Since their collaboration began in 2006, the German duo known as the Adana Twins have become stalwarts of the underground electronic music scene. They are widely regarded for their multifaceted roles as label owners, A&Rs, producers, and DJs renowned for their marathon sets. With their growing influence, the Adana Twins have harnessed their passion for electronic music by creating their label, TAU, in 2018. The establishment of TAU aimed to provide them with a creative outlet to evolve their sound, as well as to identify and support emerging artists. The latest release from TAU, titled “Falling EP,” is a significant collaboration with one of TAU’s core family members, Upercent.
Interview with Adana Twins:
Hi guys, how are you today and where are you right now?
Friso: At home in Lisbon at the moment.
Benni: In Berlin with the family for some days.
Regarding the newest “Falling EP,” can you share the process behind this collaboration with Upercent? How did you blend your styles, and what was the workflow like?
It was a lot of fun working with Jose aka Upercent. He is a super, super-talented producer. We first exchanged ideas, then selected and then developed them further. The workflow was right the whole time, we quickly knew what the other liked.
We’re particularly enjoying working with vocals at the moment. It’s great and inspiring. We started with the vocals on “Falling” but Jose completely changed the first version and I was immediately impressed. The groove sounds super tight and the musical concept is super minimalistic. I love it when you can say a lot with very little.
On the B-side, we started with the groove and worked on the vocals later. I worked on “Come Back” for some time until we got the song to a point where we liked it. It was a lot of work, but hopefully, it was worth it in the end.
What message or experience do you hope listeners take away from this collaboration?
Friso: I have to say that my heart is very attached to the A-side of the EP. “Not everything can work out right”. That could also be a life motto. In the end, it goes on and that’s a good thing.
I would be happy if it touches some people no matter if they listen to the track at home or at night in the club.
Furthermore, the result is pretty fresh. I think we found a great balance between our styles musically and it won’t be our last collaboration 😉
Running a label TAU, what challenges do you face in the digital age of music, and how do you maintain the uniqueness of your sound and artists?
It is a constantly evolving process. It’s important to feel the things you’re doing and surround yourself with people who suit you musically. There are demos that you hear and know straight away that you want to work with, and there are demos from big artists like Upercent that I already know when I get a message on WhatsApp that we’re going to release them. That’s how the collab came about! After Jose released the last EP on our label, we did a Q&A on Instagram. it was very nice and we immediately realized that we tick similarly. After the conversation, I asked him if we should work on music together.
However, as an artist and label, you’re constantly being pigeonholed. That’s understandable, but of course, it can also block you. Just like as a producer you sometimes have the feeling that there’s music floating in the ether that you just have to capture, it’s the same with an EP. An EP “flies by” and you think – that’s it. It sounds fresh, that’s what I was looking for without realizing it.
It was the same with Adrian Roman, for example, or the next releases from Sahar. An independent sound that captures the energy of the moment. Simply great!
How do you stay ahead of trends while maintaining the signature Adana Twins sound?
Instinctively you know exactly what you want. Sometimes you just have to be stumbled upon. Some tracks you think aren’t that strong, but then you play them on the dancefloor and you’re totally positively surprised. Overall it’s very important that we can play the demos that we play. Most of the music we release is club music. The club gives you all the answers to every question you have. That’s the way it is as a producer and A&R.
There are great new opportunities and a lot of social change.
So it’s important to remain sensitive to new things. Time has never been as fast-moving as it is now.
That’s challenging and great at the same time.
How do you balance your roles as producers, label heads, and DJs?
Of course, it’s not always easy, sometimes everything works like clockwork as a producer, but somehow the releases on the label don’t work out the way you’d hoped. But it’s always important that you release something. Even if you’re not one hundred percent satisfied afterward. 80% or 90% will do. Perfectionism can hold you back. We probably don’t even know a lot of great music because it’s never been released. If you like it, someone will feel it and sometimes you will be surprised because a completely different song touches a lot more people than you thought.
Going new ways is important. Keeping an eye on the balance can sometimes be difficult. What are you producing, does it fit? Shouldn’t the next release go in a clearer direction, etc.?
The good thing is that being A&R and being a producer and DJ inspire each other. If our releases are on point, they might inspire new producers to go in this direction again and send us demos. These tracks then inspire and sharpen the label. The fact that we can work with such great artists is a process that is constantly cross-fertilizing. In the end, it all comes together in the club or at a festival. That’s great.
Are there any upcoming projects or collaborations that fans should be excited about?
Yes, of course. The legendary club Robert Johnson is celebrating its birthday and is releasing an anniversary compilation with great artists like Mano Le Tough, Curses, and many others. We have the honor of contributing to a track with which we also discover new musical terrain. “Neue Deutsche Welle” meets Disco, meets Punk.
We are also working on new music with Hardt Antoine and Xinobi, and there are remixes for our friends from Camelphat and the legends Booka Shade, among others. We are more productive than ever before I would say!
For aspiring artists who look up to your label, do you have any advice on building a successful career in the electronic music industry?
It’s probably the longer way. But if you love what you do listen to yourself and pay attention to what’s going on around you. Stick with it, stay on the ball. Success will come!
Follow Adana Twins:
IG: @adanatwins
FB: @adanatwins
