Krankbrothers by The Hunger on Mixcloud
Next month DJ duo krankbrother open their latest venture, Beagle. Nestled between railway arches by Hoxton Station the restaurant, bar and coffee shop will see head chef James Ferguson serve up seasonal British fare from daily changing menus, while krankbrother – Danny and Kieran Clancy – curate the music. We get krankbrother to whip us up a midweek mixtape before finding out from Danny what we can expect to hear at Beagle.
EXPLAIN THE TRACKS ON THE MIX TO US – IS IT TYPICAL OF THE KRANKBROTHER SOUND?
I guess this mix is fairly representative of our sound. It’s definitely an insight into the artists that we’re into at the moment – both old and new. When you’re djing, your sound changes depending on where and what time you’re playing and to how many people. Kieran and I play disco, house and techno so our sets can vary massively.
WHAT MUSIC WILL BEAGLE PLAY AND HOW WILL YOU GO ABOUT CURATING IT?
Kieran and I will be curating all the music at Beagle. It’s exciting as it gives us a chance to indulge in all the other genres of music that we don’t get to play out when we’re djing. We both have huge music collections at home so we’ll be rooting through these in the next few weeks pulling out the best in psyche, post punk, garage rock, shoe gazer, blues, rockabilly, surf guitar, art funk, bop, folk, world music and much much more. On top of this we’ve called on some good friends such as Andrew Weatherall, Heidi and Tom Ravenscroft to put playlists together for us – they’ve all got incredible record collections so expect all sorts of rare gems from them too.
WHAT SHOULD A HOST TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION WHEN COMPILING DINNER PARTY MUSIC?
Who you’re having round for dinner!
ANY NO-GO SONGS?
I’ve never liked modern R&B or manufactured pop so for me it’d be that. But for others who like that sort off thing, it’d probably be what I listen to sometimes – I doubt Beyonce fans like the Stooges?
WHAT’S YOUR GO TO ALBUM TO SOUNDTRACK DINNER?
Talking Heads, ‘More Songs about Buildings and Food Funky’, soulful and rhythmic. No-one dislikes Talking Heads so it’s a safe bet.
DO YOU THINK THAT MUSIC IS INTEGRAL TO THE OVERALL RESTAURANT EXPERIENCE?
No I don’t think so. Most restaurants choose to play no music and this does not detract from the overall experience, provided the food and atmosphere are good. Music is far more integral to the experience you have in a bar than a restaurant. In a bar, music can really set the mood and lift the atmosphere. I’m often disappointed by how many bars in London place little emphasis on music, as if it’s an afterthought afters spending vast sums of money on the fit out. Some of the best bar experiences I’ve had have been in dive bars – where there’s a good bar man with some great playlists on his iPod.
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN PUT OFF A MEAL BY THE TYPE OF MUSIC THAT’S BEING PLAYED?
Many a time. I’m probably more fussy and conscious of what’s being played than a lot of people but if I arrive at a restaurant and bad music’s being blared out of a poor sound system I don’t even bother sitting down!
