Page 43 - Zone Magazine Issue 011

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 line- ups 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
feature interview [germany]