The debut Zenker Brothers album, Immersion, will land on February 10th.
Dario and Marco Zenker run Ilian Tape, the Munich techno operation we profiled for our Label of the month series in July 2014. To date they've released four 12-inches as Zenker Brothers—two on Ilian Tape, two on Tresor—as well as plenty of solo records. Immersion is their first album, and the duo say it's pitched "somewhere in between" home and club listening. "Our intention was to create a very personal and honest sound without any limitations or guidelines," they add. RA's Matt Unicomb spoke to the pair recently to find out more:When did you start working on the album?
We started working on the album during spring last year and it took us around six months to finish it. So it's not just a collection of tracks. In our opinion an album has to work as a whole and therefore during the end of the process we worked on particular elements or parts that were still missing. It always takes some time, also for singles, to choose the right tracks to make it a balanced and exciting package. With the album it was the same, we really wanted to create an arc of suspense from beginning to end.
Tell us about the title.
Immersion can mean different things. It's one word and it sounds good. It's the result of all the years we spent together and it's the opportunity to go deeper. To explore unknown territory. To dive into our sound and let everything go. No matter where it leads to, everything is possible. It's the next step in our journey together.
Do you think the album is more for the home or club?
It's somewhere in between. A lot of it can be played in the club although there are no straight DJ tools. We definitely wanted to make something for the home. But that doesn't mean it has to be easy music. It has to be challenging at some points. Most people we showed it to said that it sounds like a soundtrack, and they immediately had pictures in their heads. That's great for home listening.
What are your plans for Ilian Tape in 2015?
We'll start the year with our album and after that we'll put out new records from Stenny, Skee Mask, Dario, Roger 23 and some more from the usual suspects and maybe some new names too. Maybe even another album. Let's see!
Listen to samples from the record below.
Tracklist
01. Mintro
02. Aisel
03. Phing
04. Innef Runs
05. TSV WB
06. Erbquake
07. High Club
08. Ebbman
09. Cornel 21
10. Outark
Ilian Tape will release Immersion on February 10th, 2015.