The Adana Twins are a duo from Hamburg who has been on the slow and steady rise to infamy for a decade. Their first official release hit the airwaves in 2012, and since then, their career has been steadily building, brick by brick, to bring them to the level of superstars today.
Careers like the Adana Twins are a testament that no one single gig, moment, or song will make or break your career but more a showcase that careers like theirs are all about taking advantage of every opportunity and getting the most out of every release, mix, moment, gig, and more.
So to celebrate the release of their latest single, we had a chance to sit down and pick the duo’s brains about the five biggest moments that defined their careers and their advice on how you can create similar moments in your career.
So let’s dive into these moments (but first, take a look at their latest single…)
Strange And Everyday Occurences
After being based in Hamburg for quite some time, we started producing music in 2009.
In 2012 we released our first successful single, “Strange”. You can say that it was the kickstart for our DJ career. The release also brought us closer to the whole Diynamic crew, so we were soon residents at Solomun’s club Ego in Hamburg were also started our night. We invited during this time Mind Against for the first time to Hamburg, as well as Larse, The Mekanism, Erobique, who formed in the past with DJ Koze the project called “International Pony“ and so much more.
You probably have a key moment in your career that makes you stand out from the crowd. When you have that moment, you can connect with new people, your network grows, and new doors open.
Having Our First Succesful Hits
Also, on Diynamic, we released two of our most successful club tracks, “Uncompromising” and “My Computer”.
“Uncompromising” gave our career a second push. But “My Computer” was a little game changer, pushing us straight from Melodic into the top artists for Indie Dance music, where we keep feeling very comfortable until now.
It was probably also the deciding factor for our longtime supporter Pete Tong to invite us to do one of his essential mixes. As a teenager, it was unthinkable to get this far. Of course, it is also lucky to live in a city like Hamburg and to have had an artistic environment like Diynamic back then.
But it shows all the more how important it can be to know your surroundings and to exchange ideas with other artists. On the other hand, of course, you should always go your own way and not look too much left and right. As always in life.
Watergate Mix Series
This was the time when our long-lasting friendship with the Berlin-label Watergate started. Besides a few other releases, most people probably know us for the mix release we did on their label.
As a mix-exclusive, we produced a remix for Patrice Baumel’s track “Roar”, which became one of the club hits that year. Our Watergate mix compilation was the first only to feature unreleased and exclusive songs. It seems as if that mix changed their series a bit. Before, it was unique mixes with a mix of released and unreleased songs. But after our mix, all other artists started to add only their unreleased songs and other exclusives.
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Club music usually takes place in conurbations, i.e., cities. In such an environment, cultural currents develop more quickly. You meet other people. As a musician and DJ, it naturally makes sense to look for a home in a club in your city. To us, our music will always be club music.
That’s what we grew up with. That’s what connects us, the city, the club, and the people, and I would also recommend to any upcoming artist. Expand your circle, go to the clubs, party, and meet people.
Playing Our Set For Cercle
It’s no surprise that the Cercle team is doing one of the best jobs in the industry right now. So we were more than happy to get the opportunity to play a live set with such a great product at such a wonderful venue as the Palais Longchamp in Marseille.
In our set, we also play one of our most successful remixes. We had the honor of remixing the seminal track of the early 90s acid house movement by Josh Wink, “Higher State Of Consciousness.” Since the original files from that time have been lost, we could give a lot of love to the acid bassline and made two different versions.
Also in the set was a mysterious song from Biesmans & Vandesande. It was the closing track and one of the most requested songs. Luckily we released it on TAU, which gave the label a great push. A year after our Cercle set, our friends from WhoMadeWho also played an excellent set for Cercle, performing some of our collaborations from that time live.
Just great!
Working with WhoMadeWho was a great experience, and together with the guys, we produced some nice tracks on Kompakt. Before our career, could we have imagined working with who made who or remixing one of the most important tracks in electronic music history?
Of course not, but we loved the music. Partied to it. Felt it and still do. Music was and is our life. Maybe that’s the most important advice you can give to young producers. Feel what you do, but that’s always the case 😉
Starting Our Label TAU
One thing has been essential to us lately: our baby, our label TAU. It allows us to define ourselves and our musical environment much better. We are always on the lookout for new music and new, talented young artists, and at the same time, choosing music helps us to sharpen and develop our sound.
It’s just great to give a platform to other musicians like Innellea, Echonomist, and Biesmanns. Innellea, for example, did one of their first releases on TAU, and Stefan Jolk said at Exit Festival to us: Adana Twins, the guys who spotted Innellea.
Almost right, to be honest. We recognized Michi and Dani (at that time, it was still two of them) for the first time on Upon you, the label of Marco Reisman. So shout out to Marco for bringing the guys to our attention. To work with artists who make you happy is, of course, a great gift.
As mentioned earlier, it always makes sense to create a constructive environment. That’s why having your label with great musicians is the next step.
Planning Our Future Album
At the moment, we are pleased about the great success of our latest release on Innervisions.
“How Far Can We Go” has been played up and down by Ame and Dixon this past year and is still a highlight in our own sets. Even if we are more into Indie Dance right now, you can feel our love for melodic tunes in it, which is still deeply anchored in our hearts, and we are sure this won’t be the last track like this. The next step in our career should be our own album.
Let’s see when this is happening since we’re on the road a lot, and it’s not always easy to find time in the studio right now… 🙂
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