Krankbrother is blasting some freshly charged air into London’s clubbing scene. With their clever clutch of established DJs, cool venues and sexy fire-eaters, the night has already attracted a die-hard following of discerning clubbers.
Krankbrother offers top-notch nights without any of the wanky rigmarole courted by so many bigger clubs, opting instead for random secret venues with just a whiff of the illicit. One warehouse party saw 600 people partying to some brilliant, pared down, dirty German techno from Mobilee’s And.id and Martin Landsky. Luring top international techno and house DJs such as Ramon Tapia and Namita (Great Stuff), Clement Myer (Get the Curse) and Dekker and Johan, the night is quickly acquiring serious cred. Krankbrother keeps the crowds visually titillated too, working with set designers and interactive theatre collective 55factory; cue burlesque dancers, hula girls, wrestlers and unexpected others. Their latest party saw jungle-themed madness in Corsica Studios; the creative Elephant & Castle space transformed into the Amazon, brim with cheeky animals and pumping DJ swagger. i-D Online met up with the undercut Krankbrothers to discover what keeps the dance-floor rammed until six in the morning.
How was Krankbrother conceived? It started as an annual birthday at Corsica Studios – which is what the Jungle Party was a continuation of – but it got so popular we decided to expand it two years ago. Nights become mainstream so quickly once they get over a certain size but we’ve tried to retain the private party vibe. We’re really just following our instinct and throwing the parties we’d like to go to.
You certainly seem to be riding a bit of a wave right now… Yeah, the unique venues are a big part of the attraction – railway tunnels, random warehouses, disused office spaces and rooftops. People sign-up to that, they like the underground feel, plus we provide exciting acts and quality DJs.
You’ve managed to attract an impressive list of DJs, how did you approach them? Forging relationships with big labels is hard. At first they’re not interested in talking to anyone but Fabric, but once you’ve wangled your foot in they look at the line-up and get talking. Most DJs like the rough cut side to things and the fact that people are there for the music. We got Martin Landsky from Mobilee Records, one of the most cutting edge techno and house labels, to play in October, which got things spinning and touch wood, we haven’t had a glitch yet.
What’s in the pipeline for 2011? We’ve got Nic Fanciulli for our next party in April, which is pretty amazing – he hasn’t played outside Fabric or Ministry in London for years. In July look out for Shaun Reeves (Crosstown Rebels), our DJ pin-up at the moment, DJ T (Get Physical) and Pan Pot (Mobilee) in what should be one of this summer’s cracking line-ups taking place on a big roof in London Fields. We’re some of the few people doing roof-parties and they’re amazing, sun willing. Justin Martin (Dirtybird), Heidi (Get Physical) and Lee Curtiss (Crosstown Rebels) are also lined up for August.
How would you describe the Krankbrother sound? More soulful techno, funk and deep house as compared to the minimal Berlin stuff. There’s a real bouncy, Detroit feel to our nights – we hope anyway.
Are there any other nights you’d recommend? Electric Minds, Warm and you can’t beat Secretsundaze for a Sunday party. Most of the DJs we have run their own nights too, like Rich Adam from Simmer, Excel D from Reggae Roast. It’s nice to be able to showcase their stuff.
And the name Krankbrother? Err – we’re brothers. It seemed to stick.
