In the physical world, a Rebar is an object, often used to reinforce concrete. In the world of music, however, Rebar is the joint venture of the label-heads of “made of CONCRETE” and the self-titled “Rebar“ imprint.
On 1st February 2019, Rebar released Lost In New York, the second EP on their self-titled label, at the same celebrating the 4 Year Anniversary of the launch of made of CONCRETE.
Rebar is a duo composed of Jens Nicolao and Andreas Pionty whose Rebar label is meant as a space for their own sound explorations, aimed at putting forward releases which combine their usual style with cross-boundary composition.
With this release they continue their geography-infused musical journey. While the first release unveiled the majestic anthropophony of Tokyo, this second release is centered around the city of New York. As in the previous offering, the three tracks all pertain to different styles, exploring different facets of electronic music, all the while carrying the common sound print of the American metropolis. Both releases are based on field recordings they did in the particular city, later combined with the atmosphere and vibe we felt.
Recognizing the exceptional work Rebar have been doing as producers and label owners, we asked them to provide this week’s Guest Mix, as well as for the chance to sit down for an exclusive chat to learn more about their projects.
The Guest Mix is a live recording of a recent vinyl-only set close to Dresden, Germany.
Hi guys, thank you for taking the time to prepare a mix for us and for this chat, I have been looking forward to both! How has 2019 begun for you guys so far?
Thanks for having us. This year started quite busy. We released our “Lost In New York“ EP on our self-titled Rebar imprint in February and we also played several shows around this time. In parallel, we worked on the release schedule of our label made of CONCRETE. On this we just released a great EP by Roberto Clementi with a BNJMN Remix and we are currently working on our biggest label night so far at Suicide Circus in Berlin, which is set to take place on 13th April 2019 tith a compelling lineup which presents 7 artists from the label family.
Tell us a little about the mix: where did you put it together, what was going on in your head during the process and what do you hope to convey with this one?
The mix is a live recording, actually, like every mix you can find from us online. As we both live in different cities and also play mainly vinyl we need to record our gigs and hope the result is good enough to present it to the world.
We recorded this mix at an event close to Dresden where we played all night long on the techno floor. The mix is a part of this trip and in our head it encapsulates the vibe of the party and our own flow. We hope this one somehow captures our love for versatile sounds and unexpected developments in the mix. We also like to play a straight and functional techno set, but basically we love to surprise ourselves and our guests with a more eclectic sound universe, which is maybe not so common these days.
Congratulations on the 4th birthday of your made of CONCRETE label. Can you tell us what the label name means, for those who do not know?
The label name shows our love for architecture and the effect a room and a surrounding can have on the music. On the other hand, it’s also like a statement we want to make with every release under this name. It doesn’t mean that every release needs to be a hard techno EP, as you maybe would expect by this name. For us, it means that every artist should have the most artistic freedom on the label and can show also different facets of their sound. Everything is allowed if it helps to make a strong artistic statement. So, in the end, our label has quite a versatile sound but every release is strong and concrete in itself.
What were the goals for the label when you began it and have they changed since?
This is a good question… actually we don’t really remember if there was a specific goal at the begin. If we need to define a goal than maybe the goal is to stay relevant, timeless and somehow special. If with this philosophy we reach a lot of people in the end, or remain as a special interest imprint, it doesn’t really matter.
Your Rebar project goes in a different musical direction than other individual projects of yours. How would you describe it to someone who isn’t familiar with it?
Actually, our solo projects don’t really exist anymore.
Sure from time to time we still play solo gigs but