Tambien, also known as Marvin and Valentino, are a pair of producers and DJs based out of Munich. Roughly speaking, you could call their music "disco," but that doesn't do it justice. They start with a disco blueprint, for sure — 115-120 bpm rhythms and funky basslines, but instead of sampling funk and soul records, they incorporate sounds and influences from psychedelic outsider music, lending their productions and DJ sets a druggy, hazy, tripped-out feeling.
The pair runs a record shop in Munich called Public Possession, which also happens to be the name of their record label. Launched just last year, they've already released 12 records, many of which have sold out and are trading at high prices — and for good reason. The records, mostly from otherwise-unknown or up-and-coming artists, are all different flavors of disco and house, some feeling very Balearic (guitar flourishes, sun-kissed atmosphere) while others have a new-beat, body-music type of feel, paying tribute to Front 242 and all that. An easy, persistent groove is the thing they all share in common.
Tambien's DJ sets incorporate all of these vibes into one cohesive whole. They're a little bit house, a little bit disco, a little bit weird, and a little bit playful. Their spiritual sound-brethren seem to be New York's ESP Institute, run by renowned crate-digger Lovefingers, whose more-is-more approach mirrors Public Possession's throw-it-all-in-the-mix attitude. Rounding out the bill are Play It Cool's residents Matthew, Guillaume, and Derek, who will set the pace for the night until Tambien takes over.
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