FvF Mixtape #87 - Friends of Friends / Freunde von Freunden (FvF)

FvF Mixtape #87

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“The mood we try to exude through our live sets is that of a night of good sex with hints of tenderness, animalistic instincts and the element of the unforeseen.”

Disenchanted with the Athenian nightlife, Spiros and Thodoris started throwing makeshift parties from the comfort of their living rooms. After meeting online and becoming friends in real life, the duo traveled to Berlin to hunt for good music, hop from one record store to the next and mingle with the city’s infamous dance community. Being introduced to the burgeoning do-it-yourself scene triggered them to form Amateurboyz and create amateur “club” nights for purely personal consumption and to show their idea of an amazing dance night. Through word of mouth, their audience expanded outside friend circles as they organized events at unorthodox venues downtown and somewhat peculiar locations in seedy parts of the Greek capital. Among them, they list the obsolete Russian disco Meteorit, a former strip club, as their absolute partying grail – it still represents their romantic idealism of what a great night should be like. People getting lost in music is what they’re after and, from what the duo attests, locations like these can release a rather strange, almost pagan, nature.

With every mix Amateurboyz try to narrate a fragment of a story usually about love and flirting. In this case, “it’s a story of a boat trip in the Aegean sea. We begin with a positive feeling much like the one most of us have when preparing to take on the day. But then the tracks slowly produce a sense of doubt for the journey. Having the ominous presence of the waves looming over and the fear of the unknown presented by the sublime and the magic of the open ocean. The arrival at the destination delivers some kind of redemption.”

New age instrumentals, gentle melodies and ambient sensibilities saturated with the sound of waves and wind. Beginning with a drowsy, heavy-eyed feeling, the tracks slowly take us to more celebratory sounds of italo disco and synth pop – notably peppered with Jimmy Sommerville’s characteristic voice.

When asked about memorable incidents that have occurred during their parties they said, “Many things have happened throughout the years: microphones that didn’t work, music that stopped in the middle of the party and other small accidents that somehow magically worked for the benefit of the event. These situations created anticipation and, most importantly, the rebirth of the party within the party itself.”

Tracklist:

Deuter – Solitary Bird
Leon Lowman – Bumpin’ On Sunset
Cluster & Eno – Schöne Hände
Julianna Barwick – Pacing
Bronski Beat – Infatuation / Memories (Remix)
Almunia – New Moon
Shit & Shine – Blowhannon Original Mix
Hedford Vachal – Alan vs Gary
Xaver Von Treyer – Half Life
George Theodorakis – On the Boat
Xaver Von Treyer – Crywolf
Slight Delay – Fading & Believing
Saâda Bonaire – Joanna
Grimes – Know the Way

 

Thank you, Amateurboyz, for reminding us that summer is fast approaching in such a great way! Look for the DJ duo on Soundcloud.

More music? We got you covered. Head over to the FvF Mixtapes archive and follow us on Mixcloud.

Photography: Chris Wilson

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