SXDNS: We could not start differently: It’s an enormous pleasure for us to have the opportunity of interviewing you, guys. Since we met last February in Frankfurt for our last showcase before the world being paused, we became even bigger fans of your work. The fact that you are lovely people contributes to the increase of such admiration. How have you been and what have you guys been doing lately?
LS: Thank you for the nice words! We also had a great time with you guys in Frankfurt and enjoyed the gig a lot. It was our first time playing in Frankfurt and unfortunately we didn’t have much time to hang out and see more of the city as we had our own party in Berlin the night before and another gig the next day in Lyon. Hoping to come back soon whenever possible! This year is obviously a weird one. We had been playing around 100 gigs per year and are certainly missing the travels, seeing our friends around the world and the parties. On the other hand, we had more time in Berlin, which we mostly spend working at our day jobs, producing new music and gardening. Also, we got to have some nice summer Berlin breaks in Greece visiting Vamparela’s family and in Munich visiting Brax’s family.
During the lockdown, our track “Take It Easy” with Alejandro Paz was released on AEON. We decided to ask friends from all over the world to send us quarantine fun videos, our friend Cocaya did her magic and this was the result:
Fun fact: Catch Mr Celestino (SXDNS curator) at 1:02 and later on in the video as well. 😉
SXDNS: Any future projects you can give us a hint, or everything has to be kept in secrecy?
LS: We have an album coming up with Kalipo, two EPs with Skelesys, an EP with Alejandro Paz, a few tracks and remixes with Time To Sleep, some solo remixes and a couple of tracks on compilations with Theus Mago, Thomass Jackson and Andrem. There is more in the making at the moment with friends such as Joyce Muniz, Kid Simius, Jarle Brathen, Wiener Planquadrat, You Man to be released in 2021.
SXDNS: Wow! Looking forward to seeing these babies out! Now, tell us a little about the couple Max & Dina. How did you meet, who cooks, and how do you manage the entanglement between the professional and personal lives?
LS: We met in the beginning of 2008 at a club in Berlin and have been a couple ever since. Professional and personal relationships always require a huge amount of compromises and discussions which sometimes aren’t easy, but after 13 years we have found our ways and split up certain tasks to leave less opportunities for disagreements.
SXDNS: What kind of music do you listen when/if you want to disconnect from the genre(s) you work with?
LS: Our musical preferences are not tied to specific genres; we love music as a whole. Lately we have been listening to a lot of 80s Synthpop, Krautrock, Italo Disco and New Wave when driving or at home.
SXDNS: And who are your inspirations (personally and musically speaking)?
LS: We are inspired by everything around us. Music – old and new –, art, design, movies, photography, documentaries, nature, and architecture. Also collaborating with other producers is often a source of inspiration. It’s always great to see how other musicians work and exchange ideas and technical knowledge.
SXDNS: Besides skydiving, photographing and playing rugby, do you guys have any other hobbies?
LS: This year we spent most of our spare time in our little garden outside of Berlin learning how to grow vegetables, doing BBQs, renovating the hut and setting up a second studio.
Photos by Brax Moody
SXDNS: Who are your favourite artists/producers (any genre)? And who is THE ONE you still haven’t but would like to collaborate with?
Brax: We are lucky to have many of our most favourite producers among our friends like Rodion, Curses, Moscoman, Mijo, Echonomist, Rex The Dog, Theus Mago, Kiwi, Alejandro Paz, Zombies In Miami, Andre VII, Thomass Jackson, Roe Deers, Skelesys, Younger Than Me, You Man and loads more. You can find our most favourite tracks in our bi-weekly updated Spotify playlist Disco Suicide.
Click HERE to check Local Suicide’s playlist on Spotify.
Vamparela: It would be unreal, but if I had the chance I’d love us to collaborate with some bands like LCD Soundsystem, AIR, Metronomy, She Past Away, Hot Chip, and artists like Soulwax, Erol Alkan, Tiga, Miss Kittin, The Hacker, Vitalic, Peaches, Chloe, Jennifer Cardini, Ivan Smagghe, Arnaud Rebotini, Anthony Rother, Roman Flügel, DJ Hell… The list could go on and on and on! 🙂
SXDNS: Define 2020 in one word. Okay, sorry, two words (one for each).
Brax: Sabbatical.
Vamparela: Absurd, but in a negative way. I spent most of 2020 trying to comprehend what’s happening and accept the situation.
SXDNS: What are your expectations for the future of the nightlife industry? Do you think we are going back to the “normality” soon?
LS: We don’t really see it going back to anywhere near normal till the 2021 summer festival season.
SXDNS: We always finish our interviews with the most cliché question of all times: What are your top 5?
LS: Here are 5 tracks that have been in our driving playlist in the past few months:
Follow Local Suicide on SoundCloud and check the incredible selection they prepared for our mixtape series, peeps!