For more than twenty years, Rework have been marrying a sophisticated pop sensibility with club music. What makes it exciting is that the exchange runs both ways: songs are stripped back and left fragmentary, while club sound is taken apart and rebuilt from the instruments of a band.
For their GROOVE mix, recorded in their studio with CDJs, an Allen & Heath mixer and Ableton, the duo aimed at a late-summer feel shaped by open-air parties and a summer at Frieda’s Pier. They moved away from their house leanings toward a more robotic wave direction, though they admit that deciding what still fits the Rework sound is the hard part.
In the interview, they talk about Benicàssim, their vintage synths and CV/Gate sequencing, Salon Records, and what’s next, including new releases on Exlove with Barbara Nicole and Neu-Romancer.
GROOVE: What did you have in mind when recording this mix?
Rework: Late summer, sun and open-air parties. We spent some time at Frieda’s Pier this summer. This mix has a sound and a late-summer feel. We wanted to leave a bit of our house influences behind and lean more into a robotic wave techno direction. We also always consider omitting tracks that stray too far from our Rework trademark sound. The decisions around the mix are kind of difficult for us.
Where did you record it and which setup did you use?
An Allen & Heath Mixer Pioneer CDJs and Ableton. We recorded the mix at our studio. We are preparing our new Rework live set, so we don’t do much DJ mixing. It’s always a bit complicated to set up the equipment and get ready for a mix in our studio, with all our synths and cables.
What’s the most memorable gig you played so far?
Benicassim Festival some years ago. We spent two days at the festival meeting some of our heroes backstage. Some of our friends made the festival very special for us, too. It’s always a good feeling to share career highlights with our friends.
Can you name a secret weapon that you use frequently?
Our vintage synths, sequenced with CV/Gate. And working with hardware sequencers. We are also making progress with our live setup and love to perform without a notebook. Just our 1010 black box and sequenced synths and machines.
Three recent releases that caught your attention?
Releases on Salon Records, Paris. They caught our attention after some friendly emails from Jon. Now there’s an upcoming release of our Crazy Bros Remix and our own track „Boring” on the 7″ summer series. Plus releases by Asa Moto and Factory Floor. We love the robotic, maniacal sequences in their productions. Everything with a cold, dark, disco touch.
What do you have coming up?
New releases on Exlove Records featuring Barbara Nicole and Neu-Romancer. A new life setup. We are also working on a secret synth cover of a soul classic with a „Tainted Love” feel. And don’t forget our several side-project releases: She Lies, Sugartin, A Youth, Low Scene. We just finished two new Rework tracks with a kind of playhouse vibe and also already have the stems for a remix of „Charlotte” from Paris.
Tracklist:
WAX – WAX30003B
APM001 – 001 (Chloe Remix)
Finally – Louie Vega DJ Tool Dub Instrumental Mix
Rework – Disco Love (Neu-Romancer Remix) – exlove records
Mike Dunn – I Wanna B House (Original Demo Mix)
Josh Wink feat. Ursula Rucker – Sixth Sense (Louie Vega Remix)
Moritz Piske – Dirt Cabana (Anneke Laurent Remix)
Daniel Wanrooy & MC Stretch – Funk You Up (German Brigante Dub Mix)
Technicus, Chinosynth – Discodelia (Rafael Vilches Re-ix)
Toddla T & Roots Manuva – Watch Me Dance (Andrew Weatherall Remix)
Asa Moto – MJ Complex
Das Kolles – Katal (Gabe Gurnsey Extended Dub)
DJ Sneak – Wickedy Sounds Original Mix
Chris Mitchell – Drum Trax
Barbara Nicole, Rework – Boys and Girls
