ, and a light designer and a sound engineer and a tour manager. It’s basically based on two computers and a lot of little machines and visuals and lights. That’s it.
EN: I read that your album was finished in just 10 weeks. Describe a typical day in the studio during that time.
M: A typical day was we came here at 10 in the morning basically with coffee and cigarettes and, I don’t know, some sandwiches. Then we worked till like 3 or 4. And then we went home, had some quality time with the families and then we came back by night. Then worked till the morning, then slept for a few hours, then we came back to the studio. So we did that for 10 weeks. That was the only way to make it happen.
EN: Would you say your album has a central theme? It seems like an assortment of different techniques.
M: There are a lot of things around us that are influencing our music. We did this music in 10 weeks and they are connected to each other. They are all like brothers and sisters…I think it’s the only way people should make music. I think sometimes it’s dangerous to make music for a special market. You will lose your face and your identity. And that’s what we never wanted to do. It was not always for us to please the masses. It’s more about to be innovative and push things forward.
EN: Each track sounds like it was produced to perfection. How do you manage to master the multitude of equipment and software you use?
M: Actually this is something I’m curious about too, so, I have no idea. The thing is, you know, we are back in the studio now and we are recording some new music now, just since yesterday, and we have no clue how we made the last records…so we are listening to the songs from the last album as a reference. It’s weird. That’s like being on a rush.
EN: What prompted you to pursue so many collaborations?
M: When we started making the record we didn’t have an idea who would be on it. We had this song and we had the imagination to work with these guys and then we talked to them and then we got vocals for it…it’s like a natural flow, you know. There was no plan behind.
EN: Do you like working on collaborations or does it not really matter?
M: Exactly, it doesn’t really matter. I mean, I couldn’t imagine working alone. That wouldn’t be Modeselektor anymore. It’s the mix between us. We have our own language. We don’t even talk sometimes but we understand each other and we do things and we make music.
EN: I read your bio on your website and I found it especially interesting how growing up in Berlin during a momentous time in history had such a profound impact on your persona as well as the music that conveys it. Do you think you will ever leave the city that groomed you to your current artistic status?
M: We are so connected with this town. I mean, no, that’s not possible. I tried to move to New York just a year ago, two years ago, but it was just because I got confused and burned out and was just fed up with things. But then, you know, we are touring so much. We get really homesick usually and not because of our friends and sh*t, it’s more about this town. Berlin is not really beautiful and it’s not really nice. The people are not very friendly but they have a big heart and they know that they are here in a kind of special place. It’s still a special area here. This town is changing constantly and that’s what I like.
EN: Your bio mentions again and again that your music breaks boundaries, in more ways than one. Has this always been your goal?
M: I think the way is the goal, isn’t it? We just did our thing always, I don’t know. There’s no big strategy or idea behind. Of course we see what the others do but I think that the secret is that we love music—that’s it.
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