Krankbrother Talk Family and Exciting Futures

Fraternal powerhouse krankbrother, aka Danny and Kieran Clancy, like to keep things freeform. Their hugely successful monthly parties have taken place in disused railway arches and theatres; beaches, yachts and mountain tops. This kind of unboxed thinking has led the duo to have the kind of booking power that sees them regularly DJing side by side with some of the biggest names in house and techno, with recent guests including Ellen Allien, Andrew Weatherall and Josh Wink.

In addition to exploring hedonistic spots the world over, the duo have been exploring the power of brotherly love by producing charmingly chic cuts for the likes of Defected Records and Classic Music Company. They've also, somehow, found the time to run a few restaurants and they're planning to launch a record label of their own next year. As 2014 winds down we thought it'd be a perfect opportunity to sit down with a pair of brothers who swapped the passive-aggression of most sibling relationships for a bond that sees them carving their own niche in the world of dance music in familial harmony. While we didn't get both the boys on the blower, we still had a great chat with Kieran ahead of this weekends gig at the Qube Project.

THUMP: How do you define a good year? Do you feel like you've had one?
Kieran Clancy: 2014 was the year that we really knuckled down in the studio for the first time, and we're pleased that we have as it's taken the krankbrother brand in a new direction and allowed us to release on labels we respect like Classic Music Company and No Fit State. In terms of events it's been great too: 12 sold out shows in London in a year isn't too shabby, is it?

What were your musical and non-musical highlights of 2014?

I watched Chic at Unknown Festival and it was absolutely incredible, definitely the best musical hour of my year. Nils Frahm at the Barbican is up there too. Then there's all the amazing gigs and festivals we were lucky to play at. Outside of music our sister got married, that was amazing.

Can you tell us a little bit about the upcoming label you're about to launch? 

krankbrother Records launches in mid February. It's a culmination of 6 years of doing events and finally wanting to have a more physical, musical output for the brand. We'll be releasing a lot of music of our own, but also from other up and coming artists. There will be a strong focus on artwork and also on diversity of styles in the music we release, reflecting the way we programme our events. There are some terrible producers doing really well these days, and some very talented ones that don't get noticed, so we'll try and help with that. Let's restore the balance!

What can we expect at your last big show of the year at the Qube?

We've always been fans of Phil Weeks so it'll be nice to play with him. Qube is a fairly small main room which we love, so there's an opportunity to play across the board - disco, old school house, techno. When you play in a huge room you always have to play a little more linear, so small clubs are often more fun.

How are you gonna make your NYE party stand out?

It's one of the few underground lineups left on NYE, as most of the heads nights are tending to move to NYD. We have three legends from the house and techno scene, Mr. G, Gerd and Ivan Smagghe, joining us. To be honest I can't wait, playing with Mr. G is a bit of a dream come true. Village Underground is a stunning venue too, I love it in there.

What's it like to spend so much time in a fraternal embrace?

It's great  we're best mates, a DJ duo and business partners. I can't think of anyone else I'd rather do it with. We have so much fun. Maybe TOO much fun.

krankbrother play at the Qube project on 20th December. Tickets are available here.

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