More than a year has passed since Berlin/DC duo Benoit & Sergio first broke through. Incredibly, they had released only two records by that time, but those two were enough to win over fans across the world for the way they told stories, paired the heartfelt emotion of acts like Paul Simon with the more electronic motion of contemporaries like those found on Hot Creations.

Midway through 2012 and there haven’t been that many new tracks, but the ones that did arrive on DFA, Visionquest and Spectral Sound fomented the duo’s position in a realm all their own. Now they are as likely to be playing to a small and intimate club in Italy as they are headlining a stage at DEMF or Mutek (as they will at the end of this month). As such, we caught up with them amidst a continually busy schedule (hence the interview title, see?!) to find out how life has changed, for better and worse, in the last 12 months…

How are you? What’s been keeping you busy?

We are well. We are trying to get some music done, as always… We are busy, primarily, with touring and all the joys and pains of that–it takes up a lot of time, getting to shows, preparing for shows, playing shows, recovering from shows. But touring also gives energy and a sense of accomplishment. It has become a whole way of life. We are stronger this year on the road, whipped into party-shape after 2011.

How has life been since breaking through with Walk & Talk? What’s changed, for better or worse?

Definitely better. We were working jobs that, while good jobs, were still jobs. Now we are able to fold our love for music into our work–two birds with one stone, two plums for one.

Did you have a feeling that track was going to be massive or…?

We played it for our agent and she said it was going to be massive. Then the Visionquest boys started playing it and getting excited about it. Then people started writing us on Facebook. There was a lot of electricity around the track. But we didn’t know it was going to be so big when we first made it. Not at all.

Do you feel any pressure now having had a few big tracks?

It has been awhile since we released anything, so the pressure has more to do with time and timing–when are we going to get in the studio, when are we going to finish, when are we going to put new jams out….

Has being on the road meant you can’t write as much no as you’d like? Or are you OK writing whenever and where ever?

We have learned to write on the road, but we definitely do not write as much as we would like. Before touring we had so much time to work. There was time and space, it seemed. Now there is neither, except, if by time, you mean a few hasty hours and if, by space, you mean cramped hotel rooms with no magic.

Do you find that playing out all the time means your tracks are getting harder, more dance-y, more written with the club in mind or…?

Not really. We are working on some gentle, dream-infused stuff at the moment. If anything, being in clubs all the time makes us want to make the opposite of club music.

Are you working on an album at all? When can we expect it? Has there been a big plan with how it will sound overall or is it more trial and error or…?

We are working on some gentler EPs and an album, but we don’t know when it will ever be done. On optimistic days, we imagine it will be finished by summer’s August conclusion. We have found that much of it has a kind of raw, almost dirty rock sound–not shitty rock (like Nickelback or Creed) but more of a rock energy–big drums, big hooks, much more sophisticated lyrics–basically the kind of music we have always wanted to make.

Tell us about your live show – how what’s the setup, how often do you change it and will any album be written so that it can be played live?

The live show is two laptops, synths, mic. Simple. Sometimes a toy saxophone is brought out to poke fun at the notion of authenticity.

Does each of you have a role in the studio/on stage or do you both do everything, is it organic like that?

We do everything together. Not absolutely everything. But most things. It is organic like that….

You’re playing Movement then Mutek soon – how do you feel about big festivals like this? Do you enjoy playing them?  Isn’t your sound more suited to smaller, intimate events?

We don’t have a uniform sound, so we can play big or small spaces. We have, in our opinion, some pretty big festival tracks. We also have more intimate ones for bedrooms or morning walks. A track like “Everybody” can fill up any space. We don’t make Skrillex sized tracks (and we mean that as a compliment to Skrillex) but we can get by on the Beatport stage at DEMF or Mutek.

What you got coming up/are you looking forward to?

We are working on a long overdue follow up to “Where The Freaks Have No Name” for Visionquest. It is called “New Ships” and it has a lot of energy and life. We are also finishing up an EP for Hot Creations that has a great summer vibe. It is called “Bridge So Far.”

What do you like to do outside music?

Is there an outside of music?

