Interview: Hi, my name is Dirty Honkers (+ Verlosung)

HI, MY NAME IS ist der ziemlich einfallslose Titel für eine kontinuierliche Interview-Reihe mit talentierten Fotografen, Musikern, Künstlern und inspirierenden Persönlichkeiten unserer Zeit. Diesmal ist die Rede einen der vermutlich kreativsten Live-Acts in Berlin: den Dirty Honkers.

Das Trio mit Wurzeln in Kanada, Israel und Frankreich verbindet ziemlich heißblütig und sexy clubbigen Elektro-Sound mit raffiniertem Jazz sowie groovigen Funk mit Rap und Ragtime. Genregrenzen? Die gibt es bei Andrea, Mad und Florent nicht. Dafür aber eine gehörige Portion Power und Verrücktheit. Ein Konzert mit den Dirty Honkers wird zur extravaganten Sound-Experience bei der nicht es nicht nur auf der Bühne wild und bunt zu geht, sondern vor allem auch der Dancefloor vor Euphorie und Extase platzt. Einen kleine Kostprobe davon seht ihr auf den Fotos, die ich während des Release Konzerts ihres neuen Albums „Self Portrait In 3 Colors“ im September shooten durfte. Was die Dirty Honkers über Grenzen, Songwriting und Berlin denken, erfahrt ihr dagegen hier im Interview. Als kleines Dankeschön verlosen wir außerdem die drei Souvenirs, die uns die Dirty Honkers von ihrer Tour mitgebracht haben. Wie ihr gewinnen könnt, erfahrt ihr am Ende des Interviews.



WE ARE THE DIRTY HONKERS

You brought some gifts from abroad?

Andrea: Yes! We brought you three lovely things from Australia. One blue, one pink and one green, which is the concept of our album. The blue gift is a Tim Tam biscuit. It’s a local Australian biscuit and you have to check on Youtube how to eat it. Don’t eat it just like that. Because it’s special. Then we brought you something pink: Pink Salt & Vinegar Chips. Really crispy! Unfortunately I had the munchies turning back from Australia and I finished them all. I’m so sorry about that! Last but not least: The green thing comes from this special kind of pine tree. I think it was Captain Cook who came to this area and who loved these pines. They are huge like dinos!

dirtyhonkers-3-2
Really cool! I loves that you brought something to eat! So tell me about the name: Why Dirty Honkers?

Gad: Because it describes our music very well. The sound and also the atmosphere. Which is cartoonesk. I mean, we are pretty dirty (laughs) and „Honkers“ has a view meanings. On one hand it is the sound oft he saxophone. Kind of a thirties or forties sound. Like blues and big band. But it means also big titts, big nose. Like anything which is kind of rude. (laughs)
Andrea: And it sounds funny.

Your album is called self portrait, so what would be the reflection oft he band in a magic mirror?

Gad: Ah! Like in a carneval. These funny mirrors. One makes you very fat and one makes you really weird.
Andrea: I would see us as many different lights. Shiny and sparkling. The pink would be poppy and the blue really cool and the green is kind of the vibrant side of us that crosses over into the swingy and jazzy feeling.
Gad: Like a caleidoscope.
Andrea: Yeah. A caleidoscope of sound and colour.
Florent: Also the title „self portrait in three colors“ goes with the concept of pink, blue, green. It talks about the separation of styles and colors that wanna do. But it is also an homage to Charles Mingus and he wrote this song „Self-Portrait In Three Colors“. It’s not about that, but there is a small margin, because we do like jazz. In a very funny way, because jazz is a bit serious nowadays. But there is a lot going on. We are daring, ludicrous. And I think we are very cabaret. At some point it was about that: It was about taking drugs and being fucked up.

dirtyhonkers-3-13 dirtyhonkers-3-65 dirtyhonkers-3-27
Techno party or jazz concert? What would you prefer?

