Description
Known for their work with Permanent Vacation and Public Possession, the Munich-based duo has explored surprising new territory, unleashing their love for 80s street soul and digi-dub.
Rhode & Brown, the duo of Friedrich Trede and Stephan Braun, have been releasing high-quality dance music on key labels such as Permanent Vacation, Public Possession, and Shall Not Fade since 2010, leading the European club scene. Over the past 15 years, they have elevated a wide range of influences, including electro, Italo, breakbeat trance, rave, and ambient, into house and techno. On this release, however, they have taken a completely unexpected turn.
What unfolds here is a deep-seated love for 80s and 90s UK street soul and digi-dub, as well as transatlantic R&B and boogie. “Heart Attack,” featuring the sultry vocals of New York-born, Berlin-based singer Marlena Dae, combines synth chords reminiscent of Loose Ends with a snappy machine beat. “Passion Sauce” brings the glossy texture of new jack swing back to life in a contemporary context. Their musical exploration continues with “Aqua Terra (Acid Frog Mix),” a modern reimagining of digi-dub at its finest, and “Longo Doggo,” which blends 90s sampling culture with post-disco.
A1. Heart Attack feat. marlene dae
A2. Passion Sauce feat. marlene dae
A3. Aqua Terra (Acid Frog Mix)
B1. Long Doggo
B2. Multiflora
Planet Trip Records is pleased to present Aqua Terra, the latest EP release from Friedrich Trede and Stephan Braun, the respected Munich-based DJ and production duo better known as Rhode & Brown. Since 2010, they’ve racked up a slew of quality releases through Permanent Vacation, Public Possession, Shall Not Fade, and their own Slam City Jams imprint, while playing well-received DJ sets across Europe. Along the way, the two longtime friends have spent the last fifteen years incorporating influences from electro, italo, synth-pop, breakbeat trance, rave music, and ambient into their blend of uptempo house and techno productions.
Shifting gearspeed, Aqua Terra sees Rhode & Brown trying something completely new and unexpected from them: a record inspired by UK street soul, digi-dub, and transatlantic R&B and boogie from the 1980s and 1990s. Beginning with the Loose Ends slanted synthesiser chords and shuffling machine beat of ‘Heart Attack’ and the glossy new jack swing bounce of ‘Passion Sauce’ (both featuring sultry Berlin-based New York singer Marlena Dae), Aqua Terra quickly reveals itself as a treasure chest of heavy tunes. Steeped in love and lust, ‘Heart Attack’ and ‘Passion Sauce’ are essential sing-along numbers for the warm-up and the warm-down.
The exemplar of a groove that keeps on giving, ‘Aqua Terra (Acid Frog Mix)’ is a note-perfect example of digi-dub redone for the 2020s. Keeping us guessing, Rhode & Brown flip the script on ‘Longo Doggo’ by borrowing elements from sampledelic ‘90s turntablism and blending them with a post-disco/electro beat and a slinky bassline for the ages. From there, ‘Multiflora’ sees our protagonists back in a bassy digi-dub mode, before closing things out with an acid breakbeat slanted demo mix of the title track.
