Even if you don’t recognize the name Milky Chance yet, you’ve probably heard, gotten addicted to, and walked around all day humming their mega hit, Stolen Dance. German duo Clemens Rehbein and Philipp Dausch have been attracting attention worldwide with their sound — an unexpected blend of folk, blues, reggae, and electronica. Dausch’s digital, dancey beats put a contemporary spin on Rehbein’s classic lyric themes (love found, love lost, hope for new love) and soulful voice. Supporting their acclaimed debut album, Sadnecessary, the two are embarking on a North American tour in March. We caught up with Clemens before they set off.
According to your website, you two met in an advanced music course at school. Was music always in the cards for you? Do you come from musical families?
We were always interested in music, but we never thought of doing it professionally. It was just a hobby. Our parents aren’t very musical or creative. But they supported us by paying for our guitar lessons!
What did you grow up listening to? And what do you think influenced your sound?
We listen to so many different genres and artists — as we did throughout our childhoods — that it’s impossible to say who influenced us the most. But I can say that when I began to play the guitar, I loved listening to Nirvana and a bit of Elvis. Philipp was a fan of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. And we have both always loved reggae, jazz, and country. At the moment, we’re also listening to Jack Johnson, James Blake, Ben Howard, and The Tallest Man on Earth. I think it’s our interest in all kinds of genres, our passion for music in general, that has created our own sound.
What is your songwriting process like?
I write the songs and Philipp is responsible for the sound and beats. He’s the expert when it comes to technical things. So we’re a good team!
Milky Chance really broke out after Stolen Dance went viral on YouTube. How did that go down?
I think we’ve had a lot of luck. We just uploaded the song to share it with friends. But then it got so many clicks, and we got so many requests from labels, that we decided to create our own record label and work on our music independently. Since then, so many things have happened. We never thought about releasing our music worldwide, and we never thought that we would play shows all over the world. But somehow that is the case now, and it’s very cool.
Stolen Dance gets a lot of radio play. What’s it like to hear your own stuff — does it get old?
It’s strange to hear our songs on the radio but it’s also a great feeling. In any case, it’s not getting old for us!
You’ve toured quite a bit since releasing Sadnecessary — have you found the reception especially strong or surprising in any places?
Every show is special but it’s especially crazy to play in the States. We are so proud and happy that people in the US and Canada love our music. There was one moment, not long ago, when we played Falls Festival in Australia and the crowd did a flash mob and all starting to dance together to the song. I was so impressed that I stopped singing for a moment and just screamed. It was incredible.
Any plans for a second album in the works?
We’ve actually already written some songs for a new album. We’ve been playing some of them live on tour. And we’re planning to take a short break after September — no promoting, no touring — in order to work on new material and ideas. Our goal is to finish the album in May 2016.
Credits
Text Courtney Iseman
Photography James Kendall