Klangphonics – the German trio shaking up the electronic scene with their unique mix of house, techno, and acoustic vibes. With their debut album Perfect Opposure out, Maxl, Ben, and Markus are currently on tour across Europe and North America, bringing their unpredictable sound to the stage. What started as a DIY project and playful Instagram moments with vacuum cleaners and coffee machines has turned into a global movement.
Perfect Opposure is a treasure for all lovers of organic electronic music — a record that makes you want to dance, sets the soundtrack for your road trip, carries you along endless highways, into sunsets, and deep into the unexplored corners of your soul. Especially songs like “You and Me (We Owned It)” and “Free (My Mind)” capture that spirit perfectly.
“It’s about contrasts and moods captured in sound,” Maxl says of their album. And the response? Beyond their wildest expectations. In the middle of their current successful tour, they still found some time to answer a few questions for us about Perfect Opposure, a reflection of many moods and moments. They also talk about the biggest motivation for starting their own label and how a major disappointment, in the end, brought them exactly to where they are today.
header photography by Joseph Woods
Maxl, Ben, and Markus, you’re currently in the middle of an extensive European and North American tour that lasts until November. How is the tour going so far and how are you? And thanks for your time to answer some questions to us.
Markus: The tour has been going very well so far – the audience’s response has been truly overwhelming, and fortunately, we haven’t encountered any issues on the road that couldn’t be resolved. Naturally, a tour of this scale comes with its physical and mental challenges, and we do find ourselves looking forward to some downtime. That said, the entire band and crew are still in good spirits and managing everything really well.
You’ve got your debut album, Perfect Opposure, with you in your carry-on. What’s the meaning behind the title?
Maxl: I liked the idea of something being in “Perfect Opposure”, as in the concept of opposites being “perfect”. It’s a thought I’d had for a while, and somehow it felt right for this album. A dance album that doesn’t necessarily require any dancing.
“This album is a reflection of many moods and moments.” Is a quote by you. Can you describe some of the moods and moments that inspired the work on the album, and what the main themes are?
Maxl: Pretty much every track on the album involves a degree of collaboration. Friends that were sampled, or recorded. We spent 2 weeks in our studio in Bavaria and in that time a lot of friends stopped by, and we had fun adding “moments” to the music.
“Perfect Opposure is a dance album that doesn’t necessarily require any dancing – it’s about the beauty of contrasts and moods captured in sound.” Maxl
You released it on your own label. What were the biggest motivations for starting your own label?
Markus: Releasing music on our own label is very much in line with our overall DIY approach. We’ve worked with a label in the past, but over time we realized that it didn’t offer the kind of added value we had hoped for. This became evident in several areas, which ultimately led us to continue handling most aspects of our work ourselves. Starting our own label was a natural next step in maintaining creative control and ensuring things are done the way we envision them.
Going back to your beginnings, I find your whole band story fascinating, especially how Ben wanted to move to New York after music college, where you met, with a study placement and accommodation all lined up, but it didn’t happen because of the pandemic. How disappointed were you at that moment about the New York plan? And do you guys believe in destiny or is it all coincidence in life?
Ben: To be honest, I wasn’t disappointed in the first place when it comes to the canceled New York plans. Of course I was shocked because I had planned that for seven years and it was always my dream to study in New York where my drum heroes studied too. But everything was strange, for everyone and I didn’t felt alone. We continued working on our music. We build our studio at a time where nothing else was possible especially playing live music. Without the pandemic, we wouldn’t have had enough time to do all that. We created a working space for all that what we are doing today. The pandemic was strange and back in the days we didn’t know what the future would look like. But without it our path would certainly have looked different. I think everything had to be like this.
Then you all decided to keep on working with Klangphonics that was already there and came up with the idea to create specific content for Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok, blending techno with really unconventional elements. A vacuum cleaner and guitar, a coffee machine and drums. How did you come up with such „crazy ideas“? Did it start as a joke? And did you expect such success?
