Life’s always a jungle for the boys of Monkey Safari.
Hailing from the German city of Halle, the duo—consisting of brothers Lars and Sven—has spent the better part of its time crafting a signature sound of rich, emotive house. With smash productions like “Cranes” and this summer’s “Walls” sitting alongside a consistent touring schedule all around the globe, Monkey Safari has become a force to be reckoned with on the electronic music circuit.
This Friday, the pair will take to the decks of the second annual Time Warp US, which will return to the massive venue that hosted the inaugural installment of the fest last year: the 39th Street Pier. The event once again promises two nights of jaw-dropping production, a cavernous warehouse, and—of course—bone-rattling techno spread across two rooms courtesy of an intricately curated lineup.
We caught up with pair to chat about the event as well as their label Hommage, forthcoming LP, and more.
DJ Times: You’re playing Time Warp US later this month. What are you looking forward to most about the festival?
Monkey Safari: We’re extremely grateful to play alongside so many great artists. I believe we’re playing the same stage with Luciano and Ricardo, two of our favorite DJs. Other than that, we’re looking forward to the fantastic New York crowd. We’ve only played at Verboten New York twice, but it was a great experience both times.
DJ Times: You played at Time Warp in Mannheim earlier this year—How was the experience and how do you think the US edition will compare?
Monkey Safari: Time Warp Germany is an adventure: brilliant production, great sound system, and excellent DJs. We’re expecting no less for Time Warp New York!
DJ Times: How’s work on your second LP coming along? How’s it shaping up?
Monkey Safari: Compiling an album is a long process that we will fully dive into next year. At the moment we’re having lots of fun in the studio working on new EPs for next year. We will probably do one or two releases on our own label Hommage, but we’re currently also talking to a few other labels that might come as a surprise for some people. We’re already very excited about 2016!
DJ Times: You released the Walls EP on your Hommage label earlier this year. How’s running the label going, and what do you have planned for it in the coming months? Any artists we should have our eyes out for?
Monkey Safari: In November we’re releasing Kotelett & Zadak’s debut album Triphoria. We have new EPs lined up from Karl Friedrich, Martin Waslewski, Prismic, Monkey Safari, and many more. Definitely have your eyes out for Karl Friedrich!
DJ Times: “Walls” had some pretty big names remixing it—Guy Gerber, Moby, and Josh Wink. How did those come to be?
Monkey Safari: We’re huge fans of all of them. It’s a big honor for us to be able to work with these guys. Moby was one of our idols even before we started DJing and producing ourselves. I guess you can say he was one of our main influences to start with all this. We just finished a remix for one of his next songs called “Almost Loved” in return for the remix he did for us. Can’t wait for it to be released!
DJ Times: What are three tracks that have been secret set weapons during your performances recently?
1. Terranova – Skin & Bones feat. Lydmoor & Bon Homme (Karl Friedrich Remix)
2. Andre Kronert – Into The Zone (Efdemin Remix)
3. Moby – Almost Loved (Monkey Safari Remix) [Unreleased]
DJ Times: What else are you working on—what can fans expect from you going into 2016?
Monkey Safari: There are a few surprises in the making that we can’t talk about yet unfortunately. What else? Some new EPs of course! We’re going to play Awakenings Manchester in February. That said, we’re expecting a pretty hectic tour schedule next year in general, so chances are good we’re coming to a town near you very soon. There will also be some cool limited edition fashion items from Monkey Safari in 2016. We’re finalizing the designs as we speak.
Tickets to Time Warp US are available here.
