Skiddle Mix 059 - Brodanse (Danse Club)

Image: Brodanse

Sound the rave klaxon; we've got the first mix of 2015 for your listening pleasure. We're less than a fortnight deep into the year and we're treating you to some prime time house and techno, as Danse Club founders Brodanse delve into the sound of their label in the 59th Skiddle mix (stream it below).

Skiddle Mix 059 - Brodanse (Danse Club) by Skiddle on Mixcloud

The imprint has been behind music via the likes of Oliver $, Matt Tolfrey, Just Be and Groove Armada since its inception in 2012, quickly becoming a go to destination for anyone loving the thud of classic four to four jacking club music.

This mix shows exactly why, as the duo behind it all, siblings Austen and Scott Smart, mix up grooves from Sascha Dive, Emerson Todd, Moodymanc and themselves to show the breadth of the sounds underpinning one of the UK's strongest modern electronic music emporiums.

They're taking Danse Club on the road for one of their infamous club takovers in the upcoming weeks, blockading Room Three of fabled London superclub Fabric on Saturday 24th January, and a complete club takeover in Brighton on Valentines Day.

They'll team up with the Inspired crew to welcome Groove Armada to South Coast club Coliseum (check the vid below for more details), bringing that inimitable DC vibe.

Ahead of the show we caught up with the duo to find out more about the mix, their plans to take the party on the road in the future and how they'd bring Danse Club to Glastonbury.

Hi guys. So firstly thanks for the mix, and we understand it's a snapshot of what the Danse Club label is about. Can you describe the thinking behind it to us then?

Essentially we wanted to paint you a picture of Danse Club whilst keeping it relevant to where we are at now with the label. Fortunately for us our philosophy in signing and writing music (in fact across much of our lives), is to try and only work with things that we love, and what will not date. We hope the mix reflects that.

What plans can you let us in on for the year for the imprint?

2015 is a big year for us... we will continue to work with Groove Armada which is absolutely awesome for us - there is a nice dynamic between both camps and we have some really cool ideas which certainly need unleashing on the world.

Label wise there's We will also continue to work with our fantastic family of artists such as Lauhaus, Markus Homm and John Jastszebski, whilst introducing some very talented acts to the label such as Tom Flynn, Julien Chaptel and Polder!

Next two items up on the agenda are the introduction of a series of compilations mixed and compiled by some of our favourite DJs, and a very special monthly party starting in April up in Manchester - it really is like nothing else being offered in the country at the moment!

The label is off to Brighton shortly for a special Valentines Day party with Groove Armada, and you're also hosting Room Three at Fabric on 24th January. Does the same ethos behind the music released filter through to the parties you put on then, and where else can we catch Danse Club clubs wise?

Guess in part the question was answered just then with our plans to kick off the ‘Danse Club’ Manchester parties in April. In regards however to the ethos, yes certainly - when you come to our nights it is all about the groove, the groove, and the groove.

We are quite straightforward in our thinking, with the label and parties, and that is that we keep things simple, high quality and fun. We are not down with anything way too serious or way too cool - for us it is about good times, good music and good people. 

We're loving the latest 'Train of Thought' EP (above) which just makes us think of dark rooms and strobes. 

Thank you, that was pretty much the thinking behind it - it was very much inspired by our favourite club Fabric and Room 1 there!

We're sure you've been asked this before but how does the sibling rivalry impact on the studio dynamics? And was the musical discovery something that one of you nurtured before the other?

It is funny, because yes we can wildly disagree with one another over 'what is right' e.g. "Should this sound stay in or not?”, but the beauty of being so close is that we can literally fight to the death and still be friends, there is a great mutual respect so eventually we find a way to best go forward. 

We were both big into music since a young age and during our teen years Scott went down the Techno route and Oz more the Disco avenue. We began to DJ together but it was Scott who really started to make music - it was like this for a few years and the got to a point when we said "hey… lets do this together and really make something of it" - we could feel that there was something there and we knew that is was something we needed to both do together if we really wanted to succeed!

We are totally different characters (if you have ever met us you will know that), yet the bond between us is super strong and we know how one another thinks - we are very lucky!

Tom Findlay of Groove Armada recently told us about his love of Arsenal football club - do you two have a terrace passion you want to reveal?

Yeah he is mad for Arsenal, in fact promised to show us 'how good they are’ sometime  - going to call him up on that!! We used to be into Football more so, but truth be told we tend to not watch any TV any more never mind football, it sounds a bit cliche but all we do is think music - it has become an obsession now - it is 16 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Finally you've got Emily Eavis on the blower asking you to do a Danse Club tent at Glasto - and you can literally get whoever you want, but only five acts. Who do you go for and why?

Wow, cool question! OK lets do it in order of the bill . . . 

We would kick off the day and warm things up with our number one man, Severino - he is such a class DJ and knows how to build a vibe. Next up would be Derrick Carter to really take things up a level - again knows his beans and would be the only man we would want to get the crowd ready to go off their box to...

Groove Armada. They know the drill, they have been there before and know exactly how to rock the joint at Glasto during peak time. It'd be really hard to follow on from them, their music is so big and with their lighting show they can really make the crowd go crazy for two hours, so this is a hard one!

After much deliberation we have gone with someone who again knows his craft so well and can begin to take things into the darkness... Joris Voorn! 

Finally we would bring in Fabric Main man and resident, Terry Francis. He'd bring some serious late night heads down techno that is full of groove and will keep the tent full until the lights come up!

Catch Brodanse at Inspired presents Danse Club: Sweat Party on Saturday 14th February, at the Coliseum Brighton.

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