In conversation with Fur Coat

Interview by Shannon Lawlor

Fur Coat are an electronic-techno duo currently located in Barcelona, Spain. Originally hailing from Venezuela, the duo have made remarkable waves across the pond since their 2010 inception, remixing for notable artists from Röyksopp to Stephan Bodzin and beyond.

From their timeless introductory EP Space Ballad, to their latest EP Repeat set for release on July 13th via Joseph Capriati’s Redimension imprint, Fur Coat have been stretching the boundaries of melodic house and techno for nearly a decade now and are still turning these worlds upside down onto their undenying, unforgiving collective head.

We caught up with Fur Coat on evolution, dreams and astrology:

For anyone unfamiliar to Fur Coat’s potent thrum, how would you personally describe the music you produce?

The music we produce has naturally evolved during our career. At the moment we feel our sound leans more toward techno. We always have melodic elements and always try to keep a groove. Most of our music is dancefloor oriented as we always like to play our productions in our sets.

Fur Coat are set to release a new EP titled Repeat via Redimension on July 13th. How would you describe this recording process? And how did it differ to recording 2017’s Genesis EP?

The new EP coming out on Redimension has different cuts from us, but we think it has our signature stamp on it. You will always feel the melodic and groovy elements. It’s a very complete and dancefloor oriented EP. We have two versions of the track “Repeat”, a darker and more techno oriented one, and another melodic. We have “Mercury Retrograde” and “Cygnus”, which also have pads and melodic elements that have been our stamp, and in “Messenger of God”, we have a powerful dancefloor track, more Bass-oriented and perc, on the vibe of one of our latest tracks on Watergate, “Inner Circle”.

The Genesis EP was our first EP on our label. Two of the tracks are very melodic like “Pulse Width” and “Parallel Dimensions” (this second is very trippy). We also had “Sustain” which is a more groovy and perc-oriented track, with one main and very precise synth element, which Slam loved and liked to be on board for the remix. Both recording processes were very similar. We always try to find and work around an EP that compliments each song. We might come to the studio with an idea, but it really comes down to what we end up feeling at the moment we sit down and create.

How does a typical Fur Coat live performance translate compared to what you hear on the records? Is there any room for improvisation at times?

We are DJs at heart, and have been playing music for more that 15 years. Fur Coat is already 8 years old, since we created it back in 2010.

As we are DJs, we tend to play our stuff to other producers, so there is always space for improvisation. We always have tracks which we receive each week to add to our sets, or old tracks we know will work and fit into our sets. So, our DJ sets are constantly evolving although our style and print is the same. That’s why we love to be DJs as there is always something new to bring to the table, from trying out a new track produced by ourselves, and music we like by other producers, or stuff coming out via our label, Oddity.

You have worked with some prolific artists such as Stephan Bodzin, Matador and Röyksopp in the past, but if Fur Coat could choose that one “dream collaboration” with any artist on the planet – who would it be with, and why?

Yes, we are super happy with all the remixes we have made. It’s great to shape your own version of the idea that another artist has conceived.

From people we would like to work with, we are always open, but we both are Depeche Mode fans. A remix with them would be a great thing to work on as all their sounds and elements would be amazing to remix.

From a collaboration together in the studio, and thinking outside the box, someone like Trent Reznor or Hans Zimmer would be amazing, as both are genius not only producing but taking things to the next level. One is more industrial and synth oriented, and Hans has created so much cinematic music with so much emotion in it, that is just mind-blowing.

Could you possibly give us some insight into the inspiration, or meaning behind the track ‘Mercury Retrograde’ taken from the upcoming EP? And where do you usually like to seek inspiration from when writing or producing?

As we recall, the name came as we actually were in the months were Mercury was in Retrograde. We believe in energies, and that these energies are also probably influenced by what happens to you at certain points of your monthly or daily life.

Inspiration comes just from sitting down in the studio and trying out fresh stuff. Could be from something we heard in a track we played in our sets, or from something we heard (non dancefloor oriented) from records we have. We are very open-minded when the creative process starts, you can never be sure of where and how we will move.

How would you describe Barcelona’s live music scene? Is there anything about it that you’d like to see change, or improve in any way?

Barcelona’s music scene has definitely grown since we made our way here! This city has always been a spot to come for Sonar and off Sonar parties. Nowadays there are so many good events from concerts, to outdoor parties such as Brunch in the Park, DGTL, Primavera Sound and we could keep the list going. Also there are a lot of clubs with something going on, from microclubs like La Macarena, to the big clubs like Input, Pacha, Razzmatazz, Sala Apollo. Aside from that, it’s a great hub for electronic music producers and DJs, as its so easy to travel, to network with other friends, and it’s only getting better each day with art, music and cultural events.

Care to list any favourites from your current personal playlists?

These are some of our favorite tracks we been playing lately

1 – Fur Coat – “Messenger Of God”
2 – Dubspeeka – “Contras 3”
3 – Mikel Jonasson – “EXILE 009 A2”
4 – Roman Poncet – “Thick Vegetation”
5 – Billy Turner – “Diodes”
6 – Daniel Avery – “Sensation”
7 – Sterac – “Universum”
8 – KAS:ST – “Liquid Dreams”
9 – Yotam Avni – “Circulation”
10 – Camea – “Jack U (Matrixxmann Self Love Mix)”

Are there any pieces of equipment, hardware or software which you feel is absolutely essential in creating Fur Coat’s signature sound?

We think there is no single piece of equipment that defines our sound, but the right combination in between using hardware like the Moog Sub-phatty especially for basslines, along with the other hardware and VSTs. More than a piece itself, it’s how we work and then process all the main ideas when we start drafting and working on ideas.

What does the future hold for Fur Coat?

From our side there is much to do! We have this new EP on Redimension, we have a remix for Oliver Huntemann, a new EP via our own label, Oddity, an EP on Nicole Moudaber’s label MOOD, and some other special things we will announce later this year.

We always are working on new music so there is also fresh stuff from us, and gig-wise it’s always about growing as an act. Just hard work, consistency and making music from the heart and soul.

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