What is your name and role within Avidus?
My name is Marc and I am the designated DJ of the Duo Avidus. When it comes to producing, we are working in the studio together. During our last live-sets you could also catch us both raving in the booth.
Where are you currently based?
We’re currently based in Kiel, a small city at the border of the Baltic Sea in north Germany. A rather small town with an even smaller scene, but perfect for inspiration because of the water and nature.
2017 was quite the ride for you… Great moments, great gigs and many great people that you’ve met along the way. Now you have the opportunity to top things off with the release of your EP on your buddies Monkey Safari’s label Hommage. What has inspired the sound of your new EP?
A lot of things, since they have been in the making for some time now… But for the A side deep sea sounds. Especially the whale sounds and the „Bloop“, a sound scientists never heard before. Back in the day the scientists thought, it would come from a large marine animal, but nowadays the theory that it must have been an iceberg seems more appropriate… Eitherway, we were fascinated.
How do you go about writing music?
We often start jamming in the studio and while we do that our ideas are slowly becoming more and more thought out. It sometimes starts with a catchy line we play or a sample we find in our never ending sample bank… And there are also those songs, that really write themselves during a complete jam session. I think there’s also a bit of luck in each finished production.
Where did you record?
It’s hard to tell where we recorded those tracks, because like I said, they’re both over 2 years old. So we always kept updating it until the release was save.
What equipment/programs do you use?
We work with Ableton, but our ideas often start while we’re playing on an old e-piano we named „General Midi“ (because there isn’t anything else written on it 😀 ). It has been the faithful companion of Fritz since the 90s, so there are a lot of memories in this machine. We couldn’t let that slip!
Why did you choose to release with Hommage?
After we’ve met the Monkey Safari boys and Karl Friedrich the decision didn’t took long. Just after some minutes we knew that they have the same expectations of those tracks and they really believed in our work. They are based in Halle, a city in
east Germany, which has shocking similarities to Kiel, when it comes to having a club and a small scene. I think that could be one of the reasons why it clicked immediately.
Who are you listening to at the moment?
At the moment the Manuel Göttsching’s E2-E4 is on heavy rotation when I’m not playing at the club, and it has been for some time now. You always discover something new while listening. Another thing I’ve listened to a lot was the Bicep LP on Ninjatune.
How much time is spent in the studio?
At the moment we try to spend every possible moment in the studio. Especially during winter whilst our creativity is flowing. We try to get as many productions ready on our own or in collaboration with other artists to be ready for 2018, to be ready to keep the releases coming.
Please tell us a little about your own label Empore Music, how and why did you start Empore Music?
I started the label together with Helle, who is the owner of Luna Club (our homebase in Kiel) and another friend named Marv who lives in Berlin now. We decided, that it was time to create a label which is Kiel-based, because there weren’t any who gave up and coming artists the chance to release their stuff. Now it has become a very personal thing because we integrated friends and family. The artwork for example is based on the works of Fritz’s father, Jochem Roman Schneider.
Please tell us about the plans that you have for the next 4 EPs?
The next release comes from Engyn, a good friend of ours. He will bring a solid 4 track EP with an additional Aera Remix. Then we will release an EP from Xenon, who has been partner in crime with Till Von Sein, curating the event series „Sweat“ at Luna Club. And then there are EPs by Philipp Harms and Dominik Marz together with David Kochs planed for the end of the year. But more on that when it’s time…
What else do you have planned for 2018?
We’re currentling sitting in the studio working on remixes and new originals to be able to release at least one more EP in 2018. Maybe on Hommage, maybe somewhere else… We will see! And also the live-sets are under construction!
When and where are you playing next?
This year’s last Empore resident night at Luna Club will be the last gig on 29th of Decembre together with Eurokai, the labelhead of liebe*detail. And then next year we will start with some gigs in the North of Germany and Watergate in February together with the Hommage family.
How did you first getting into music?
My father really did his job well. I can’t remember a time where there was no music in my life. I started playing the guitar when I was 6 and then things went on when I started playing in bands. For Fritz, I think, things went quite similar. His father is not just an artist himself but also very passionate about music.
Favourite place to hangout?
In Kiel there are many beautiful small cafés and bars, but aside from our studio which is part of an atelier (literally the place where we spent most of our time), the café called „Mum&Dad“ is our favourite place to be. Nice food, nice drinks and wordclass barkeepers. Sometimes, they’re to good to leave on time…
