With a name that means ‘deep black’ in English, one might reasonably assume that Tiefschwarz are some kind of death metal band, or even worse, an emo one. Thankfully they’re neither: Tiefschwarz as a name is simply a combination of its members’ last name (Schwarz) and a nod to their love of ‘deep’ house (tief).
Nonetheless, the words ‘deep black’ would still make for quite an appropriate way to describe the music of the outfit. Tiefschwarz is brothers Ali and Basti Schwarz, from Berlin, Germany, and they are a significant part of the highly regarded German sound that’s now coming out of the country. They officially started life as soulful house producers in Stuttgart (also in Germany) in 1996. But they didn’t hold on to the soulful house sound for long: they ditched it for a tougher, “gritty, edgy, electro house sound” in the late 90s. Their music is intelligent, considered and subtle. Electro the way it was meant to be, before the cheese vendors and the fluoro brigade got a hold of it. And they’ve added that tough, deep black sound to artists as diverse as Cassius, DJ Hell and Kelis (via remixes, just in case you weren’t able to figure it out).
First single Music in 1998 caught attention in many of the right places, but it was their 2004 remix of Spektrum’s Kinda New that blew them into the mainstream. And when they started their own label Souvenir Music, they called for “fresh, confident, crazy music”, a job spec they still carry today, and which also offers a good description for their musical philosophy. The duo celebrated their tenth anniversary last year, marking the occasion with the release of the album Black Music. Ten years is a long time in any industry, but even more so in the music industry and arguably, even more so when working with family. So how have they done it?
“We’ve always just concentrated on doing what we love, not getting caught up in trends, or fashions.” says Ali. “We’ve been very lucky in that people have enjoyed our music and we’ve been able to be successful and make a living out of it.”
Was it scary to look back and realise they’d been doing this for ten years? “Not really, no!” Ali laughs. “Working with my brother, that really helps, and we’ve achieved so much in that time, the albums, singles, obviously the label [Souvenir Music]. So it’s just been great to be able to look back at all that. It sort of crept up on us! We realised kind of suddenly that it had been ten years, and thought we’d better do something!” Hence the album, a two CD affair, with one disc detailing their musical influences like Marianne Faithfull, Frankie and Groove Box, and the second containing some of their best twork to date, including tracks such as Troubled Man, No More Trouble and On Up.
Their live sets are known for being a little more upbeat than their recordings, while still maintaining the darker, gritty edge Tiefschwarz are known for. Having toured Europe extensively for the last year or so, they’re now heading back to Australia to play a string of dates around the country, including the massive Playground Weekender festival just outside Sydney. They’re playing alongside names you wouldn’t normally associate with Tiefschwarz – names like Ben Lee, Maximo Park, Aussie nice guy Josh Pyke and drum and bass legend LTJ Bukem. Rather than sticking with their own musical ilk, Ali reveals they’re very much looking forward to mixing it with a new crowd.
“I’m really looking forward to playing with so many different people, so many styles. It’s always great to get out there and hear different styles, different music. And also to get in front of new audiences. I can’t wait to get out there and try out some new stuff for you guys!”
Tiefschwarz will be bringing their deep black sound to the following gis this March…
Saturday 1st Mar – Brown Alley, Melbourne
Friday 7th Mar – Syrup, Hobart
Saturday 8th March – Playground Weekender Festival, Sydney
And while you’re at it, check out this fabulous clip of Tiefschwarz performing back in ’06…
dstaios4 says...
Seen every show they've ever played in Melbourne. Always rock the house, can't wait for Darkbeat!!