Extrawelt on Breaking the Mold of Your Typical Techno Set

While many electronic acts are happy to stick to rigid genre conventions, a special few are able to take those conventions and turn them into something else entirely. Extrawelt, a German duo consisting of Arne Schaffhausen and Wayan Raabe, is one of them. The pair have a knack for making listeners rethink classifications for techno, minimal, progressive, and many other subsections of electronic music.

The two have been active in electronic music since the early 90s, first achieving success together as Extrawelt in 2005. Since then, they have put out a slew of EPs and two albums, with their most recent album, In Aufruhr, released on Cocoon Recordings to critical acclaim in late 2011. Today, the duo have an extensive touring schedule, mesmerizing listeners at festivals and gigs around the world with their intricate live sets. Extrawelt returns to Canada after a lengthy departure on Friday, September 18, as the first stop on their "Over the Ocean Tour."

The pair are to play Hangar 16 at La Bacchanale Festival in Montreal. The three-day festival, in its first year, boasts an impressive line-up of techno heavy-hitters at indoor and outdoor venues across the city. La Bacchanale has an impressive track record, throwing late night bangers with the likes of Jeff Mills, the wizard, and techno-titan Ben Klock. Extrawelt are understandably excited to return. "Our gigs in Montreal were always fun and the parties done with a lot of love and enthusiasm," says Arne.

Extrawelt's live set up is not for the faint of heart, even for a seasoned electronic gear-head. The pair bring an all-out assault of mixers, faders, synths, laptops and other electronic wizardry. "Due to the amount of gear we have on stage, it came about that we both handle different machines," explains Wayan. "Arne is on the keys of the sampler, FX, and synths, and myself on the drum machine, FX, and mixing desk." With each artist expertly delegated their electronic realm, the musical bond between the two is understandably strong. "By now we have a natural understanding on stage on how to support each other and, most importantly, support the track," says Arne. Both work with a level of precision that is only reached after years of joint performances, working as one techno-tromping unit.

Despite their respective positions, the set-up leaves plenty of room for live improvisation. "We always have plenty of different live sets ready. According to the vibe of the event and our mood, we choose shortly before which one we go for," Wayan explains. "At any time, we are pretty free and flexible in how to play each track and how much to add or leave out." Don't expect to hear the same track the same way twice. "Some versions are very different than the recorded and released track," comments Arne. "We like it if the people at least can identify those. Hopefully they aren't disappointed because they liked the version they know better."

While impressive in their live-set, Extrawelt shines just as bright in the studio. Noisey previously talked with Arne and frequent Extrawelt collaborator Dominik Eulberg about their inventive recording methods for Noisey's Lost and Found video series. "Field recordings are often very unique and would be hard or impossible to create artificially," says Arne. Extrawelt looks to find a deeper connection with the sounds they employ in their productions. Rather than using strictly digital means, they turn to the raw and natural aspects of recording in the field. "Even if those sounds are very subtle, it is something our ear and brain are used to, and immediately connects and links to memories," Arne continues. "It needs a different approach of creativity to find or create those sounds, which is often fun to do."

The duo's drive to constantly reinvent and repurpose their sound is what makes Extrawelt's live performance so exciting. "Everybody is always waiting for the next new big thing, but the development and progression of techno happens much more in micro steps nowadays," explains Arne. The pair believe that there is definitely no shortage of good music to play to a new audience. "I find so much good music every week which is fresh and clever," continues Arne. "Even if it's not an entirely new thing, it might be very well executed or hooks up a neglected older style."

While maintaining their busy touring schedule, the duo have still found time for the studio. Their Breaking Bricks EP will be out soon on Halo Cyan, along with the "Fidgety River Remix" of Landside's "Wasteland" dropping this Friday, and their remix of Pan Pot's "Optimistic Grey" coming up on Second State.

With their new material and live sets, they are sure to leave listeners guessing. "In our opinion too many DJs are not brave enough to leave the safe path even for a single track," exclaims Arne. "It just excites us more to try different and new things every time. Everything is allowed as long it touches us."

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