5 Minutes with…Pig&Dan

Pig&Dan FACE ON WIDEPig&Dan Side by Side

For some, the name Pig & Dan conjures up visions of big room techno being slammed out by one of Sven Vath’s Cocoon early protagonist. This is only half the story of this enigmatic and highly grounded duo. Accomplished producers in their own right, we lift the lid on where they have come from and where they are going in 2016….

What were your highlights and low points of 2015? 

All in all it​’​s been another amazing year as far as our progression as producers and DJs. One of the biggest highlights was finishing our ​brand new album “Modular Baptism” which is due for releases in March 2016. Also,​ we’ve had an insane year of touring and broke all records for the most amount of travel since we started this many years back. Only in the last three months we’ve managed to circumnavigate the earth more than three times. During these incredible travels we’ve had some unforgettable experiences behind the decks​, ​highlights being closing the Cocoon stage at the Free ​Y​our ​M​ind ​F​estival in Arnhem, Woogie Weekend in Los Angeles, Matter @ Space in New York and of course Crobar in Buenos Aires. Regarding any low points,​  I can’t recall there being anything really negative about the year what so eve​r.​

With techno being a staple of your back catalogue, you also have a varied musical interest. Tell us about some of your other projects (James Brown is Annie)

Well to give you a little history on us, we both leaned how to work in studios through working on music in different genres. I (Dan) worked with a lot of Pop bands in the late 80s such as “The Cure”, “Stone Roses” and “Depeche Mode” and Igor worked more in the Rock d​omain with German bands based in Bavaria.

After our learning years I stemmed off to work in Drum&Bass for over ten years and was signed to Goodlooking ​R​ecords and toured as a DJ globally with LTJ Bukem and Fabio. Igor went straight in to the House and Techno scene and played all over as himself and also put on parties that were renowned for there musical purity and underground locations. In 1999 we both met each other on a plane and started to work together as a team a couple of years later. We of course worked mostly in the techno realm however a couple of years ago decided to involve our other influences and released a double ​d​own tempo album On Bedrock Records titled “Destination Unknown”.​ This album has influences of Dub Reggae, Lounge and Jazz through out. ​Many of​ the​ tracks feature singers and real instruments played by friends and family as well as ourselves. We felt it was something we needed to do and are already discussing a follow up.

What do you have in store for 2016 release wise? 

First off we are very proud to announce that will be releasing our first track on Dynamic (Solomon’s label)​. ​Then in late March our new album “Modular Baptism” on our own label Elevate. ​We also have a new release “Oblivion” coming up soon with Monika Kruse however we are not totally sure about where it will be released just yet. ​Furthermore,​ we’re​already working on collaboration projects​ with some of our favourite producers which should be done by late 2016 : )

What are you most looking forward to in the new year?

I think it​’​s the same every year really, it​’​s about new challenges and furthering ourselves in general. We always push ourselves to better what we do and to extend the envelope of how far we can go within our music. T​he drive we hold within is essentially what makes every year a milestone and encourages us to climb that ladder. All in all​,​ what we do is all about making people have fun and have​ fun​ doing it.

You haven’t played in the UAE for around 5 years. Have you been keeping up to date with the scene here? What were your initial thoughts on the region?

The last time was just electric when playing in Dubai. I extended the set because the crowd were so energetic and open to hearing different sounds. We very much like to play non-linear sets and pull in a lot of different styles thus keeping folk on their toes so to speak.​ ​We are all about dynamics and hope that the crowd down there ​are just as they were the last time.

What can we expect from your set at Plus Minus’ first party of 2016?

Ups and downs and all arounds. As I said above, we like to build a story and keep people focussed, if not lost in the music. We very much enjoy building up a set instead of just coming in full steam ahead.

Pig&Dan will be headlining Plus Minus on Friday 29th January 2016. More info here.

 



PIG&DAN RECORDED LIVE AT SPACE IBIZA NY by Pig&Dan on Mixcloud


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