Andrea: Hybrid!
Gad: Bringing one to the other. Bring techno to a jazz concert and bringing some jazz to people on drugs that don’t realizing that there is more than this.
Andrea: Some times we are bringing more danceable electronic music to some „adults“, who are: „Oh I would never listen to that kind of music, but you guys made me dance.“ And vice versa there are some kids who would never listen to jazz. It’s like working in both directions.
Florent: Yeah! Like this: “Oh! That was cool playing! You guys are great musicians!” And you know, musicianship is not needed at a techno party. You don’t have to be able to play. It’s not about that. But (!) it’s a nice additive! And it’s something that people appreciate.

Do borders exist for you?

Florent: We cross a lot of borders physically. Like sometimes we wake up in the middle of the night to take a plane and travelling to another country, having a concert in the night and going the next day somewhere else. So living that, it feels like there are no borders because we wake up every day at a new place and we are playing for different audiences, with different styles. So even musically there are no borders. In some countries the vibe of the audience is more hip hop, here they prefer techno. We are influenced by all this stuff. So thinking about borders is irrelevant. But actually these two guys have to fight nearly every year for their visas. So yes. It’s like a reminder that there are borders. For sure.

How you met each other?

Gad: Andrea and me, we met each other on stage at a festival in Holland. We had a bunch of mutual friends here in Berlin and so we came together on stage as vocalists. And then we became best friends. And Florent…
Florent: Actually I came here to do only Electronic Swing and I heard that these guys are in a very cool swing band, playing live. So I was meeting up with them and we did kind of a dj set together in Bar 25. And it happened everything really fast. I think after two months we had a full album.

Three ingredients for the perfect songwriting recipe…

Gad: Oh, song writing is really difficult. Maybe the right time,
Florent: I think the song has to come to you. If you need to force it to find it, it’s harder. For example you go in the street, you do something, and then unexplained, you got it in your head. Sometimes you are even not sure if it is yours, because you think: “Maybe I heard it somewhere” And that’s usually the best. After that it’s mostly listening what it wants and giving it, what it wants. What kind of groove, what kind of sound. And in the end, it’s even working with the best people, the best musicians and engineers, and bringing everybody together and having a good vibe when you recording it. You have to enjoy yourself and get into the process.

dirtyhonkers-3-71

Andrea: And sometimes it feels at the beginning really forced, and later it finds its place. For me sometimes it’s even important to play a song live, to find out how it works and how not. Because even people are often your judge. Sometimes you think you had a genious song idea, and nobody cares.
Gad: Absolutely. Live is like the oil in the mechanic.
Andrea: When we are going back to the border thing… it’s really weird. In some countries it works sometimes, and in some countries not! For example the other day we were complaining about a song, because we thought it didn’t worked so well. And then we played in Israel and it was great. What the fuck! (laughs)
Florent: It’s like food. You have different ingredients, different climate and different tastes. It makes part of it. But its even the beauty of it.

Berlin: marriage or part time lover?

All: Part time lover!
Gad: No! You know what? I think Berlin is like a slutty girl friend you are always come back to, that fucks around with everybody and that fucks you up. But when you are staying with her, you feeling really really comfortable. It works.
Andrea: It works! But you get tired after a while, because it means playing games. Or even like that tomcat who is waiting to get fat.
Florent: Yeah! Ho is waiting that you are coming back, and after feeding it gives a shit!

dirtyhonkers-3-19
And last but not least: Your question

Andrea: Why did they break the coffee time? It wasn’t mean to happen?
Florent: Can I get two desserts?
Gad: It’s over now?… Or can we add some thanks for Roland, who is playing with us in the show tonight! DJ Seraphim and Guy James Cohen from James Studio at Funkhaus! Check out the website!

Mehr über das kreative Trio erfahrt ihr auf www.dirtyhonkers.com, sowieso Facebook + Instagram.

VERLOSUNG

An die wahren Dirty Honkers Fans verlosen wir eine kleine Überraschungstüte mit den Souvenirs aus Australien, sowie dem neuen Album „Self Portrait In 3 Colors“. Um teilzunehmen, schickt uns eine Mail an win@electru.de mit dem Betreff „Dirty Honkers“. Einsendeschluss ist der 21.11.2016 um 13 Uhr, es gelten die allgemeinen Gewinnspielregeln. Der Gewinner wird hier bekanntgegeben und per E-Mail informiert, wir wünschen allen viel Glück.

selfportrait-in-3-colors-2