Four years on from our last event at The Substation, we’re returning to celebrate our tenth birthday this August with the esteemed Danish talents of Schacke & Peachlyfe － who were kind enough to speak with us ahead of the landmark occasion.

Martin Schacke is one of the primary figures of the Danish “fast techno” scene centered around Copenhagen’s Fast Forward Collective. Their raw, ecstatic tracks typically exceed 140 beats per minute and recall styles such as Hi-NRG, schranz, and hard trance. 

Joining Schacke, Peachlyfe is a hydra-sonic electronic musician that shook & seduced the Copenhagen fast-paced techno scene, deservedly claiming their seat within the Fast Forward Agency. Peachlyfe’s productions and live-sets rebelliously weave across genres, trippy melodies cut with heavy slaps while slithering whispers in your ear sowing the dismantlement of the ‘cistem’.

Read below for our exclusive interview with the two headliners, covering the developments of their respective careers, their upcoming Australian tours and the esteemed Fast Forward Productions agency…

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Welcome to BUNKER! We’re very excited to speak with you ahead of your performances at our upcoming 10th Birthday at The Substation.

Looking at the timeline of your careers, having begun in Copenhagen’s electronic music scene, are there any key moments or challenges that you feel played a major role in pushing you forward to where you are today? 

S: I started pursuing making techno pretty early on, around 10 years ago. The first years came with a lot of challenges in terms of getting bookings and finding my own sound. I was playing small gigs in Copenhagen every now and then and I was finding it really hard to produce tracks that had the quality I was striving for. 

Eventually I had to step back from the whole techno scene for a while and in this period I started making a lot of noise music, industrial and ambient. Delving into these different genres really gave me a new perspective on music making and I feel like I learned some skills that I could eventually transfer into production of techno and thereby reach a sound that I felt was unique and a true expression of my universe.

Another key moment would definitely be my first booking at Berghain in early 2018, that really changed my perception in terms of reaching goals that seemed impossible and ever since that the bookings started rolling in. In recent times the pandemic has definitely been the hardest challenge to go through, it forced me to rethink a lot of things but eventually I feel like some positive changes have come out of it.

P: I think releasing the first music as peachlyfe was definitely challenging and nerve-racking. I remember sending sketches to Martin (Schacke) for him to hear and give feedback. When Martin and some other people started playing some of them in the club, it was such a big encouragement, and I think that really encouraged me to keep producing and sending stuff and, in the end, finally also releasing. At first just on SoundCloud and then later, with a local label (Copenhagen Comfort), on vinyl.

And from there theres was just one way forward 🙂 Getting tracks out there to live their own lives made me want to make more and improve. Also, making my first live set and playing it was a big encouragement!

In your own words, how would you describe your respective styles and approach to music? Have you noticed this staying relatively the same or changing quite noticeably over the duration of your careers?

S: I think my style has always been a mix of organic and synthetic sounds, kinda referencing associations from past and future. Within that there have been a lot of different expressions style wise, i’d like to be able to convey a large range of emotions both through my music and my dj sets and i’m on a quest to expand that range even further.

P: I have a big love for both repetitive drony techno and sleazy progressive trance with a fat bass. During my time as a DJ I have been trying to find out how I can combine those genres in a way that feels natural – which sometimes results in a big chaos, but sometimes results in the most beautiful and lifegiving mess!

For readers not familiar with ‘Fast Forward Productions’ (the Copenhagen collective you are both core members of), can you tell us a little bit about the identity/ambitions of the group?
How has your involvement in FFP influenced both of your artistic journeys?

S: FF was started as a collective and agency for new emerging talents from the Cph scene and over the years it has grown and evolved through different iterations several times. There has always been some core values in place and a clear musical identity, I think that is the biggest strength of FF and I am really proud and thankful to have been part of it since its beginning.

P: Fast forward productions is a little tight-knit group of friends who support each other in making and playing music and facilitating spaces for self expression. I identify with the fact that it’s not a typical agency in that sense. Even though it also is a booking agency and a party series. I also love that everyone in FF shares musical DNA but still has their own identity.

For Martin (Schacke) it’s a return to Australia; for Petra (peachlyfe) it’s an exciting debut tour for you! 

How are you both feeling about visiting Australia, whether it’s your first time here or not? Is there anything you either have experienced or heard about the Australian scene thatyou’re looking forward to?

S: Definitely excited for my return, last year was a pleasure exploring the scene and the country itself. Looking forward to playing my gigs and reconnecting with some of the people I met last time.

P: Yes, I am very excited to play in Australia! It will be my very first time there and I’m looking so much forward to experience it. I have a few friends in and from Australia and I follow some music producers from there who I think has something very exciting to offer in terms of making trance-infused techno.

We’re very excited to have you both perform at our 10th Birthday this August, where we will be returning to The Substation for the first time in 4 years. 

Can you provide some insight into what the audience can expect from you?
Do you feel a difference in event atmosphere when you are playing for a ‘birthday’ as opposed to a more regular club night?

S: I think it’s gonna go extra hard on the celebratory energy for sure, we’re gonna give you a party.

P: Well a birthday is always a special day isn’t it!? 

Looking further into 2023, I’m sure you both have busy schedules with plenty of exciting things on the near and far horizon – does anything stand out you’re particularly looking forward to?
Are there any secrets to come from the studio that you can give us some clues on? 🙂

S: I’m looking forward to my return to the states in September and maybe a new Asia adventure early next year. On the production side, I have 2 EP’s lined up and another ambient album that I am working on now. Working on a couple of remixes and tracks for compilations as well and currently also collecting tracks for the next release on my label Sacred Interface which will be a large digital compilation.

P: For the past few years, I have been producing and releasing a lot of music and at the moment I am taking a little break from that to focus on touring. That said, I still have some projects to be released. So yeah… without spilling too many beans, I have some very exciting gigs and tours and some exciting releases coming up!

Thanks for speaking to Bunker!

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Interview by Jeremy McCarthy