Introducing: Saschienne

It's something truly special when a former fabric staff member returns to their old Farringdon battlefield of beats to perform on the Room Two stage in one of our most personally anticipated appearances of the year next Saturday. Stepping out of the underground and into the spotlight as Saschienne we'd like to think we know this Berlin based live outfit better than most because after all, the multi-talented instrumentalist and singer Julienne Dessagne used to work amongst us in the fabric office as Promotions Assistant. Julienne spent many a night taking in the sets of the likes of Craig Richards and Michael Mayer and was there through all the sweat and tears for the full 30 hours of the legendary fabric 10th birthday celebrations. During her time here, Julienne also met the techno mainstay Sascha Funke back in 2009 and it's here that their incredible journey began into their musical partnership and marriage. Read on as we catch up with our good friends, Julienne and Sascha as they tell us more about the live show, studio time and upcoming solo projects. Hi Saschienne. How are you enjoying the summer so far? Which summer? You mean when the sun is shining and people hang around in shorts all day?! We've not seen much of it in Berlin lately to be honest. Where should people begin with your own music? Wherever they like actually. Some people followed us from the very beginning with the album release in March 2012, others jumped on the boat a few months later by discovering the live tour.The album and the live show are quite different and we like to keep our productions versatile. There's no rule to follow to access our music. Can you describe the moment you first met here in Farringdon? What night was it? First time we met each other at fabric was at the end of 2009.The rest is private, sorry! How has fabric been an influence on your perception of performing and listening to music in a club environment? Julienne:Well, I used to work at fabric as Judy's assistant for a couple of years so obviously this episode has had a major influence on me at many levels. Above all, feeling how passionate Judy, the sound engineers and other members of the staff were. The love for music makes us all do what we do in the way we do it! That's all that counts. Talk us through a typical workflow from idea development to conception together? There is no typical workflow and that's very important for us to keep it spontaneous. Our roles in the production are never defined in advance. We both just let it go as it happens even sometimes when we think a track is finished, another idea comes on top and gives it a new direction. What are some of the skills you learn from each other when working in the studio? Are there different parts that you find the most challenging? Julienne: Beside all the rest, I think Sascha taught me to be a little more patient! I always have thousands of ideas coming very fast but I seem to give them up too quickly and switch onto the next one. Now I don't mind spending hours looking for the right sound, the right melody, or effect, etc. Doing some fine-tuning on things has actually become my favourite part of the work now. Maybe that's me becoming...more "German"?! Oh dear. Sascha: From the first moment where Julienne played the keys, I discovered there is so much more to music than what I used to hear or feel in the past. The way she makes music is very direct and authentic. With her, I learned a lot more on how to express myself throughout the music. Besides, she has a way bigger talent to find the right mix for each sound. I made a big progress since we've been working together. Is there a story narrated in your live show? A message or personal connection you want to share with the audience? There is definitely a story behind everything we do. We don't make music just for the sake of putting a beat scheme together. We try to create an atmosphere throughout the live show and get people to travel along. And the audience's interaction obviously plays a big part in the story. What other live acts do you draw influence from? Well, there are many great live acts we like. We don't really feel an influence though cause we just do our own thing but technically, we're quite admiring of live acts which manage to get rid of laptops and make the show using hardware only. Maybe one day we'll manage to take the step! Kompakt is celebrating its 20th birthday this year. What’s the secret to Kompakts success? The secret? Well, probably the only recipe that counts - quality music, love and passion! And needless to say, Michael is an absolute master when it comes to applying this recipe! How did the passage of time influence what you were writing in your debut album, ‘Unknown’ and do you have plans for a follow up album? Well...as our friends the Pachanga Boys would say ..."time goes by"! no?!! And it will definitely be time soon for us to make another album. But we don't want to rush things, ideas come with the flow, there's no point forcing them with too much planning and scheduling. What projects are you currently working on and what can we expect from you in the rest of this year? Julienne: As Saschienne, we've just finished a remix for Mohn to be released soon on Kompakt. And otherwise, right now we're actually both working on our respective solo projects. I will release my first EP as "The Twins" on Hippie Dance in August. And a few other exciting projects in the pipeline for which it's a little too early to talk about. Sascha: I'm working on a new EP for Kompakt, still under construction. How are you looking forward to returning to Farringdon to make your debut in Room Two with Ivan Smagghe and Rebolledo on 27thJuly? Julienne: It's a very strange feeling for me as I used to work there and look after the artists myself. In a way I couldn't feel more at "home" than at fabric but performing there myself takes things to another dimension! And of course, having Ivan & Rebolledo on our side, what else can we ask for? Perfect combo for a good night. Sascha: In general, I'm not so nervous before performing but, in this case, I can already see myself 10 minutes before our show eating my fingernails! It means a lot to me to play there and I feel honoured to play alongside Julienne on her old battlefield. Can you pick a couple of favourite records that you've heard on our Martin Audio’s and that will always remind you of fabric? Julienne: Too many of them! Craig Richards' special disco weapons, Michael Mayer's beautiful take-offs and landings, and of course every moment of fabric 10th birthday's celebrations, with tears of joy (and exhaustion) coming out my eyes! Finally, who is your favourite musical couple and why? Pachanga Boys. Best couple ever! Saschienne play live in Room Two on 27th July. For more info and tickets go here.