The exciting new duo made up of Lumberjacks in Hell’s Marcel Vogel, and vocalist and musician LYMA really sings. Back on Dutch label Boogie Angst with their crazy wonky EP ‘No Time’. Here we sit down with the soulful duo for a little talk.
WWD: Hello It’s a pleasure to have you on Little Talk. Are you guys both based in Amsterdam? Is that where you call home?
Yes. I am German but have been living here for 13 years already. Tjerk is originally from Maastricht but already lives here for quite a while.
WWD: How is the vibe in Amsterdam this summer?
It’s pretty mixed actually. Some good parties mixed with some heavy rain.
WWD: What are the key club venues in the Dam currently?
I think there are a few? I like DOKA, Lo-Fi and De School but there are heaps of different sized venues. I guess the scene is so diverse, I suppose there is a great variety of artists coming through.
WWD: Are we likely to find you guys out on the club scene much?
It seems we are both very busy at the moment with family, work, making music and everything that holds it together. Occasionally they let us roam, but life is so busy.
WWD: Do you DJ out together on your local scene?
We are planning a hybrid – set, DJ and live. LYMA is a very gifted musician with loads of live experience.
WWD: How long have you been playing as a duo?
Shamis from Haarlem’s INI Movement had asked me to do a remix for LYMA, I didn’t think I was quite nailing it at the time but his voice was just super dope. When I was working on Tim Jules and my project for Shall Not Fade, I reached out to LYMA to sing on one of the tracks, but I hadn’t heard from him for a few months. The day before we were supposed to send everything of for mastering, he sent me his version and I am happy that we managed to get it on the record. The track is called Like A Fish In The Water. After that I reached out to him with Keep On Stepping and Pop The Cherry and he turned them into his songs. From there we just kept working and every time he sent something back to me, I had goosebumps . It’s joyous to collaboration!
WWD: What artists from the past are you both into and who have had an impact on the music that you make today?
Dilla, Madlib, Theo Parrish, D’Angelo, Questlove, but everything it’s an endless list and tracks.
WWD; The first time you were in the studio together what came out of that session?
The first track we worked on was ‘Keep On Stepping’. But generally, we don’t work in the studio together so much. I guess we generally just have a different job. I guess I am building the foundation and LYMA is finishing the house.
WWD: Did you set out with have a musical intention or have a vibe in mind when you began?
The beauty between us is, I can send anything to him, tempo, vibe, rhythm whatever and he’ll vibe to it. LYMA is a uber talented enigma, it’s really fun to work with him, much better than AI. We’ll always stick to what we like, and we like a lot of things.
WWD: What was the first track that you made and released together?
LYMA was featured on Tim Jules and my EP for Shall Not Fade in 2021. After that he and I started working on our project for Boogie Angst.
WWD: Have you faced any challenges in putting out music over the years and what are they?
I guess all the challenges? Have your pick! I am sure I’ve dealt with it. From waiting for three months for artwork, pressings, not selling enough records, selling too many records, and about any other thing that happens when you run a label.
WWD: Your new EP ‘No Time’ – Has it been a long time in the making or did it just fall into place?
We probably could agree it kinda fell into place after the first one ‘Games Change’. We had a bunch of these tracks already prepared and just kept on moving. We are halfway through the next EP already.
WWD: Talk us through the vibe of ‘No Time’.
When I got free time back, I was in deep awe and I have been ever since. The same goes for ‘Easy’. It’s an ongoing exploration of music, trying and testing what happens when we combine certain flavours. I am a club DJ, and I am interested in many aspects of that, but I am also human and I am interested in many aspects of that. We are trying to combine those aspects. The vibe is honest and vulnerable. It’s more an invitation for a journey, than it is anything else. We are trying to paint emotion. Many emotions. I know that may find some resistance, but I am sure, the people who have been looking for us, will feel our sincerity and our mission. Our development is the journey, and the idea is to share combinations of vibes that you don’t find together every day.
WWD: My personal favourite is Flame On. The soulful beats and lyrics talk about falling in love. Are you both big romantics at heart?
We are both Aries with a big heart but kinda crazy. And we both love our wives, kids and families.
WWD: There are freestyle vibes a plenty on this EP. Do you have a favourite track or is that too hard to choose?
Our favourites are Free Time and Easy but they are all dope!
WWD: Are you working together on new projects that you can share?
Yes, we are both always working on new music and already have a few tracks in the box for the new EP.
WWD: Thank you for your valuable time.
Thank you <3