Maxl: During Covid we were trying to think of new ways we could have fun and also further the project, as obviously playing live was no longer an option. We had this idea of trying to arrange some of our tracks for a more acoustic set up, hence the ukulele and more basic percussion set up. Using everyday items was a continuation of this idea, how can we try and make a fun entertaining clip, and something that we hadn’t seen done before. We definitely didn’t expect it all to be as well received as it has been.
“Right now we’re traveling with a pressure washer, a vacuum cleaner, and a sewing machine — maybe soon a coffee or washing machine too.” Markus
What instruments do each of you play?
Maxl: I play guitar, and dabble with other stringed instruments.
Markus: Sample Pad, Synths, Percussion and Effects
Ben: Drums and Percussion
The track that got you into electronic music in the first place was Strobe by Deadmau5. What made this track so special for you?
Maxl: Strobe was the first time I heard a “Dance” track that had a 3min intro that could have been straight out of a Hans Zimmer score. It completely changed my view to the genre. Before I unfortunately had the ignorance whereby I thought dance music was purely functional, and lacked emotional depth. Strobe showed me how wrong that notion was.
What are the most unusual “instruments” or objects you’re bringing with you on tour to create sounds?
Markus: Over the years, we’ve brought quite a few unusual “instruments” on tour. In the past, that included things like a blue flashing light and a megaphone. Right now, we’re traveling with a pressure washer, a vacuum cleaner, and a sewing machine. And who knows – a coffee machine or even a washing machine might make it into the setup at some point.
“Love, peace, and music – these are the things that matter most to me.” Markus
Did the collaborations on the album come about by chance, or were there those specific people you wanted to work with for this project?
Maxl: Most of the people we collaborated with on the album are friends we have known for a long time. For example, Weston Loney, who sings on Nighttime Feeling, is an old school friend of mine. We both played in our first bands together and wrote songs together. So when we collaborate now there is a real personal element to it, because we’ve both known each other such a long time.
In one interview, you said: “That’s sometimes the danger when you spend too long on a track — you keep trying to add new things because you get bored with the original elements.” Was it easy to finish the tracks on your debut album and easy to know when they are ready?
Maxl: I would say it was easy to know when they were ready. But it wasn’t easy to finish them haha. We recorded so much material as overdubs and samples, that it definitely took a while for the vision to become clear. And I definitely know when a track isn’t ready. But that doesn’t mean I know how to get it finished, that part often takes time and patience.
Favourite track on the album?
Maxl: For me it would be “In Between (Memories and Dreams)”. It was the first track we finished, and probably the most difficult one to get done. So much of it came together at the very end, but when that happened it was a lovely surprise for all of us.
Markus: My favorite track is “Free (My Mind)”. There’s something about its energy that grabs me from the very first moment – a sense of lightness and release. As the track unfolds, that feeling only grows stronger, like a steady rush of optimism that sweeps you along and lifts you up.
Ben: My favorite track on the album is “Free (My Mind)“. It helped me through some tough times.
“My favorite track on the album is ‘Free (My Mind)’. It helped me through some tough times.” Ben
Who are your role models? These can be musical influences or people in your private life.
Maxl: I wouldn’t say that I have role models per se. But some artists that I really admire (and have influenced me) would be Bon Iver, deadmau5 and Hans Zimmer.
Ben: The list is long but Jamie XX and Fred again are Definitely two of my Favorite Artists at the moment. When it comes to writing music, these two guys are definitely role models. When it comes to the Drums: Mark Guiliana, Benny Greb, Jojo Mayer, Steve Gadd, Nate Smith… the list is endless!
How would you describe each other in a few words?
Maxl: We’re all ambitious, committed and slightly insane.
The most important things in life are…?
Maxl: Art, and being at peace with who you are.
Markus: Love, Peace, Music.
Ben: health, happiness, love
For upcoming shows and tickets, visit:
www.klangphonics.com
www.instagram.com/klangphonics_
www.facebook.com/klangphonics
