Snacks: “The Berlin techno syndicate still has a bounty on our heads”
Daina Dubauskaitė 2014-12-28 21:45
“Purdie”, the debut record of Berlin-based duo Snacks, came out just a few months ago. It has been doing really well – but even before the release date the guys – the ex-newzealander René Corbett and Aljoscha Babel – already knew what they will be doing for New Years eve. Vidis from Opium Club used his connections to book them for a party in Vilnius, and Snacks are looking forward. They even recorded a greetings video. That’s right below this paragraph, and after that there’s a small but impressive chat about what Snacks are all about. Nothing too serious, but tastes great.
How did the two of you meet?
Aljoscha: Hello first, we both met playing a round the table ping-pong match in a bar on a wild Tuesday night.
René: It was our favorite place to hang out. Beers cost only €1.80. We got talking, soon discovered we enjoyed similar music. Aljoscha asked me to play live drums for a show in Berlin and Snacks fully developed about a year later.
A: And the romance begins...
Are you best friends? Do you ever need to rest from each other?
R: Yes and yes.
A: After touring together for 1,5 years and as well sharing a studio and a flat together and the same passion, we can truly say we are best friends.
Where did you learn how to make music? Are you still learning?
R: My mum and dad started me off, and then high school bands with friends playing Nirvana covers. I also attended two music schools in New Zealand and have a bachelors degree in Jazz Music which is about as useful as a piece of toilet paper. And of course I'm still learning.
A: I've never really learned an instrument, my background is DJing, so I started with sampling, drum machines and groove boxes, but I started to teach myself the piano and I can read sheets, but I am still learning a lot.
When and how did you realize Snacks are popular?
R: From some really nice feedback from people at the shows and Prosumer wanting to remix the "Purdie" even though we had never met. That was a good feeling to know an artist as good him liked the song enough to remix it. Some of our other main influences were also posting the "Purdie" on their Facebook pages or charting it in various lists. Receiving nice messages on Facebook or Soundcloud from strangers in countries we have never played. A few other moments like hearing it on the radio or in clubs was confirmation we were doing something right.
If you’re Snacks, what’s the main course then?
R: If you keep snacking throughout the day you don't need a main course.
A: But probably our main dish is all varieties of pasta.
Are you big fans of Daft Punk… according to the video you’ve sent to Opium?
A: Yes, we love the French guys with the robot masks. Unfortunately we don't have a vocoder yet.
Is music work, fun, hobby or life for you?
R: It's all of the above, but it is by far the most fun job I have ever had. It's an addiction. I get withdrawals if I stop doing something musical even for a day. I'm not very good at taking holidays.
A: It is kind of all; unlike Rene I also have a day job, which pays my addiction of buying new gear and records.
Are there any things you don’t like to joke about?
A: I think now it is the time to tell a joke...
R: Why did Eve bite the forbidden apple? Because it tasted better than Adam's banana...
A: (Smiling) But of course we can be serious as well.
As you wanted to bring joy back to the minimal darkness of club scene, weren’t you afraid you might not be understood?
R: The Berlin techno syndicate still has a bounty on our heads. We have learned to live with it. The studio location is top secret and we only move about at night.
A: But basically on our journey so far we met a lot of people with the similar feeling to us.
What is the future of house music? Near future, at least?
R: I think house music is a broad evolving genre that fits in between commercial mainstream music and alternative underground music. I think it will continue as always to be influential and a source of inspiration to artists and a gateway for new comers to electronic music.
Which is the best time of the day/night for your performance?
R: Like all good Snacks we can be enjoyed anytime of day. I think our sound can work outside on a Sunday afternoon or in a dark club at 03:00 in the morning.
A: Rene is right, we can adapt our set to any mood and time of the day but personally I prefer the night.
Which are the best places to hang out in Berlin according to Snacks?
A: Our studio, Record Loft, Paul-Lincke-Ufer in the summer, Paloma Bar, Gorgonzola Club for food, Farbfernseher on a Thursday night and a bench in front of the shop named Basic Sole.
R: Berliners are completely spoilt for choice when it comes to great clubs and venues. My favorite cafe is Katie's Blue Cat; the peanut, chocolate tart is delicious! Favorite bar is Geist im Glas. Favorite club? This one is too hard to answer. Favorite park is the abandoned Tempelhof Airport. Such a beautiful open community space right in the middle of the city.
What is the biggest ambition of Snacks project?
A: Make good music, which people dance to and smile.
What have been your most memorable New Year celebrations?
R: the first new years I spent in Berlin was very memorable, mostly the German love for throwing fireworks at each other. On my way to the venue Festsaal Kreuzberg I spent part of the night at Kotbusser Tor in Kreuzberg with my back safely against the wall as the sky exploded and the loudest damn fireworks I have ever heard were dropped just a few feet away, by cheeky passer-byes. A new experience for me as fire works are banned in New Zealand except for Guy Fawkes Night.
A: My most memorable New Year celebration, was probably last year, I played on an illegal party with the singer Black Dynamite, in a huge abandoned warehouse under the subway rails in Berlin, it had around 6 dance floors and there were about round a thousand of people dancing. There was no real light, just candles, and it was dark, dusty and somehow scary as well. When the complete power of the party went off during our set, it was incredible. The people sung and made music with the feet. When the kick and the bass finally hit in again I had goose bumps.
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