Benoit & Sergio – Principles / Everybody by DFA Records

Benoit & Sergio – Boy Trouble by DFA Records

It’s Mix of the Week time again here at AUTOBRENNT. This one comes to us from Jules Eugene, a Parisian currently living in New York who, as well as DJing, also runs his own label Makesense records. It’s a label that has already picked up props from the likes of Matt John and Radio Slave and has had a track licenced to Dyed Soundorom’s recent and excellent Rex Club mix compilation.  The next track, too, is likely to be just as well received, as it’s produced by Cris Cons of seminal Romanian trio Arpiar.

And so to the mix, which has been recorded entirely on vinyl. Starting off with the dark echoes of Villalobos’ remix of Shackleton’s “Blood On My Hands” it then progresses skilfully through much less intense offerings.  Dainty house grooves peppered with strings and pianos, woozy tech house and the odd classic track all feature in the mix that even touches on bits of acid and muted minimal towards the end.  Nice indeed!

Autobrennt Mix Of The Week by Jules Eugene by Jules Eugene

Having emerged with the appropriately entitled “Entrance Song” in 2011, Dan Pearce aka Bristol based beatsmith Eats Everything has gone on to foment his position amongst the new school house elite in 2012. He’s continued to release on Claude von Stroke’s San Fran label DirtyBird, often tours with the same crew and continues to gobble up and spit out myriad samples in his bottom heavy house productions and often floor filling remixes. In this candid interview, just ahead of the release of a new EP, Jagged Edge, on Pets Recordings and a remix of Shiny Objects on Smoke and Mirrors, we talk about the fine line between fun and fromage, the inspiration of his hometown and about why cats are so brilliant.

How are you? What have been some recent highlights for you?

I am really great thanks man. Some recent highlights have been my US tour, which was unreal, and the DirtyBird BBQ and gigs at Warehouse Project in the UK. Amazing!

How different is life now than a year ago? What’s had to change, what sacrifices have you made etc?

I am slightly better off money wise. I get colds a lot more nowadays and I don’t get to see my friends as much, which is really shit but it’s the nature of the beast. I am doing my dream job and I am a very lucky boy so I can’t complain.

Would you ever consider leaving Bristol or does a lot of your inspiration come from the city? Is it all musical inspiration or do you vibe off the actual people, city etc in a way you wouldn’t elsewhere?

I don’t think I would ever leave, or I would certainly always have a home here. I wouldn’t say I take much inspiration from the city or the people here as such, I am not entirely sure where I get my inspiration from, probably not the right thing to say but it’s the truth. But I love the city, the people, the scenery and the feeling I have when I am here.

So the ‘Bristol bass’ sound – have you come to it in your own means or is it a case of a lot of producers bouncing off each other or… what was your own route into bottom heavy stuff?

Personally I feel I came to it by my own means. I had been trying to make the kind of music I make for a long time but could never get the bottom end right. Then I spent every penny I had on new monitor speakers and wrote Hevvie & Entrance Song in quick succession. So it’s a testament to the fact that good monitors make all the difference!!!!

You’ve sampled a few different sources in your music – where do you stand on it? Are there rules as to how much you can sample, what you must do to it, or is anything fair game to you?

It all depends really. Generally, if you are making bootlegs or re-edits that are not going to be available for release then anything is fair game. If you are sampling with a view to making ‘original’ tracks then I think you have to be a bit clever with it. Change it up and try and make it your own. People may say that I don’t practice what I preach but if I do sample stuff then I do my best to change it as much as possible and be clever with sampling.

I get the impression you are someone who values a sense of fun in music, sets etc – is that fair? Do you think about where the line is between fun/cheese/novelty?

Basically I feel that life is mainly about having fun, you only get one life, fun is the most fun part of life and so you should have as much of it as possible! When people come to clubs I believe that most of them, whether off their heads or not, want to have fun. So I try and make music that has a fun element and when I DJ I actually really really enjoy it and find it hard to not look like I am having fun!!!! That’s a lot of funs for one paragraph, but hopefully you get the picture. With regard to the cheesy element, there is definitely a line and I hope that I toe that line. I mix it up with really underground stuff and some stuff that some ‘heads’ may consider questionable!

And now you’re on the road a lot more, do you find it easier or harder to write? Need you set yourself a bit of time to do it or can you do it on the road?

