Just so you know, the electro beast is still very much alive and well. And in Digitalism’s case, it’s also still worthy of voluminous replays and maybe the odd pogo. Since gaining its nutso following in 2005, the German pair has given us hot little digits like “Zdarlight” and “Idealistic”, and imaginative remixes, before espousing Idealism on their 2007 debut. Granted it’s been a while since Jence and Isi emerged with a new production, they’ve nonetheless been touring the globe with their DJ tags on. We copped an earful at Zouk last month, where Jence and Isi allowed us to hitch this ride.

So what do each of you do exactly in Digitalism?
Jence: You said something good yesterday, what was it?
Isi: Jence cooks and I’m like the food-taster.
Jence: Yeah! I just create ideas and we talk about how we want to continue before we work on something…

What’s one important thing you’ve learnt from Digitalim?
Jence: How to play live! (Laughs) No, when we first started and people put us on as a live acts on festivals, we just didn’t know what to do. We came from a DJ background and now over the years, we’ve managed to turn into this live band that DJs when we’re not playing live. And we’ve taken all of this stuff on board while we’re working on the new album. It’s more about this live aspect than it was before.

And how about a tour of your Hamburg bunker?
Jence: You don’t get to see anything in there – it’s total darkness until you switch the light on. So it’s very isolated and you can do whatever you want in there. Which is pretty inspiring, since you don’t get to see the daily business outside and it doesn’t matter if it’s winter or summer. It’s kind of timeless.

What’s the word on your next album?
Jence: You know, I wanted to make a T-shirt because everyone, including my parents, keeps asking how the album’s going and blah blah… I wanted to make a T-shirt answering all these questions so I don’t have to talk.
Isi: There’s a cool T-shirt that I saw that’s like, “F**k Google, ask me”. But for us, it will be, “Fuck the album, wait”!

The rest of the interview can be read in the August issue of JUICE, available for free at these spots (and for $4 at all major book stores and news stands).

www.thedigitalism.com

Text: Min Chen
Image & interview courtesy of: Zouk