Booka Shade Interview: We are trying other beats, but it's not goodbye to dance

Image: Booka Shade at Printworks Credit: Fanatic

London's Printworks was the venue of choice for the launch of Booka Shade's newest album, Galvany Street. The tour, with Archive singer Craig Walker, has travelled through parts of Europe, and will soon visit Razzmatazz in Barcelona as well as Farr Festival in the UK.

A few years have passed since the release of their last album, Eve, and tongues have wagged about the future of Booka Shade, fortunately the duo has risen up against their detractors, producing both a DJ Kicks album and re-releasing a 10th anniversary special of the seminal Movements before returning with this, their sixth studio album. 

We caught up with Walter Merziger and Arno Kammermeier aka Booka Shade and Craig Walker to learn more about the making of this album and a creative process that spans over 30 years.

What was the set-up like when you played Printworks?

Walter: He (Arno) played the drums and I played the keyboard. The good thing is it sounds much more like a band playing this way, which is great for some of the classic instrumental Booka Shade tracks and this gives (the performance) a different feel. It was the first Friday with a live band, we were like the guinea pigs.

Can you remind me how you two met?

At the tender age of 15, Walter and I met, not at school, but in a school band in the South West of Germany, very close to the French border. At the time, I was already playing a little bit of drums and my parents thought it would be good for me to meet other kids. So, they sent me to the school band and one day Walter showed up and we both realised we wanted to do something with music, we were eager.

There were always different people in the band, because it was a hobby for some of them – they came and they went but Walter and I would always be there,  so we realised it was something strong. 

And, how did you meet Craig?

Craig: Through the studio. I'm in the same studio as Arno. We have both got a studio in the same complex in Berlin – there are about 22 studios and we are studio neighbours. So, when I arrived in Berlin, about 18 months ago, the studio manager suggested I meet Booka Shade as he thought we'd get along as we have a similar taste in music. At the time, there wasn't really a plan to even do this, it was just making music and seeing what happens. 

Arno: The relationship evolved organically. Walter and I knew that if we wanted this material to become an album then we would need more vocals and we tried out some vocalists but we weren't really happy with the results. Then Craig came along and after the first songs we realised this could be something good.

Can you describe the Galvany Street listening experience?

Walter: This time the tracklist wasn't as difficult as previous albums. The album starts with Digging A Hole, which is an obvious starter and then it goes onto something more dancey, Numb the Pain. We put the album together in a way that fits for us. All of This and Nothing is more like a lullaby, it blends in nicely and ends the album – it wasn't a fight to bring all the songs together.

Arno: Also, we first wanted a short album. We're not fans of those long albums, with 20 songs or something. If it's quality, always less is more. We also had the vinyl in mind, the fifth song will be a slow song and then it starts again, on the b-side, with something uptempo. I think it's Babylon. We also had that in mind.

How does this album differ to its predecessors?

Walter: I think it is a completely new start but I can't tell. Finding the right partners was the most difficult part, it all began to make more sense when Craig came along.

Arno: This is something that we wanted to do for along time – we always had the ideas but we knew it had to be in a full album. Even on more dancey albums there were slower beats. It was never all four to the floor dance music. Booka Shade is mainly perceived as a dance act, as a club act but we want to move Booka Shade out of the club, so Yaruba was always the way for more clubbier tracks and a darker atmosphere. This new album isn't techno, we don't feel this tech-house beat anymore, not all the time. We explored more on the album with the riffs that we play, we are trying other beats – it's not goodbye to dance but the dance grooves are more disco.

Walter: The thing is that we were playing a lot of clubs at that time, lots of hybrid sets and we didn't want to play the music that everyone was playing. We wanted something more unique, so we decided we had to play more live shows and out of these songs, because they worked well during the sets, came the album. It was a new direction for Booka Shade.

Arno: After each album, I say that will be the last one. It's the same when you finish it after 3 and a half years, after all the sweat and tears. This album was not as difficult as the ones before. Working with Craig has worked so well, we are now open to more partnerships rather than focusing on Booka Shade alone. That's the future – you have to wait for the right things to show up. It's like driving on the autobahn.

Just to go back, why do you think this album was easier to make?

Walter: Many reasons. On a personal level, we get along very well at the moment. I mean we have worked together for 30 years, so naturally we have our ups and downs. At times, private things and children have caused delays. We didn't have a timeline this time around and that was very important. With all the other albums we were preparing for the tour while finishing the album – a bit of pressure. This time, we said the album's finished when it's finished. This album took about three and a half years and we had some time away for Movements re-release and we played at the Royal Festival Hall.

Also, the decision to open up to other people, that was very freeing. In the beginning, Booka Shade was just two voices, it was very closed. We have also done a lot of production, when we started the Get Physical label we were limited. For this album, Craig brought Mark Playty, who worked with David Bowie, New Order and these people. He mixed songs on the album.

What do you think about music at the moment?

Craig: I think pop music's great. It's possibly the most adventurous at this time. I like everything that's in the charts, really. Skepta. Stormzy. 

Arno and Walter: We take inspiration from lots of modern music. Diplo has some good stuff, its very commercial but still good. Flume too. There are a few really talented people out there at the moment, which is the opposite to the tech-house world, where everything sounds the same. 

That Jax Jones tune is everywhere at the moment...

Arno and Walter: In general, we say no to these kind of requests, these mash-ups of Body Language. We don't usually listen to them but they called us last year and we said no but eventually we agreed, partly because my kids loved it. In the end, I think it was a good decision as it was very successful and it of course, spreads the bassline. It's very difficult to write to that bassline, because it is so prominent. Many artists have tried to, including will.i.am but this time it worked well – they came to us with an edit for approval, initially it had a rap but we took that out. We're happy with the final product.  

Find upcoming Booka Shade events.