Poker Flat Recordings keeps up its prodigious release schedule with another superb EP – this time by scene statesmen Gorge and Markus Homm. Originally from Mannheim, Gorge (aka Pit Waldmann) is the co-owner of 8bit Records and has carved a singular niche for himself over the past 20-odd years. Similarly, Markus Homm has been deeply influential in developing the scene in his native Romania and is now working alongside the Poker Flat regular Mihai Popoviciu. With this EP Gorge and Markus Homm have merged their many talents and honed two tracks of depth and weight.
To mark the release of their collaborative ‘Holos’ EP, we catch up with Markus Homm & Gorge to talk about the record, how they dealt with the pandemic, their next endeavors, and their expectations for the future.
Electronic Groove: Hi guys! Thanks for speaking with us. How’s the year been for you so far?
Markus Homm: Hi guys! Happy to be here with you. For me, so far, the year has been well (apart from the German summer). It’s nice to see that things are slowly starting to pick up and we are getting slowly back into our travel and do the things we love.
Gorge: Thanks for the invitation. The year has been great as I’ve never had so much time for music production before. Of course, some money was missing, but, in the end, I got through this well and it’s good to see things start to get a bit back to normal.
Electronic Groove: You both have a rich history in electronic music… looking back over your respective discographies are there any releases that are of special significance, either at the time or in retrospect?
Gorge: After 25 years in the business there are for sure some releases that I still play and I’m more than happy these came out of our studios. ‘Markus Homm & Mihai Popoviciu – Bis Co’ was released in 2009 on Diynamic and is still in my sets sometimes. Also, our ‘Gorge & Markus Homm – Dizz-co’ track we released on my 8bit records in 2017 is still one of my favorites, and also my ‘Erotic Soul’ track from 2010.
Electronic Groove: When it comes to the new EP HOLOS, did you work together on every aspect of the music? Or were some sections you each took responsibility for?
Gorge: Usually we meet in one of our studios and produce all tracks together from beginning to end, which we recently did when I visited Markus last week. With ‘Holos’ it was more a project exchange. Each of us started a track and sent the project over to finish it. Markus is the man for shuffled drums and baselines and I’m more into percussions and melodic elements and chords.
Electronic Groove: Are there any specific elements of the EP that you’re especially proud of?
Gorge & Markus Homm: We both love the ‘Holos’ track as it’s a journey including a driving baseline and a powerful arpeggiated main synth which leads to the main breakdown and coming back again to the basic groove immediately after.
“The ‘Gorge & Markus Homm – Dizz-co’ track we released on my 8bit records in 2017 is still one of my favorites” – Gorge
Electronic Groove: The EP lands on Poker Flat – can you remember how you first met Steve Bug, or first discovered the label?
Markus: I have been releasing on Poker Flat in the past, so I met Steve some time ago. He has been supporting our music sometime before and therefore it was clear for us to join with an EP together on Poker Flat.
Gorge: I always loved the label and have been in touch with Steve also for a long time and finally we’ve had the time to do it and I’m very happy with the result.
Electronic Groove: How difficult has not touring been for you? And have you had to change how you work, or the projects you take on in order to offset the lost earnings?
Markus: in the beginning, it was very unusual and a bit of shock to the system to suddenly be home and stuck in one place for a long time. I, speaking for myself, really enjoyed the time at home. I produced a lot of music, trying to educate myself in music and in different areas.
Gorge: Very strange in the beginning to stay home every weekend, but in the end, it supported my aim to work more in the studio, also for mixing and mastering, and I enjoyed the time at home. I never had so much time for our house and garden. The only thing I was missing a lot was playing out the new music I produced and seeing how it works on the dancefloor.
Electronic Groove: Have you seen the music scene start to recover in your respective cities?
Markus: In Germany, very, very slowly, things are starting again with outdoor events. Obviously with a lot of restrictions still. I am curious to see how it’s going to be in the autumn and during the winter period.
Electronic Groove: Who is your favorite new artist or act that you’ve discovered in 2021 that we should all be checking out?
Gorge: I was listening to a lot of music for the last 2 years and discovered some artists I’m already working with in the studio right now. One new project is Danjo (ITA) who is doing beautiful organic house stuff, and also some other artists around that scene like Volen Sentir, Death on the Balcony, or Midnight Workouts are really inspiring for me.
“in the beginning, it was very unusual and a bit of shock to the system to suddenly be home and stuck in one place for a long time. I, speaking for myself, really enjoyed the
time at home” – Markus Homm
Electronic Groove: What other projects are on the horizon for you both?
Markus: We actually been playing together every single weekend for the past three weeks. We also found time to get together back to the studio and we’ve started a bunch of new music, and I am very much looking forward to having them finished and released over the next couple of months.
Gorge: Yeah we really enjoyed playing and traveling together, and hopefully, we can do more gigs like these in the next year. It’s much fun and also inspiring. I’m working on my next album for a long time now and maybe I can finish it this winter. I’ll start another label besides 8bit which will have more focus on organic & deep house soon.
Electronic Groove: Thank you for sitting down with us guys! We wish you all the best!
Markus Homm & Gorge: Thank you for having us!
Markus Homm & Gorge’s ‘Holos’ EP is out now via Poker Flat. Purchase your copy here.
Follow Markus Homm: Facebook |Instagram |Soundcloud |Spotify
Follow Gorge: Facebook |Instagram |Soundcloud |Spotify
