Rythmic, ripping and hypnotizing – meet the talented electronic-music duo Austrian Apparel.
C-Heads Magazine sat down with the young talented producers and live acts Dominik Traun and Sebastian Wasner out of Vienna to chat about pre-show rituals, hard work and the experience on stage. Catch them at the Sturm und Klang Festival on 8th September in charming little Mödling.
Hey guys, thanks for your time! Who is “Austrian Apparel”? How did you guys both come together, and realize you wanted to pursue a career in the music scene together as a duo?
We first got in contact via email (romantic ❤️) through university. We then met at a filmset as soundmixer and boomoperator and we just happened to like each others sound so we started jamming together and doing gigs for fun and friends only. People got interested. We started with a different non-techno, breaky, more weird sound but one day at a festival at the end of our set we arrived at this techno beat and jammed this track for 12 minutes. People went nuts. So after that we became a techno live act.
Your sound is so complex, textured and clean at the same time. How would you describe your own music?
Thx for this. Our music is deeply rooted in a live approach and we try to combine the best of two worlds in it. The modern music studio and the experience on stage connecting to our audiences. Our music is a driving mixture of techno and melody, deepness and tightness.
You’re coming out to Mödling in September for “Sturm und Klang”. What are you most looking forward to at this new festival?´
We’re excited to see how this mix of styles will resonate with the audience and are looking forward to make some new fans that usually wouldn’t come to a dark club rave.
“Our music is a driving mixture
of techno and melody,
deepness and tightness.”
And what can fans expect from your “Sturm und Klang” set?
As always we will come with all our equipement and play a non laptop all hardware synthesizer concert. People will go nuts (once more hehe)
Do you have any pre-show rituals?
A lot of fist bumping and last minute toilet runs.
What does techno personally mean to you? I am talking about this history thing of electronic music; the time of rebellion, of freedom, of creating something new. Is it something that you still relate to?
We were too young to experience this movement and we can’t see any particuliar rebellion in it, especially in 2018. Of course there is freedom in expressing yourself in your dancemoves and just let loose in the club. Also being able to make music is a form of freedom in itself. And since the melodies in techno died way before our time we think creating something new is the combining of already existing styles and sounds. Plus some melodic elements on top 😌
The thing that will definitely change once more throughout time is the way we listen. There will be new sonic concepts for clubs and festivals and new forms of audio visual experiences in the future.
“Talent is overrated and comparable to beginners luck. Talent may give you a starter bonus but in the longrun its hard work and after all a lot of luck. But hard work stimulates luck.”
What is more important to succeed in the music industry, hard work or talent?
Definitely hard work. Talent is overrated and comparable to beginners luck. Talent may give you a starter bonus but in the longrun its hard work and after all a lot of luck. But hard work stimulates luck.
If you could collaborate with any living artist, who would it be?
Boards of Canada and Jon Hopkins
One of the happiest moments this week has been…?
Diving into a glacier lake at 2200m altitude and watching Akira again.
Austrian Apparel playing at Sturm und Klang Festival on 8th September 2018
sturmundklang.at
Timetable can be found here
Tickets here
More: Austrian Apparel
soundcloud.com/austrianapparel
www.instagram.com/AustrianApparel
Photography: Header image by Jono Jebus
second image by Thomas Unterberger
