M.A.N.D.Y

Along with DJ T and Booka Shade, M.A.N.D.Y take the helm at the highly respected Get Physical label. The story of Philipp Jung and Patrick Bodmer is one not unlike a story you would see in a movie. The boys met when they were teenagers, became instant friends, grew up together then separated, only to reunite in the mid nineties; when the journey of M.A.N.D.Y truly began. With Get Physical recently celebrating its 7th anniversary by releasing a compilation, fittingly mixed by M.A.N.D.Y, the label has come along way since it’s humble beginnings, and to top off 2009 being a special year, the duo recently debuted on Renaissance, with their contribution to the esteemed Mix Collection Series.

Pulse: Did the offer from Renaissance come as a surprise or an honour? M.A.N.D.Y.: It was both. For years and years now, The Mix Collection is a series with lots of fans and a huge following. Of course we are proud and happy to be part of it!



What was the experience working on the Renaissance mix like? Did it differ to working on Get Physical projects? Basically it's the same work, but it's always interesting to see how other companies operate, and we have to say it was a big pleasure to work with the Renaissance people. They are very professional with a big understanding for small delays we caused from time to time.

Get Physical has come along way and you must be very proud. The team behind the scenes must have grown by now? Yes we have needed to hire people. If you tell an artist you like his music and you want to work with him, you have to make sure the album is worked in the best way possible. And as we are touring quite a bit, you need a label manager, assistants, accountants, A & R people, promo staff etc. Without our team, it just wouldn't have been possible to carry on like this. So here’s a huge thanks again to our lovely crew.

The two of you are very close friends; care to share any funny or embarrassing stories about each other? There are too many. Just come to one of our shows and I’m sure you'll see embarrassing behavior and stories in the making.



If you could sum up the M.A.N.D.Y sound and vibe in 1 or 2 sentences, how would you do it? I would love to do that, but it's very difficult as an artist as you like to combine lots of different styles, so it varies a lot.  It’s up to you to find the right explanation.

What do the latter months of 2009 hold for M.A.N.D.Y and Get Physical? We’ve started our live show now and that has gone down well so far. It’s a completely different approach and we have tons of stuff to learn still, but it's an exciting new journey. Philipp is moving to NYC for a while, but we will be reunited every two months for gigs together in Europe. As for Get Physical, we are just releasing the new Raz Oharo, which is a beautiful album for fall and cozy winter nights. Another spectacular release is Body Language from Mode Selector; it’s really modern and special. Then Audiofly and Noze from Paris are sitting on new albums too, and hopefully we are continuing work on our album next year. I'm also really looking forward to NYE; we do a party at the beach in Playa Del Carmen in Mexico, with us, Matthew Dear and Audiofly.
 

"By ourselves walking through a forest, feeling connected to nature and just letting thoughts go while listening to the birdies!"

As producers and label owners yourselves, how do you see the future for the industry; particularly with the development of new technologies and the digital era? There’s nothing you can do and times will not get better that’s for sure. It’s sometimes very frustrating because people don’t understand that it is an illegal process to get all the music you want for free. Of course it's cool to share some files and music and films, but you have to be aware that it will most definitely cause big problems on quality and variety if nobody pays for the content anymore. You should find the right mix in consuming this kind of media...
You should sometimes buy a cd or pay for downloads from your favourite artists, otherwise how is he/she going to continue their career in the long run? If you have a sandwich store and you give all the produce away for free, it's hard to maintain the quality of the product and to survive. We don't want to sound like grandfathers, but it's something to think about every once on a while.

Have you got any, or seen any good moves, that have been turning heads on the floor lately? We used to be good dancers, but due to always standing behind the decks, the moves are actually pretty limited now. But there's a video on our facebook from our live show at Coachella this year and there were kids, maybe 18, who danced a new way of hip hop/ rave/ jumpstyle or whatever you want to call it. It was amazing. We would break our bones if we tried this.

Any hopes and dreams for the next life? Do you feel you need a second chance or will you accomplish it all this time around? For sure not, still a very long way to roll and to learn and to give something back. We are very aware that we are lucky to live our dream although it can be very painful sometimes. The highs are higher; and the lows are lower with this kind of lifestyle. But for sure it's not finished yet and we still have a lot to learn from life.

What’s your perfect way to spend a day and night? Either with your beloved friends or family, not talking about music, just enjoying life, at the sea, in a lonely hut in the mountains, eating, drinking, talking and just being... By ourselves walking through a forest, feeling connected to nature and just letting thoughts go while listening to the birdies!

Casey van Reyk