Ennui and euphoria live together in perfect harmony in the music of techno aesthetes Moderat. Elder statesman of the German capital’s avant-garde electronica scene, the Berlin trio have across the past 15 years steered a singular course – splicing brooding minimalism, blissed-out tempos and Radiohead style-fucked-up confessionals. The results are often dark, occasionally inscrutable – and consistently intriguing.
“There’s never a plan,” says songwriter Gernot Bronsert. “We don’t go into the studio thinking, ‘Okay we’re going to be catchy and then we’re going to be experimental.’ You can’t break it down that way.”
A cult concern in the English speaking world, across the continent Moderat are proper stars. Last year’s III album was a top 10 hit in Germany, the Netherlands and Austria and their live sets draw arena-scale audiences. Such success has been balanced with a parallel career as in-demand DJs, though, older and with families, their passion for serving up bangers until 4am isn’t quite what it used to be.
“When you DJ you play music for other people and you make a lot money – and you hopefully have a good time,” says Bronsert. “Also, you only have to bring a USB stick with you so it’s straightforward. But to do that all the time would be boring.
“That’s why we like to travel the world with the band and with a quite elaborate visual show. It’s never a sure thing – there is always a chance that you will fuck it up big time, which is what keeps it interesting. “
The group were born of a corporate merger between singer Sasha Ring (recording as Apparat) and Bronsert and Sebastian Szary’s Modeselektor project. They’ve always been fiercely independent – and if anything grown even more dogged about this as their popularity has increased.
“We’ve talked to big labels. But there were always little details that we didn’t like. They will come in and offer you a big advance – and then there’s always a ‘but’. They will say, ‘Here you go, here’s the money and everything – but we need you to do this, this and this.’ Running our own label, it’s our money to burn – and ours to fuck up.”
One of the driving forces behind the group are their disparate aesthetic preferences. Ring is a student of the Jeff Buckley/Thom Yorke school of tortured emoters; Szary and Bronsert by contrast enjoy everything from minimal house to jazz and post-rock.
“We are friends – but have totally different ideas about music. Getting together in the studio it’s a weird situation sometimes. Our tastes are different and you have to work through it patiently.”
Berlin has across the past decade-and-a-half confirmed its status as Europe’s pre-eminent cultural hotbed, with artists drawn by affordable rents and a sense of limitless possibility (the world class clubbing scene helps too). As natives, Moderat have a more complex relationship with the city – but nonetheless absolutely recommend that the footloose and adventurous put it on their bucket list.
“The grass is always greener. We are born and raised in Berlin and have a totally different opinion about this town. However, if you are 21 and from Ireland and you want to discover the world – and you cannot afford London, or Paris or New York or Los Angeles – then, yes, Berlin is very central and has great nightlife and culture. Berlin inspired us too – just not in the same way.”