I am not great at writing on the road, I have problems with my ears (long story……) so I am not keen on using headphones where at all possible. I do occasionally write stuff on the road but it’s very rare. I am still finding time to write music, but it is becoming increasingly difficult.

Are you happy to stay a Dirtybird artist for now? How much input does Claude have in your music, or do you send it him fully finished or…? Is it made with him in mind or do you just create and see what happens?

I am happy to stay a Dirtybird artist for as long as they will have me. CvS doesn’t have any input on my music, he did on ‘Whatever Whatever’, but it was a mix issue. I just make what I make because I like it and hope that people do too. To be honest, I think that Barclay (CvS) will not be in to everything I do, because he is very particular about what he signs and what he doesn’t which is a brilliant trait for a label owner to have.

How important has that hook-up been do you think? Do you feel like a part of a family, is that important?

Massively important! I am definitely part of a family vibe and they are amazing people. Amazing people with amazing attitudes to life and music. It’s a great thing to be part of.

Instagram suggests you love your cat, right? Who looks after him when you tour? Why are cats so much better than dogs?

I fucking love my cats, I have two, both Siamese girls. My fiancé looks after them. They aren’t like cats really; they are a cross between non-smelly dogs and monkeys. They are ridiculous creatures. I am actually just as much a dog lover as cats, but cats are easier and don’t smell as much!

What else you got coming up/are you looking forward to?

I am playing lots of festivals over the summer, which is really exciting!! I also have follow up EPs on Pets and Dirtybird plus a collaboration EP with Justin Martin, which is bonertastic!!!

Finally what do you like to do away from music? Do you detach yourself from it at all to keep sane or are you happy to be full immersed in it 24/7?

I am pretty much immersed in it the whole time, but when I am not I listen to TalkSport or watch sport on television. I also eat a lot…

Australian Mic Newman is a Melbourne based deep house producer bringing a lot of attention on to his home city alongside cohorts like Tornado Wallace. He’s released a fine, alive sounding brand of modern deep house on imprints like 2020Vision off-shoot FINA as well as Tsuba, Classic and Illusion. As a DJ, too, he is ever more in demand, playing parties at fabric in London, Privilege in Ibiza and plenty more around the UK and Europe.

For a taste of his style this podcast is a great place to start: Kicking off with Moodyman’s “Don’t You Want My Love” the mix goes on to wobble through plenty of warm grooves, fresh percussive workouts and rousing vocal jams that never stray too far from 120bpm and never feel anything other than heart warming. A fast rising talent still with plenty to say, Mic Newman is quickly becoming an essential man to watch in 2012.

Only a year after her still excellent debut album, Deniz Kurtel is back with another full length. This one comes on Wolf & Lamb (where the last was on Crosstown Rebels) and makes full use of that fact by delving deep into the label’s talent reserves, calling upon many close associates to contribute to the work overall. This taster release culls three such tracks, each of which bare the immediately recognisable sonic fingerprints of the collaborators, as well as the Turk’s own roughshod tech-cum-electro beats.

‘I knew This Would Happen’ features e-funk practitioner Tanner Ross who presumably contributed the wobbly, woozy synths and lazy claps to what is a lovably molten, melting and late night house tune. There are trumpets (I think) too, no doubt played by someone from San Fran trio PillowTalk as gentle bird noises add a spring like ambiance to the otherwise fairly downbeat arrangement.

Ross reappears on ‘The Beat Drop’ – the most overtly body pooping and electro indebted track of the three. It seems to grow in pace right from the off, with watery droplets offsetting sharp claps and bendy melodies snaking between more rigid beats. A filtered vocal recounting a night in the club worms its way in late on, as do some saddened trumpet notes that linger in the soupy sonics like a candle in a dark room.

Closer ‘Thunder Clap’ has a warm bassline that bubbles down to nothing over and over. It’s introverted and mysterious, funky yet dark, and this time is helped along by the efforts of  Voices of Black and some radiant, up lit Cali’ synths. Sounding something like Dr Dre doing house music in Parliament Funkadelic’s studio, Kurtel’s sound has certainly moved on, but retains that aged, brushed metal feel that made it so damn appealing in the first place.

