This one came in as a nice suprise for us. We had a short talk with Steffen Neuhaus & Stefan Helmke, the German duo that form the great Hanne & Lore. Doing their house thing since years now. Starting their own Berlin based record label in 2013 called Heulsuse, releasing music on vinyl, digital and some even on cassettes.
Hanne & Lore have a distinctive, fresh sound and bring some much-needed life to house music with original productions on excellent labels.
In time they have been doing many things like running a record shop, organising parties, producing and as mentioned running a record label. Knowing their unconvential and unique sound you can hear they get their inspiration from the 80’s and 90’s. The duo’s music is a collage of sounds (drums, vocals and melodies) collected in iPAd apps or sketches and snippets recorded on the road which then are being re-worked in into tracks like ‘Tourette de Mar’.
When they’re not busy running their excellent new label, these guys are also part of the magical Monaberry extended family (Andhim, Super Flu, Monkey Safari amongst others). They have a distinctive, fresh sound and bring some much-needed life to house music with original productions on excellent labels including Monaberry, Terminal M, My Best Friend, Style Rockets, Kittball and Sunset Handjob.
Whether it’s behind the turntables or in the studio, Hanne & Lore like to fascinate the crowd with Tech-house infused tracks. Music, with space for groovy elements as well as straight dancefloor work. The style is smooth and skillful, but at the same time very energetic. Hanne & Lore became manifest in the electronical music scene. Two cool guys fascinating the people with high flying shows across Europe!
So let’s have a short talk.
What music have you been into over the last years beside the electronic genre?
Steffen: my alltime favourite music is 80’s Pop & Wave and Italo Disco – My kitchen radio is playing 80’s music 24 hours 7 days a week
Stefan: I mostly listening to electronic stuff. Especially since I moved to Berlin! But also to evergreens like Beatles, Northern Soul… and I have probably the biggest Michael Jackson 7-inch single collection around with 106 different records.
Please tell us something about your Studio & DJ Setup. What sort of synths and or software are you using currently?
We are working with Ableton Suite, some plug ins & hardware gear like Roland Juno 106, Yamaha DX 7, Crumar DS 2, Roland TD 9. Our DJ set-up is pretty straight forward, a Pioneer mixer with 2 CDJ2000’s.
Let’s go back in time. What was your greatest moment of 2014, performance wise? What was it about?
We have great memories about 2014 with many awesome gigs… Thuishaven in Amsterdam was very special, lovely athmosphere inside a circus tent… and our gig in New York was also very exciting for us!
How do you approach every live gig?
We play classic back to back track by track without any preparation.
When nor producing or dj’ing, how do you get your mind off of things?
Steffen: I’m addicted to sport & good nutrition.
Stefan: Collecting vintage video games and hot toys … and watching sports generally.
Are you both crate diggers, spending days in record shops searching for that ultimate record? Or do you guys spend more time on listening to promo’s?
Steffen: No, only looking for rare 80’s records in second hand stores.
Stefan: I’m often to be found in record shops here in Berlin and also on tour in different cities… there are lot’s of vinyl only releases nowadays with an extraordinary sound.
Which idea stands behind the beloved mix ‘Tonband für den Badestrand’?
This is our yearly summer mix and well known for leisure beats! Hope everyone enjoy’s the mixes.
- Tonband für den Badestrand 2014
- Tonband für den Badestrand 2013
- Tonband für den Badestrand 2012
- Tonband für den Badestrand 2011
How would you describe the sound of your latest release at Kraftek Records?
Steffen: It’s not the usual ‘Hanne & Lore sound’ so to speak. 🙂 This release was really a crack pot idea and absolutely not planned.
Which track of your own label heulsuse still gives you goosebumbs?
Steffen: Hanne & Lore – Blah
Stefan: Norman Zube – Marmalada
Can you name some projects you are working on at the moment?
Steffen: Some brand new Hanen & Lore stuff of course. 😉 Stay tuned an follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Soundcloud for the latest updates.
