A melting pot of genres and inspirations sees the now Berlin based Spencer Parker thickening his Techno roots by presenting a new production alias called BROTHERHOOD landing soon on his own go-to label Work Them. Having featured artists such as Radio Slave, Answer Code Request, Rødhåd, Henning Baer and many more, it’s a stable for jacking, smooth and hypnotic, industrial impressions made for the dancefloor.
We caught up with the main man himself ahead of this exciting new project…
> 01. Which artists and genres inspired you to start producing music?
I don’t think there was one particular artist, to be honest, but I’d have to say that when I first started buying records I was (and am) a huge fan of the big American guys like MAW, Basement Boys, David Morales and Mood II Swing - who I later even got the chance to remix, for King Street - dream come true!
> 02. What production hardware or software do you get the best results from and what does it bring to your work?
If I had to pick one of each - the infamous TR 909 for the hardware and Ableton for the software. Frankie Knuckles once said he’s never heard a better kick drum than the one that comes out of the 909, and I’m inclined to agree.
> 03. Which track from your own back catalogue are a staple in your DJ/Live sets?
Recently, I’ve been playing “Faster Forward” a lot, it’s a good bridge record and you can go in a lot of different directions after it, which is really useful for me as, ideally, I tend to play House, Techno, Disco and God knows what else, when I’m DJing.
“Faster Forward” [Work Them] (2014)
> 04. What aspect do you enjoy the most from working in music?
It may sound crazy - but, it’s the travel. I could live without waiting for my 3rd flight of the day in some airport with no sleep sometimes, but I’ve been lucky enough through DJing, to have been traveling the world for the last 15 years and I’ve played/visited so many amazing places from Tokyo to Chita in Siberia!
> 05. What would you change or improve about the music industry and/or club culture?
I think it would be interesting to see more promoters book DJ’s because they’re good DJ’s… as opposed to good producers…
> 06. What’s your passion outside of making music?
I’m a huge cinephile and studied film as part of the BA degree I somehow scraped through whilst raving my way through University, so, you’re likely to find me at the Curzon in Soho or Babylon in Kreuzberg watching some piece of Yorgos Lanthimos lunacy… or at the Sony Centre watching Magic Mike XXL (again)…
> 07. Where has been one of your most enjoyable gigs to date and what made it so special?
I’m lucky to say I have a lot of enjoyable gigs, but my last set at the infamous Panorama Bar was pretty special. As I was finishing, it was already getting light, and towards the end of my set I played the 12″ of “Just Can’t Get Enough” by Depeche Mode. I cut the volume on the chorus and the entire room sang it to each other at the top of their voices, at exactly the same time the blinds opened and flooded the room with early morning sunshine - a moment !
> 08. Which tracks by another artist have really caught your attention recently?
i have been LOVING everything on the Amotik label !!!
> 09. Which artists do you keep a close eye on and rate highly for the future?
Too many to mention really…
(deep breath)
I love a couple of new techno guys from Brooklyn named Caiazzo and P. Leone…
Christopher Joseph is a great producer and phenomenal DJ based in Berlin…
I’m a huge fan of my French crew like Antigone, Anetha, Behzad & Amarou…
and I’m really happy to see people waking up to such great DJ’s as Boris, Dan Beaumont and Freddy K - people who have been playing worldwide for years and are universally respected because of their great DJ sets - not because of hype or one big production…
> 10. What forthcoming projects or releases are we yet to see?
I have made three techno EPs, in three parts/releases, under the name BROTHERHOOD, so that has been keeping me busy recently. The three parts will be spread across the rest of the year on Work Them Records.
Part one of three is out very soon and being supported by people I very much respect such as DVS1, Anthony Parasole, Ryan Elliott, Len Faki, Ben Sims, DJ Deep, Pär Grindvik, Kr!z etc…