Cameo Culture is a new moniker from someone who has already had production and DJ success in recent years.  Playing in and around New York for us, AUTORBENNT, and with the likes of Art Department, his sonic ideals still take much influence from disco, but so to do they draw on elements of house, soul and funk.  Releases in 2012 are planned for No.19, This Is Music and Wurst, as are some exciting collaborations, which will all no doubt continue in Cameo Culture’s tradition of layering real organic instruments into his lush and mature soundscapes.

This mix proves that, seguing its way through everything from Deniz Kurtel’s roughshod tech-funk to lazier late night house via more strident, dazzling disco.  It’s all heartfelt and emotional stuff that never forgets to make you dance basically, so stick it on, sit back and relax…

Autobrennt Mix of the Week : Cameo Culture by Cameo Culture

The Same Page EP from Leftroom boss Matt Tolfrey and Chicago’s minimalistic house heiress Kate Simko is the product of nine months’ snatched studio sessions.  There’s no telling that from the three tunes which make it up, however, with each one marrying Simko’s streamlined grooves to Tolfrey’s after-party intrigue.

Opener “Take it Easy” is a late night number that draws you in with cheeky little synth wobbles and plenty of smeared pads as a kick drums and handclaps bring the mid-tempo rhythm. Plucked guitar strings bring an element of sunshine into the mix and make the track perfect for more intimate sessions.  “Lazy B” then expands those ideas into something more expansive. The melodies and synths here roam that bit further from the centre, twisting an turning as shimmery beats and bass bobble along uninterrupted.

“No Shame” is another study in wavy lines and neon colour: subtle and subdued, it’s a track that demands you go to it rather than the other way round. Striking a nice balance between forward motion and sombre emotion, these are mature cuts for the more discerning dancefloors.

Kate Simko & Matt Tolfrey – Same Page EP by Leftroom

The rise and rise of Pillow Talk continues a pace with three new soul edits on Wolf & Lambs off-shoot imprint, Wolf & Lamb Black.  Their debut on the label sees the song-writing trio re-work some of their favourite influences into things more appropriate for the modern day and more appropriate for their own sets.

“The Real Thing” is eight minutes of tambourine-peppered grooves complete with vocals from Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell’s classic “Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing”. It’s drawn out and lazy, sexy and soulful in equal measure, where next track  “Sunny” re-works Marvin Gaye’s track of the same name.

This one is, unsurprisingly, sunny; with a warm summer feel imbued deep within the hip swinging handclaps and sensitively re-worked vocals.  The distant drums and perc add a modern feel without losing site of the original and will likely get played all summer long.

Finally the San Fran dudes tackle Mayer Hawthorne’s cover of the Festivals’ “You’ve Got The Making Of A Lover”. It’s another raw and organic groove of proper instrumentation, nicely plucked guitar and a swooning male vocals.

Proving themselves to be sympathetic edit makers on top of the fact they are dreamy song writers and performers in their own right, these Soul Edits will likely win Pillow Talk yet more new fans.

Brenmar / Busy P / Carl Craig / Carlo Lio / Cassy / Claude VonStroke / Damian Lazarus / Danny Daze

Davide Squillace / Derrick Carter / DJ Sneak / dOP / Droog / Earl Mixxin’ McKinney

/ Eddie Fowlkes / Greg Wilson / Ian Pooley / Jay Haze / Josh Wink / Juan Atkins

/ Kevin Saunderson / Keys N Krates / Kyle Hall back-to-back with Jay Daniels / Lil’ Louis

Lindstrøm / Loco Dice / Maceo Plex / Major Lazer / Mathew Jonson / Marco Carola /Mark Farina (Mushroom Jazz set) / Maya Jane Coles / Michael Mayer / Mike Huckaby / Monty Luke / Mr. Oizo/ Nadastrom/ Nina Kraviz / No Regular Play / Public Enemy / Radio Slave / Rick Wilhite / Roni Size

Salva / Slow Hands / Stacey Pullen / Steve Bug / Subb-an / Tale of Us / The Martinez Brothers/ The Wizard aka Jeff Mills / Todd Terje / Wolf + Lamb.