Dr. Renz (alias Martin Vandreier) from the Hamburg hip-hop combo Fettes Brot about their new album "Liebesgeschichten", their band ritual and why they are not called Boris and the Callboys.
event.: You've been around for 27 years, what's your recipe for a happy band relationship?
Dr. Renz: What exactly the trick is certainly has to do with our friendship. I've taken the other two into my heart. But you also have to know when to give each other space. A shared band experience like that creates a lot of incredibly exciting and energetic moments.
For example?
When you're cheered on stage by thousands of people and then we get back to the humdrum of everyday life, you can get annoyed with each other. You have to be able to put up with that. Then you have to feel when you're ready to approach each other again.
"I've taken the other two into my heart. But you also have to know when to give each other space."
"Lovestory" is the name of your new album. Why love stories?
We went to a small village studio in northern Germany with our full line-up. There, in an old school, we tried out various instruments. This resulted in 10 to 15 very nice demos. At home, we played the pieces to our inner circle, and the songs that had to do with love were particularly well received. Then we had the idea that we could focus thematically. Not to make a concept album, but a thematic bracket. The album is our most varied in terms of energy and tempo.
You're coming to Switzerland for two concerts. What should not be missing in your suitcase?
Make-up remover wipes, that's important. So that your skin can regenerate after the concert (laughs). And a pocket knife with a bottle opener. Switzerland has some great wines.
Do you have a ritual before the gig?
Yes, we put on our stage clothes an hour beforehand and eat together. I sing in the toilet.
"Before the concert, we stand in a circle, invoke our magical powers and sing shanties."
You sing in the toilet?
Yes, the others make fun of me because it sounds so funny when I sing in the shower. Then we stand in a circle and conjure up our magical powers and sing one or two Hamburg shanties, which are old sailor songs. In Low German, nobody understands these songs except us, not even our Danish drummer, who sings along anyway.
In the beginning you wanted to call yourselves Boris and the Callboys. Is that right?
(Laughs out loud) Yes, that's right.
What kind of band name would suit you today?
"The two funny three"? I recently told my children that a very early suggestion for a band name was "Really Confused People". That's what we wanted to call ourselves before we stumbled across "Fettes Brot". I'm glad we ended up with "Fettes Brot". It's a bit silly, but also very nice.
Fettes Brot
09.08.2019, Stars in Town Schaffhausen, 23.10.2019, Komplex 457 Zurich
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