TSC Behind The Decks | M€RCY

16/11/2017

TSC Behind The Decks | M€RCY

M€RCY is a music project born and formed by Copenhagen locals Esben Valløe and Tim Panduro. Together, they have an ear towards the opaque side of music, already appearing at Melt, Fusion and Berghain. Their trademark is a gloomy, melancholic sound and it works as well for the dance floor as for murky, somber reflection.

So tell us your story. How did it all start for M€RCY?

We started out doing long jamsessions on synths and drum machines and we loved it so much that we recorded it. After a while we began editing and we ended up having some studio productions that we really liked listening to ourselves. We still feel like a live-band and as winter is approaching, we’ll warm up our machines again and bring the tracks back to life.

What influences your music? Individually does your musical influence vary quite a lot?

Our influences span from Nine Inch Nails to Extrawelt. There’s a lot of artists we admire and sometimes in the studio we end up listening to music. Or talking about love and politics.

What was the process of coming up with and perfecting your sound? And what has had the strongest impact on defining it?

Our process is savvy on both playfulness and discipline. Both are equally important ant we’re most successful when we separate the stages and set our minds for either or. After jamming, recording, editing and arranging we bring the stems to a different studio and we should credit our mix engineer Joel Krozer here, he’s kind of the third Beatle.

Your recent ‘Tunnel’ EP signing to Tiefschwarz’s very own label ‘Souvenir Music’ must be a bliss, can you tell us more of how it is being part of that label?

We always loved the sound and dynamics of their DJ sets and it’s been a great honor to have them on the team for this release. We were hooked up by a friend on the internet and recently we met them for the first time at Watergate. They have been very supportive throughout the development of the release so next week we’ll bring them to Copenhagen and have a release party at Et Andet Sted. Promotional link: Et Andet Sted: Souvenir Label Night

The leading track from the ‘Tunnel’ EP – Tunnel, was remixed by the influential DJ duo Fur Coat. How did that happen, and do you consider next time working together with Fur Coat? Or any other exciting collaborations we can expect from you in the near future?

Their works are very admirable and that track was even picked up by Tale Of Us. It’s very inspiring for us to work with other artists and there’s definitely something interesting coming up soon.

2017 is going to end for you with quite the gig. You are warming up one third of Moderat, the amazing Berlin based solo artist Apparat in Pumpehuset. How excited are you to warm up for such an influential artist? Furthermore, warm-ups is a DJ-art form which many neglect, but can set the perfect mood for the night or kill it. The pressure is big, how will you make sure you get the crowd in the right mood for Apparat? Any tricks up your sleeves?

Being great admirers of Apparat and Moderat, we are both excited and thrilled to play this show. We have been working non stop for the best of two months to create this brand new live set and almost every track we play has not been played before. We talked to Sascha (Apparat) about the build up so we have a plan. As much as we like listening to music, we like listening to the crowd. But we also like teasing and M€RCY sounds best in the silence before the storm. Our strategy is to be patient about the build up and keep the tension.

In December you are playing in Copenhagen’s finest electronic music club Culture Box. Can we expect a different approach and music style between your show in Pumpehuset and the more intimate club vibe of Culture Box?

All M€RCY shows are different and we expect that night to be something special. Culture Box is a great place and has written the main part of the techno history of Copenhagen We are proud to be invited to play there.

We are very excited for both gigs, and to hear more releases from you in the future. What are your goals for the new year and do you have any wishes for all the dance music fans around the world?

A lot of the new tracks we bring to life in Pumpehuset will be released during 2018. The ‘Tunnel’ EP has indeed opened some doors, and we can’t wait to take the next step.