The Warp Brothers hail from Hamburg – Germany, and are DJs Oliver Goedicke & Jürgen Dohr, who met three and a half years ago while Oliver was Producing for his outfit PONS, and looking for new creative input. Oliver found Jürgen after noticing his name in the production credits on the sleeve of one of his favourite records. So, Oliver called Jürgen, said “Hey! We gotta do something together!” The rest, as they say – is history.
The first collaborative effort by the two German gentlemen was a remake of the famous Technotronic tune ‘Pump up the Jam’ which incorporated their love of re-animating the Roland 303 and many other old school sounds. Inspired by Old school anthems, and a love of collecting records which started with his Uncle being a radio Dj on Germany’s legendary AFM (who gave Oliver his first ever record). Oliver himself began DJing at age 15 with his first gig in 1983. Jürgen was a guitar player also, whilst Oliver played Bass. Oliver says. “We’re inspired by the likes of James Brown, soul music. We were never really into Abba or other internationals”.
The guys both feel that they’ve had the opportunity to learn what elements of a tune make a party groove or a floor move. Oliver comments: “Of couse – these are the basics. When you DJ for such a long time you pick some things up. In 1985 I started DJing in clubs – Jurgen in 1998 – and we’ve developed a feeling – what you can play. We are mostly sure we can play it and people will dance. When you are sitting by yourself in your studio listening to a track you are making, dancing yourself – this is of course good. I would never play something I myself wouldn’t dance to”.
He also finds it somewhat amusing that Warp Brothers have been referred to as ‘legendary’ (actually, this apparently was first the case after the guys toured Australia in 2002 when an Adelaide writer dropped the tag upon them). “It’s a compliment. We don’t feel the same though, its too early to call us that. Legendary DJ’s or Producers in our minds are Carl Cox because he has been on scene so many years and always he plays different styles. He can play funky, progressive, hard – he totally lives in the music. Also Sven Vath and Kraftwerk.”
The Warp brothers have been compared with the likes of The Prodigy and Chemical Brothers. “We have like rolling basslines – hard compressed uplifting, danceable. I wouldn’t call it techno/trance, just all in the middle – the groove is always pumping, phat sound”. Often one hears of conflicts of interest when multiple personalities are in play creatively. Have there been any instances where you have conflicted over where you want a track to go (sound wise)? “No never – we are like good friends. I sometimes get a little too hard with the sound and Jurgen in other direction. Never ‘I don’t like what you are playing’”.
Obviously, Warp Brothers are very much looking forward to touring Australia again soon with the Two Tribes events just around the corner. Oliver recalls his favourite gigs: “There are a couple in my mind. Adelaide at Club Heaven – unbelievable! We were totally hammered that night and had such a great time. We had the whole place totally freaked out”.
Unfortunately, it was at this stage that our call dropped out. So if you want to hear what the boys have to offer – get yourself a ticket to Two Tribes and party hard with the Warp Brothers.
Catch The Warp Brothers at Two Tribes 2003.
