Grandbrothers

Electro-classical duo Erol Sarp and Lukas Vogel met at university in Dusseldorf, and it was there that they began to hone and combine their talents to form Grandbrothers. Sarp had trained as a jazz pianist, and Vogel constructed synthesizers at Access Music. The pair used their respective talents to fuse classical composition with modern production techniques. They applied this practice to their delicately wrought first single, "Ezra Was Right," and it benefitted from the support of radio DJ Gilles Peterson, who played the track extensively on his show. By 2015, the duo were set to release their debut full-length album. Dilation was a confluence of techno, ambient music, minimalism, and IDM, which they achieved through an unusual technique. The album was based around piano played through a self-invented system of electro-mechanical hammers, which resulted in a fresh and original sound. The band went on to sign to the independent label City Slang, who released their follow-up LP. Open appeared in 2017, and built on the sweeping sound they had created on their debut. The record was preceded by the single "Bloodflow." ~ Bekki Bemrose