LONDON, UK (www.fabriclondon.com/ www.tiefschwarz.net) - Tiefschwarz is two brothers, Ali and Basti Schwarz. They hail from Stuttgart in southern Germany, a bustling city famed for high-tech industry and car manufacturing. From the age of 17, encouraged by fun-loving parents, all they wanted to do was play music and party. From word-of-mouth events held in their own flat (which attracted up to 300 people) to squat raves and huge themed shows, they revelled in the spirit of adventure which engulfed an entire generation of German youth. They moved into clubs and were among the first promoters to attract the biggest names in US house – Mike Dunn, Tony Humphries and Masters at Work all played their nights. Those influences were plain to hear in their early production work too, as they started to tout their name by remixing tracks.
These days they're rooted in Berlin's counterculture and have mastered a deep, driving sound, rooted in techno, house and electro, that soundtracks clubnights across the world. A typical Tiefschwarz record starts where you least expect it and goes where you couldn't predict, employing the kind of sonic twists and tricks that make you laugh out loud on a dancefloor. Still driven by that sense of fun and family spirit, Tiefschwarz exhibit an energetic, uninhibited approach to 4/4 electronic music.
'We don't have a musical background, we have a party background. My parents loved to party, especially my father. He was always bringing old records and tape machines to parties. He was such an entertainer. He was into all kinds of music - pop music from the 50s, the Beatles, the Stones, classic music, everything. They loved to dance and they're very open-minded so that's why they are also our biggest fans. Our father died last year and that's still very sad. He was such a big influence and the most important person to us. He would often come touring with us and when we did really big parties, he'd be at the door hosting people. It's really sad, we miss him terribly. But the same with my mother, when she comes out on tour with us she's always on the dancefloor or opening the dancefloor. It's so sweet. She's amazing. We are so blessed to see the world through special eyes. We always come into a city where we're invited, where we're a guest. I created this term 'inner-circle tourism.' You're not coming as a tourist, you don't have to grab a book and read about the nice hotels, restaurants and museums…you come and people take you inside the scene, and that's something you never discover as a normal tourist. We have the chance to see the whole world through a different perspective. It's kind of a social study as well. I really love travelling so for me it's double the pleasure.' – Ali, Tiefschwarz
'Fabric 29' is a Tiefschwarz tour-de-force; a typically deranged and unhinged peak time set condensed into 70-odd power-packed minutes. The brothers work it out over fourteen tracks, perfectly placing their mixes to drain every bit of action from each emotive cut. As ever, the devil is in the details. Listen out for popping beats, warm basslines, strangled vocals, waves of EQ and floor-thumping rhythms. Too charged-up to be minimal, too clued-up to be commercial, this is Tiefschwarz in statement-making mood.
'We wanted to give a perspective of a Tiefschwarz DJ mix in one hour. For us, it was not about making an eclectic mix, we were much more interested in showing what interests us as a DJ team. That was the idea and how we selected the tracks. We thought it made most sense to do a DJ mix, because that's why we're at Fabric, that's why people hear us in Fabric, so we figured we'd follow that. It's out of the stomach.' – Ali, Tiefschwarz
Tracklisting
01 - LouderBach aka Troy Pierce – Grace (Anxiety)- Underl_ne
02 - Claude VonStroke – Who's Afraid of Detroit? - Dirtybird
03 - Tiefschwarz – Damage (M.A.N.D.Y. Remix) – Fine
04 - Theodor Zox – Extruder (Maetrik Remix) – Tic Tac Toe
05 - Touane – Bassic - Persona
06 - Thomas Schumacher – Rotor – Spiel Zeug
07 - Night On Earth – Rondell - Kickboxer
08 - GummiHz – A.A.K.N.Y. - Mobilee
09 - Ichundu – Hey - Souvenir
10 - Jamie Jones – Amazon – Freak 'N' Chic
11 - Sleeper Thief – Freefall – 64 Records
12 - Depeche Mode – John The Revelator (Tiefschwarz Dub) - Mute
13 - Riton – The Hammer of Thor - Souvenir
14 - Kate Wax – Beetles and Spiders (Roman Flügel Remix) – Mental Groove
