Stereo.type is the brainchild of George and Bry, originating from the UK and Ireland respectively, they now call Berlin home. They have found their place on Get Physical Music with their debut EP ‘Wasting Time’ featuring singer Felix Raphael. Their work can also be found on other cutting-edge labels such as Katermukke’s MUKKE, Einmusik’s EIN2, LouLou Records and Just Her’s Constant Circles imprint.
Their music productions have an indefinable uniqueness with universal appeal that’s seen continued support from a wide variety of top international DJs including M.A.N.D.Y, Animal Trainer, Eelke Kleijn, Dirty Doering and Martin Eyerer.Stereo.type’s DJ sets are full of energy and groove, fueled by their innate ability to guide and make the crowd move.
We caught up with Stereo.type to talk about his recent release ‘Never Know’ on Get Physical.
Electronic Groove: Hello guys! Where are you right and what are you up to?
Stereo.type: Hey EG, thanks a lot for having us! We are in Berlin right now, have been since 2015 when we made the move over from London. George is working at Native Instruments and Bryan works for Ableton alongside our main project which is Stereo.type of course!
EG: Tell us a bit about your musical background. How did you guys meet and when did you decide to venture into dance music?
Stereo.type: We met in 2011 whilst working together in London. At the start, it was all about going out and having fun whilst discovering great music but we soon wanted to become more involved. Both of us had been DJing since 2005 and George had studied Music & Sound Design at University so it made sense to align our focus and see what we had to offer.
EG: What have been some of the artists that influenced you the most and why?
Stereo.type: We both started DJing in 2005 when Get Physical was taking over the dance world with a new brand of house music, so M.A.N.D.Y, Booka Shade, Lopazz and DJ T. were huge influences at the time. We aim to create a modern-day version of that sound – groovy and sexy enough for the floor whilst being musical enough for the home. We are big fans of older hip hop, particularly the productions of DJ Premier stand out looking back and to this day still sound fresh. Disco, funk and soul also played a key part out in our musical upbringing and this often gets demonstrated in our DJ mixes where our selections encompass a wide variety of music from the more laid back to the club dancefloor orientated sounds. Currently, we take a lot of inspiration from the productions of Manuel Tur, Atjazz, Jimpster and the Keinemusik crew. As a record label Defected is hard to beat when it comes to top-quality house music.
EG: You just produced an EP that came out on Get Physical title ‘Never Know’. What can you tell us about it? Where was it produced? What’s the inspiration behind it?
Stereo.type: ‘Never Know’ was composed in our studio in Berlin last autumn. The aim was to make something both emotional and funky that would stick in the head. We wrote a sketch and sent it over to Felix Raphael who provided a killer vocal line. For ‘Direction’, we went for a different feel to the title track with a more heads-down groove but maintaining the aim of telling a fitting story that develops over the course of the song. We see this one as something for a long drive in the car that tickles both melodic and bassline orientated tastes. Overall, we feel the EP has something for everybody, one who enjoys emotive music will particularly feel at home listening to both tracks.
“With ‘Never Know’ the aim was to make something both emotional and funky that would stick in the head”
Electronic Groove: The name ‘Never Know’ brings many ideas to mind. Why did you choose it?
Stereo.type: The idea came from a phrase that Felix sung that resonated with us. As you say, it can have many meanings that can either be very deep or plainly simple. The track has both a melancholic and uplifting mood to it and the feeling of not knowing suits this paradox. The artwork created by Mirjam at Get Physical does a great job in portraying this feeling as well – check it out!
EG: Are there any remixes planned?
Stereo.type: Not right now but watch this space…we recently released a killer remix package on Get Physical for our track ‘Visions’ with interpretations coming from Cioz, Bebetta, Ryan Murgatroyd and T.M.A so the plan is to do something similar again in the near future.
EG: Is the EP available on vinyl or only digital? Are you guys digging the vinyl comeback? What’s your input on all the talk around ‘real DJs play on vinyl’?
Stereo.type: The EP is digital only. We both learned to mix on vinyl back in the mid-noughties so have a big affection to the artform. Seeing someone mix seamlessly vinyl is always impressive. Back in the day, it used to be a good ‘filter’ that meant people would have to put quite some effort in before performing on stage. Nowadays you sometimes see people playing fairly relevant clubs having been Djing for 2 months just by using Sync and the Beatport top 10 charts but I guess we are in the age of instant gratification. For us though, it’s all about the music and to be honest we don’t really care about the format so long as the track is hot and it’s rocking the club.
EG: How did the relationship with Get Physical began?
Stereo.type: George met Philipp Jung way back in 2007 when he first traveled to Berlin to catch M.A.N.D.Y play at Watergate. For many years it was a friendship rather than anything business related. When we started producing music more seriously as Stereo.type we sent a couple of tracks that Philipp & Patrick were into, one of these was ‘Momento’ that resulted in our first release in 2013. Since then it has been a slog as Philipp is super strict with our demos…but this has really contributed to our development in not allowing us to settle for just ‘good enough’. He is a great mentor to us. The past 12 months has seen our first full artist EP on the label and more consistent release pattern as our output has improved and the aim is to keep this going!
“We have a great connection musically and if that ingredient is in place then the project flows well”
EG: The summer season is in full swing. What are your current plans? Any special gigs?
Stereo.type: We recently played at an amazing venue on a rooftop in Barcelona overlooking the city, Atipico, that was a big highlight for us as it was a unique setting with such a passionate crew. Our biggest upcoming milestone is at the end of September when we will play at the annual Get Physical birthday party at Watergate in Berlin…super excited for that!
EG: What’s the hardest part of working as a duo?
Stereo.type: A partnership always involves a degree of compromise so that takes some effort. Time management is also important for a duo – arranging studio sessions, tours and meetings at times that work for both of us.
EG: And the easiest?
Stereo.type: We have a great connection musically and if that ingredient is in place then the project flows well. It allows us to get inspiration from one another. Music and creation are about sharing so it is great to have someone to share it all with.
Stereo.type’s ‘Never Know’ is already available via Get Physical. Buy and stream here.
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