Take Ten: Steffi & Virginia choose the records that connect them
With their new album ‘Work A Change’ out now, the Ostgut Ton duo select the records that have defined their collaboration
Long-time collaborators and close friends, Steffi and Virginia have been back in the studio together. Both names are synonymous with Ostgut Ton; Steffi has been a regular on the label for a decade, mixing ‘Panorama Bar 05’ after a string of featured singles, her ‘Kill Me’ EP and debut album ‘Yours & Mine’ in 2011. Two tracks from the LP featured Virginia’s vocals; marking the start of their collaborative work together.
Virginia’s first release came on the imprint in 2013, followed by ‘My Fantasy’ in 2015 leading to the album ‘Fierce For The Night’ in 2016; all displaying her production skills as well as songwriting. As well as both holding a residency at Panorama Bar, Steffi and Virginia have once again proven with their latest album ‘Work A Change’, that their musical relationship transcends the booth. Here are ten of the records that define the duo in the past and the present
“‘Black Electric’ is probably one of our favourite vocal electro tracks, [it] has inspired us a lot over the years. The way the vocals have been processed is amazing! It’s a deep, uptempo, funky and sexy tune that rocks like crazy.”
“What a piece of art. ‘Red Atmospheres’ is pure house bliss and so well executed all the way to the end. A true trip for the soul. ’Search Your Feelings’ on the flip-side has this brutal bassline that rocks our world every time it kicks in. Great build-up and this is what we call a proper deep house record, no no no, not to be mistaken with the genre called deep house these days [laughs].”
“This diamond of an album on Rephlex is 100% killer, no filler. Every single track hits you. The perfect blend between electro, UK bleep and deep lushness. One of our favourite CDs to play in the car!”
“We have listened to this album so many times together. A masterpiece when it comes to ambient. What a journey. This album never gets boring, even though we can dream every single note on it. It has been the soundtrack to many holidays.”
“Such a clever dancefloor banger. Great example of using vocals like a more percussive element. We both fell hard for this tune when it came out and played it out a lot. Great reason to pitch the tempo up and get the vibe going.”
“A record with a lot of memories for us! One of the very first times we met, we found out we had a mutual love for electro and flipped out about the fact that Virginia had a second copy of this record. One day she brought it as a surprise gift! The title track is such a sentimental groover that never gets old and proves that electronic music can have so much soul.”
“‘Eutow’ is an absolute, absolute, absolute monster tune. The intro has so much impact, it rocks you off your feet. The gods of electronic music. By far the best band in the world. Every time we put this tune back on we look at each other like WTF?! Is it a Juno 106? What is that synth? We just can‘t get over it.”
“This is what good trance music is all about. Back in the day... so what, it actually was back in the days when this was played on a regular dancefloor, where we closed our eyes and just drifted off into space. XTC and lollipops! ‘Braineater (Cylindrical Mix)’ is an epic trip start to finish. Take me back there please!”
“By accident we both used this tune in a podcast without knowing the other one had it in there already [laughs]. Please give us a trip-hop revival as we are both big fans of the genre. Great laid-back bulky beats with a beautiful melodic drive.”
“Did this producer ever make a bad record? The answer is short and simple: no! We recently moved to Portugal and this CD has been the theme of our car rides to the ocean. Yes we do like to drive and listen to music a lot. ‘Faint Object Detection’ is so gorgeous. A very hypnotising, repetitive melody that goes on and on throughout the whole track. So simple but yet so effective. Larry is the melody man without a doubt. We take a deep bow!”
