On 27 November 2008 BOOKA SHADE played to an overcrowded Transit Bar as sweat rained down from the ceiling. They left that evening with a legion of new fans and now they’re back with More!
More! is Booka Shade’s latest studio album. With indulgently bass-heavy production it is a clear step away from past ethereal classics such as Charlotte and Mandarine Girl. Drummer Arno Kammermeier eagerly explains the concept behind their newest work.
“It was the two of us sitting in the studio thinking we wanted more energy, more drums, more dance beats!” says Arno, betraying the secret to their method. “It was logical to call the album that [More!]. We are also a fan of short album names like all the Pet Shop Boy’s albums, Please and Very.”
Arno and production partner Walter Merziger started by throwing out all previous sounds to vehemently try and create something new. Slowly the concept took form. More! begins with what is sure to be a universal club hit, Havana Sex Dwarf, and peaks with typical Booka Shade moments at L.A.tely and No Difference.
“We grew up with the concept of an album and we love the idea of having a concept to an album,” explains Arno. “There is a reason we start a certain way and a reason we will try and finish the album a certain way. Before we have started with more epic songs on new albums, but Havana Sex Dwarf is more up-tempo and the album ends in a different way too.”
As co-founders of Get Physical Records the duo had a deep pool of talent from which to draw collaborators for their latest release. Interestingly they chose to work with the late ‘70s Swiss electronic outfit Yello (think Oh Yeah from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) and Get Physical stalwart Chelonis R. Jones.
“We wanted to stay away from featured artists – it is not really what Booka Shade is about, we want our own sound,” says Arno. “Chelonis R. Jones has been on the label since day one, so he was an obvious choice. With Yello we wanted someone who inspired us when we were young.”
After touring non-stop for almost five years the band returned to the proverbial home of techno, Berlin, for a well needed break. It was during this time, finishing the new album, the duo learnt to DJ for the first time. This new club influence is clearly audible on More!.
“Before we thought DJing was a different art form, something we didn’t ever do,” says DJ Arno. “It gave us the chance to take the basic beat that we had made that day into the club and check how the groove worked on the dancefloor. It helped with the overall production of the More! album. You can hear it is a bit more dancey this time because of that.”
More! is out now on Physical.
