Firstly how did this fantastic collaboration between you guys come about? How did you meet and get in contact with each other?
SMD: We have been fans of Roman’s music for ages and we asked him to come into our studio for a collaboration for our Delicacies label. After that we played together one night in Robert Johnson and at the end of the night we started going back to back, it was unplanned and all the more fun for it. We both had plans to go to the ‘States at a similar time and it seemed like an interesting idea to do a run of shows together.
Roman: I was really happy to be part of that specific collaboration since I’m a fan of SMD for a long time! Finally I was able to discover their studio and I felt like a little child again turning all these knobs on their modular Synths which unfortunately I don’t call my own…
Obviously Roman will be making his debut this summer at EXIT Festival, but the Simian guys have played before. Can you remember your experience and do you have any stand out memories from that performance or the festival itself?
SMD: The last time we played Exit is quite a long time ago now but it was such a fantastic event that it’s really stayed with me. I remember playing in the natural amphitheater and the sun had come up, it was a very memorable moment!
Roman: wow… hearing this makes me even more excitited. Really looking forward!
This year is EXIT’s 15th Birthday and as you know you guys will be bringing your exclusive B2B set to the Dance Arena to close the festivities – what can the crowd expect? What defines a SMD vs Roman Flugel performance?
SMD: One of the most engaging things about djing is how the situation defines your set so I could’t tell you specifically what we will play as I don’t know! I always aim to play a mixture of stuff that interesting and possibly a bit challenging with stuff that’s more fun, but never stupid. Some festivals seem to demand that you dumb down what you do but I associate Exit with a pretty open minded and clued up type of festival goer so I hope we can do our thing without compromise.
Roman: I guess teaming up in a back to back situation for us has a lot to do with reacting and improvisong instead of presenting some sort of a planned mix-tape. I always love to be surprised by Jas’ selection.
As mentioned you guys will play the last song before the fortress falls silent for 2015… how will you decide who gets to play the last track? Do you have a specific tune in mind?
SMD: The only way to sort this out, given that we will be in a fortress, is the old fashioned way. Rock, paper, scissors.
Roman: Yep, that’ll work.
With the growing trend, where do you guys fit – vinyl, CD or digital and why?
SMD: I like music. I like it when it’s on a record and also when it’s digital. I find the whole debate a bit bizarre really.
Roman: I’ve been playing and carrying records for more than 15 years before the USB stick arrived and I’m not complaining about a new way of storing music in a lightweight media. I also feel quite secure and flexible playing digital. That doesn’t mean I’ve stopped buying records it’s just something else I’ve added to my way of Dj’ing.
Can we expect to see any productions further down the line as a joint project between you guys, perhaps a debut for them at EXIT?
SMD: I certainly hope we get a chance to get back in the studio, it was lots of fun last time.
Roman: I hope so!
