Oakland renegade royalty in the place for the latest transmission! Humble legends of the Bay Area underground, Kate & Miro aka Very Much Romance offer a special live recording from a foggy rave by the ocean on the outskirts of SF last summer. Plenty of nods to the iconic 90s & 00s West Coast house sounds, with some delightful dips and trips along the way. @verymuchromance
Q. What sounds /places /feelings did you draw upon when gathering inspiration for this set, and what environments do you feel might be best suited for listening back?
A. The spirit of this particular renegade spot is so special, where the big trees and the ocean collide, and you never know if some misty fog will come through or the most beautiful sunrise. We wanted to play dance music that feels pure but has an overall feeling of spatial-ness, so you can dig your heels into the sandy bluff and dive freely into the long night/morning ahead.
We were already in great spirits before this party, having just returned from our bests’ small festival in Berlin called Rambazamba, feeling grateful for many years of connecting to music with beloveds. Then even more blessed to come back home and host you and Maria for the second time. We remember sharing some delicious tagines beforehand and then hauling all the equipment out to the spot with a big group, trying to not laugh too loudly and wake up the horses nearby.
Listening back, this set feels 100% summer. It says, all bets are off! Maybe you listen when you have some patience to not skip around but also want to have some fun, like if you are going to a party in the middle of nowhere with a very long drive ahead.
Q. Are there any records in the mix that you were especially excited to share that night, and what is it about those records that resonate with you?
A. Kate: Knew I had to play 3 Brotherstrong’s Feel The Beat for this one. For me it encapsulates elements of the Bay Area renegade sound: a big stripped down beat, guitar rips, a little bongo, loops coming and in out… sort of ominous and tough but circular and goofy. Also played this Kaskade song which was my summer anthem. It sounds like it belongs only on a CD, which is such a particular moment in time that I think we’re all dreaming of, before the internet swallowed us..
Miro: I had bought one silly tech-y/tribal-y record by Meat Katie and Justin Drake with a voice sample that goes something like “Damn, I’m still here”…but it sounds like they are saying the name Dan, I’m still here…we thought it was super funny because of our best Dan Dix…and were joking that the track was referring to him so wanted to play it that night.
Q. Being there at the party myself while this was recorded, it felt like you guys were totally in sync with your selections that night, with one groove flowing synergistically to the next. After playing records together for so long, is there much discussion or prep taking place at home before a b2b, and are you generally just freestyling / flowing with what’s in your respective bags on the night?
A. Even after a decade playing as a duo, we always, at the least, discuss what type of arc we want to create. Thinking through the “feeling” together helps us ground the set and pack our record bags accordingly, so we can then freestyle with intention and think about each other.
With the particulars of planning, it can go either way. Sometimes we prepare a skeleton of a set if we want to create a fairly tight intentional journey. Other times, like for this set, we just discuss the very very beginning. This is especially nice when it’s familiar equipment, and there’s been care in tuning the system so you can really hear what you’re doing and take more risks…really needed when playing records in darkness and wet fog!
For this one, it felt right to just build off of each other’s energy and follow the little trails. That’s the best for us, it feels like everyone is in on it together, and it gets you even more excited for what’s to come.
