PREMIERE: KRANKBROTHER 'ZIPP' + INTERVIEW

Krankbrother are a London based pair of DJs who have steadily risen to fame through residencies at their own parties — set in quirky locations across London and beyond. This year, they have decided to make the jump from DJs to producers, and their first EP, released on Classic a few months ago, was a huge success. 

So much so, we felt they deserved a Best of British nomination for Best Breakthrough DJ. Naturally then, we are excited about their forthcoming material, and have managed to get an exclusive first play of 'Zipp' for DJ Mag readers. Out now on TEED's Nice Age label, this is one remarkebly groovy piece of music. Read our interview with Krankbrother and listen below!

Hi guys, its fair to say you're best known for being the masterminds behind a veritable shedload of brilliant parties all over the UK, what made you make the jump from DJ to producer?
It was a natural progression really - we've been DJing for a long time and we always felt that we'd like to eventually put out our own music as a way of expanding what we do and pushing a sound we like. We've been so busy the last 5 years with various projects, it was amazing this past year to finally find the time to spend proper hours in the studio and get some music out.

Your EP on Classic has gained you a lot of attention as DJs and producers rather than as residents and curators, how have things changed over the past few months?
We've been playing Classic's releases for years, and have always been big fans of Luke Solomon & Derrick Carter too, so it was really cool to get one of our first releases out with them. I think in the digital age it's a lot harder to be a straight up DJ without releasing music as well. We've definitely found that releasing music is pushing us a lot further afield than London and the UK which is what we've always wanted.  

How different is it DJing to crowds these day as booked DJs as opposed to as residents?
Being a resident is a great feeling, because the crowd know you and your music and so they really get behind you and react during your set. Playing for other clubs, festivals and promoters is a different kind of challenge because you have to prove yourself a lot more - bearing in mind that half the people in the venue have probably never heard of you. So you get judged solely on the merit of the flow of your set - there's more pressure but it can be even more rewarding if you feel you got a positive reaction. We always try and stay confident and play the slightly more leftfield music we believe in, wherever we're playing. 

You've played a lot of interesting venues, we saw you at your Shoreditch street party last year, and the setting really made the party something special. How crucial is the venue to a good party, and what makes a good venue in your opinion?
The venue is always one of the key factors for a good party - and for us the main things we look for are sound quality, flow, visual impact, infrastructure, lighting, visuals and more. We love venues with multiple levels in one room that create a "colosseum" effect, but then there are great venues with a flat dancefloor and ground level DJ booth. One thing that seems to be happening more and more that we're not particular fans of are unnecessarily raised booths - so the DJ is way up high presiding over the room. It seems to be part of the "cult of the DJ" phenomenon at the moment. Most of the time we think a flat or very slightly raised booth is best - as they have in venues like Fabric, Panorama Bar or Trouw, it creates a more universal atmosphere in a club which is what it's all about. 

You're setting up your own label early next year, what's the plan for that, any idea on who will be featuring yet?
Launching a record label is something we've always wanted to do. We'll launch with one of our own EPs and then the idea is to focus on breaking some new artists rather than established names initially. We've got some great stuff lined up. It's hard for young artists to find places to release their music, and we've been quite blown away with the quality of some of the stuff we've been sent. It'll be great to have another outlet as well as our events and DJing and studio work, to push the musical ethos we believe in. 

How do you feel about being nominated for 'Best Breakthrough DJ' in our Best of British poll? 
Yeah that was really cool, it's nice to be noticed. We've been readers of DJ Mag for years so we were quite proud. We had a bit of a chuckle at the idea of being "breakthrough" DJs when we've been around quite a while - we're not exactly spring chickens.  But then again it takes a lot of practice to be decent DJs!

As well as being krankbrother, you're actual brothers! Do you ever get on each others nerves?!
Is the Pope Catholic?  

DJ Mag at this time cannot confirm whether the Pope is actually Catholic, however we can confirm that this EP is absolutely banging and you can grab it on the 14th December. Don't sleep!

www.facebook.com/krankbrother 
https://soundcloud.com/krankbrother
http://www.krankbrother.com/