Monkey Safari is a German duo known for their many releases on iconic record labels such as Anjunadeep, Get Physical, Bedrock and their own imprint Hommage.

Recently the guys added Renaissance Records to that list when they remixed a track by UNDERHER and Anaphase called “Everything Goes”.

In addition to their love of melodic house and techno, the guys also have some interesting hobbies such as rock climbing and Kendama.

Keen to learn more about their music, plus get some insight into their other passions in life, the guys took the time to have a quick chat with us…

Hi Guys, I want to start by saying how nice it is talking with you today. What part of the world are you currently based in, and are you still in lockdown?

Thank you, we also appreciate the interview. At the moment, we live together with our two families on a property in our birth town Halle in Germany. Since the beginning of November we have been in lockdown which is quite exhausting for everyone involved…

It seems you have been keeping busy with a steady flow of new releases, can you give a little more info on your remix of UNDERHER ‘Everything Goes’?

When the remix request came in, we both sat in the studio, listened to the original and we were immediately interested. We had the feeling that we can make a real new interpretation out of it. In the end we are very happy with the result and are very pleased about all the positive feedback about the remix.

How important do you think releases have been this last month or so, as it seems some artists have decided to save their new music until they can play gigs again?

We just try to make the best out of the situation and that means spending a lot more time in the studio. That’s why we have such a big output of releases and remixes at the moment. We have started to work on our solo projects: Borneo (Lars) and DJ Island (Sven). In addition, we have a new album (‘Love Will Set U Free’) in the pipeline which will be released in summer. The first single ‘Goodbye’ was released at the end of April. It’s very important for us to be present and to get our music out there, especially in this time. In the end we lay the foundation for the gigs which we can hopefully play sometime in the near future.

How have you spent your weekends the last few months, has not playing gigs given you more time to focus on your other interests?

To a certain degree, our families are happy that we are both more at home and that we can spend the weekends together. However, the situation is of course also very frustrating because on the one hand, many leisure activities and offers are closed because of the lockdown; and on the other, hand an important part of our life, being on tour, is missing. Playing shows, traveling the world, and playing parties is just our thing, our outlet, and at the moment, a source of inspiration that is missing. As a result, we are often unbalanced and in a bad mood, which is why our families wish that we would finally disappear on tour again 😉

Talking of your other interests, I understand you are both passionate about climbing and bouldering. What got you into this hobby, and what kind of equipment do you need to start?

Lars: My girlfriend is a climbing coach and when we met this was of course an issue. My fear of heights definitely had no place there anymore. For bouldering you actually need almost nothing. Every bouldering gym also has all the gear available to rent so you can just give it a try without much effort. When climbing with a rope, you need a lot more gear. My recommendation would be, go bouldering first and for sure you will meet people who also climb on the rope. With them you can try the next steps.

Climbing and bouldering sounds like it could be dangerous, have either of you ever had a serious injury or a scary moment where you thought you might fall?

Lars: I don’t think climbing is any more dangerous than any other sport. Friends of mine who skate, or ride BMX are definitely injured more often than I am. The problem with rope climbing is that a mistake you make with your equipment is of course life threatening, but the sport itself is not. You just have to be focused and have good partners, then it’s safe. If you fall, and this happens very often, you have your rope that you can trust. For me it has become a kind of meditation and with fear of heights also a form of therapy. 😉

I understand you also enjoy Kendama, which is something I had to google to know what it is. I’ll put a link to some videos in the post so people know what we are talking about, but I’d really like to know what drew you to this rather unique hobby?

Lars: I got to know Kendama through a friend who always played with it when we were climbing. Whenever he had to wait because someone else was climbing, he played with it. So, it not only trains your dexterity, but you can also bridge waiting time very well. When we are on tour we usually have to wait for hours at airports, hotels, or other places. With Kendama you have a very good challenge, and it fits in any hand luggage.

Talking of hobbies, I found myself playing board games during the lockdown period, and found it a fun way to spend time with my girlfriend. Do you play any card or board games that you could recommend to our readers?

Sven: My wife and I are passionate board players. We play a lot with our kids, but it gets really nerdy with a couple of friends. Together with them, we played hundreds of games of ‘Marco Polo II’. We also play a few other board games like ‘Terra Mystica‘ or ‘Gaia Project‘ but ‘Marco Polo’ is the one we were really into it 😉

Bringing our focus back to music, what’s coming next in your schedule, have you got any gig requests now that the vaccine is being distributed?

As already mentioned the first single ‘Goodbye’ of the new album was released at the end of April. In the next few weeks, three more singles will follow and the complete album will be released at the beginning of August. At the end of June, we will release a Monkey Safari and DJ Island feature on Thick as Thieves Records which is a new label that our Australian booking agency started during the pandemic. At the end of the year, we will release the first tracks for our ‘Body Language’ compilation on Get Physical which will be out in 2022. As for shows, we are noticing that (except from Germany) we are starting to get requests again and we’re hopeful to get back to normal very soon. Germany is an exception, and we believe not much will happen this year.

Thanks for taking the time to talk with me today, do you have a message to fans or anything else you would like to discuss before we finish?

Yep, thanks for the nice interview. We wish all people a lot of power, energy and stamina and look forward to many parties in the near future. We think the energy at the parties after the opening will be a very special one!

You can pick up Monkey Safari’s remix on Renaissance of  ‘Everything Goes’ by UNDERHER and Anaphase from HERE