1. Hey Marcus and Thomas, thanks for taking the time to answer some questions for EDMNOMAD today! So, Marcus, this new venture anamē has been created as your gardenstate project comes to an end. Could you tell us a little bit about the direction that anamē will take us in?
Hey guys, thanks for having us.
Musically inspirations come from multiple genres and styles, whatever you want to call it. We personally won’t label or try to squeeze ourselves and/or our music into any genre cage. For us music is supposed to be fun, it’s supposed to be creative and inspiring and an opportunity to connect or disconnect from someone or something.
2. Do you both expect your overall sound to have a new focus along with this fresh project? Are you drawing on any new inspirations and influences?
We have always been very in tune with each other musically and Thomas has been working behind the curtains on the gardenstate project so musically it will have some similarities. But most importantly, we as artists always want to push forward and make something uniquely ours.
3. This new project anamē sees you come on-board full-time Thomas! How have you found it working together, what is your creative process like in the studio?
As mentioned previously, we have more or less been working full-time together for the last 3-4 years already. Also, being best friends for so many years, we know when to push and when to give space. But obviously we are two ambitious, stubborn guys so it does get intense at points. But at the end of the day we love what we do and it’s a privilege to be able to do this with your brother.
4. So you have just released your debut single as anamē, a collaboration with Above & Beyond no less called ‘Gratitude’! What was it like to work with such a renowned act like A&B?
Always a pleasure working with the guys. Whenever we meet it’s always a positive vibe – you can tell how passionate they are about music. They have this ability to make everyone at ease and feel very welcome, so you walk away from any setting, feeling inspired. We are extremely fortunate that they have been so welcoming and supportive for the anamē project.
5. The track is titled ‘Gratitude’, in the wake of the Covid pandemic, what do you have the most gratitude for?
Generally speaking, we are probably better at expressing ourselves through music, than through words. So for us, gratitude is just that, it’s a small token of appreciation for our family and friends. It’s a thank you to those who believe in us, to the ones who spend their hard-earned money to share moments with us all over the world. It’s a love letter and thank you to all of them.
6. Do you have any more artists that you’d like to work with in the future?
We love collaborating with other artists, it keeps us inspired and on our toes. There are a lot of artists that we look up to – so if we get to pick a few – Røyksopp& Bonobo would be in the top 5. With that being said, at the end of the day the music is more important than the name you work with, so when it comes down to whom we end up working with is more about the actual ideas and chemistry.
7. One of the great things about the pandemic drawing to a close is the return of live shows! You recently performed in Poland in front of 15,000 people back in April. How do you feel about getting back to live sets?
Honestly, the Poland show was extremely nerve-racking. I mean, we have been working so hard in our studios for so long, creating all this music that basically only our label has heard. Usually, you would go test these out in smaller venues bit by bit, but here we are – baptizing the songs with fire in front of 15.000 people. And what an incredible show the Poland gig was! We are so excited to be able to be back one the road touring again and cannot wait to see what the fans think about the music.
8. Did the crowd get to hear any anamē exclusives during your set?
We only played our own material and because this was our first show under the anamē alias, there were songs and versions that had never previously been played out before.
9. You are also set to join Above & Beyond for a show at the legendary Gashouder in Amsterdam later this month in May. What do you think it will be like to join them for a live show?
Gashouder has been a bucket list show for us since the beginning, so launching the anamēproject in full alongside A&B is pretty mad and nerve-racking, but at the same time we are so excited to have this platform to fully showcase our project.
10. Do you have any more exciting projects in the works for the rest of 2022? Can you drop us any hints?
We try not to get ahead of ourselves, we intend to build this brick by brick. First things first, we have already scheduled up the next few singles over the next few months – from there and get back touring – so we can connect with the fans again. From there it’s all about finishing the first album and getting that out there by early 2023.
Download and Stream: https://aboveandbeyond.ffm.to/abangrat.oyd
