M.A.N.D.Y. on Get Physical, the unfinished LP, and the importance of visuals

Philipp Jung talks to Jasmine Phull about an LP that never surfaced and a label that’s going back to its roots.

When M.A.N.D.Y. first started way back in 2005, listeners were unintentionally fooled into thinking the act was indeed a woman. I unfortunately cannot remember where I heard this and so it shall remain an amusing anecdote. But either way it’s not hard to see why. Since that fateful day, Berlin based duo Patrick Bodmer and Philipp Jung haven’t had much trouble convincing people otherwise. 

The two Deutschland sons have been heavy on the gig circuit and busy pushing their Get Physical label, co-founded with good friends Booka Shade and DJ T. Stitched together with a meager €8,000 loan, Get Physical has managed to quite quickly move its way up the ranks and with two of the electronic music world’s banging acts as its honchos, it’s not hard to see why. But nothing ever stays the same and although Get Physical is not longer backed by all its originators M.A.N.D.Y.’s Bodmer and Jung reassure you that they’ve got a tight hold of the reins, and it’s only up from here. 

As for M.A.N.D.Y. and their live show, well it’s now more than ever ‘about the beats and pretty lights’. 

In 2008 you went to Iceland to complete your LP but it didn’t eventuate. Why the delay?

I listen to it regularly; I really like it but it’s got such a special intensive vibe 'cause there was like snow everywhere and it was minus 20 degrees. There were three of us locked away in the tiny house so it was very intense. Hopefully we can finish it one day but it’s not going to be like a regular M.A.N.D.Y. album; it’s more like a side project because it was quite weird music. It just doesn’t come together for an album right now. There’s just so much stuff out there right now which, in my eyes, is half finished. Not that when the M.A.N.D.Y. album comes out it’s going to change the world… but we’d rather wait. We’re super critical with our work. Even with a normal DJ compilation we need three or four months! I think the time will come and hopefully it’s this life.

Did you figure out what your compatible environment really was? The opposite of quiet and serene?

To actually really work on an album it’s more about time. There’s always stuff with our Get Physical label or maybe we just find excuses… You really need to get the vibe and work with friends in a studio. In New York I had time cause I cut down on the DJ thing; so you have time to go into the studio. It’s time and vibe.

Do you think there’s a good vibe in New York?

Definitely. I love it. It’s my city. I lived there for a while and I want to go back but there’s a lot going on with the label. Booka Shade and DJ T are going to leave the company; all on good terms. Booka Shade is busy releasing their stuff on Universal and DJ T is just sick of working in the business side of music but both will still release stuff through the label. But for now I really need to stay in Berlin and take care of everything. If the setup’s right then I’ll be ready to leave again. After some time it’s time to move on. Once you start you can’t stop! I have so many homeless friends; the whole DJ world. You don’t need an office and you can do your job from anywhere, so everyone is constantly moving.

So now that it’s just you and Patrick looking after the label are you dedicating more time to it and less to other projects?

Yes. Like a lot of companies we had the success story, we hired more and more people and we thought all the jobs were done! But in the end the label became successful because we were there in the office. So we’re trying to think about what made us successful in the beginning and just finding very special artists and working with them!

M.A.N.D.Y. created the Fabric CD 38 during 2008. Did that project help widen your fan-base?

I think so yes. It’s always about the little steps. Of course the Fabric mix series is known all over the world so it’s great. Also when we did it we sent them our first draft and they said ‘no it’s not good enough, there’s not enough M.A.N.D.Y.’ and although we’d already been working on it for two months, and other artists would probably be like ‘fuck you’, we like this relationship. In the end it helps the product and the end result. For the last Renaissance compilation they gave us a lot of artistic freedom and normally because these compilations are directed at more progressive and trance-y crowds it really widened our audience.

Explain M.A.N.D.Y.’s laptop-based live show?

In the electronic world the real work is before the show, but then you have your controllers and effects that interact during the show. We had a guy from England who did our visual shows but then we had a crash and lost all or data so we’ve taken it as a sign that we need something different. Visuals are like 50% of the performance; a concert is a huge production. But because a lot of DJs are doing it you have to try and differentiate yourself.

Three of your most visited blogs?

We Make Money Not Art, Tyler Tervooren is a funny blog and the site for a little label in Zurich called City Fox. It’s very very deep house.

A recent artist discovery?

A couple of years ago Nicolas Jar was a secret tip but now everybody is raving about him at the moment and he’s only 19! These guys use their voice in a completely different way and how certain they are about their style is completely astonishing.

Worst decision you’ve made today?

Waking up too late. I’m a pretty early bird!

Interview by: Jasmine Phull

This article was first published in August 2011

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