Claas Brieler and Alex Barck

Claas Brieler and Alex Barck, two members of Jazzanova, the Berlin-based DJ/producer collective, visited with Jason Bentley, host of KCRW's Metropolis. Jazzanova fuses drum 'n' bass, trip-hop, deep jazz, house, modern beats, breaks and retro sounds. Their artist debut studio album, In Between, was released mid 2002. Guest artists appearing on several of the eclectic tracks include Vikter Duplaix, Capital A, Ursula Rocker and former MC900 Ft. Jesus rapper Hawkeye Fanatic. In Between is a departure from previous efforts by Jazzanova, which have been remixes of other artists' work.

DJs J'rgen von Knoblauch Stephan, Alexander Barck and Claas Brieler and producers Axel Reinemer, Stefan Leisering and Rosko Kretschmann met in 1995 while spinning at the now-defunct Delicious Doughnut club in Berlin. They began recording together when the club asked for a contribution to the club compilation album. The compilation was never released, but the six friends continued working together. In 1997 they received recognition for their self-released single Fedime's Flight and began producing remixes for their idols. A year later they joined forces with Compost records to form a sister label, Jazzanova Compost Records (JCR). Caravelle, their debut EP, rose to the top of the dance charts in Germany. Jazzanova released dozens of 12 inches on their own label and in 2000 they issued Remixes 1997-2000, which conquered the dance charts all over Europe. It took nearly two years to complete In Between.

Jazzanova are the founders of Sonarkollektiv, an alliance of Berlin musicians that produce their own music.

Written by Renu Daga
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