Your average folk group does not come together by bonding over soul music and hip hop, but then Take Berlin are not your average folk group. Yvonne and Jesse first met back in 2011, forming a musical bond that has spanned the 4,000 miles or so that separate Brooklyn from Berlin. They recorded their debut EP Lionize on an old cassette deck, using a Wurlitzer piano and acoustic guitar, but have taken things a step further for their full-length record Schoharie. Calling in friends from William Onyeabor’s Atomic Bomb! band and Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, and using a Akai MPC more commonly heard on hip hop records, they’ve filled out the sound without forgetting their roots. “We kept our lo-fi aesthetic but we weren’t afraid to delve into bigger arrangements on some of the songs,” Yvonne said. “It’s definitely a more challenging record….not as ‘breezy’.” But enough with the words – you can make your own mind up by hitting play below. Schoharie is out today in Europe, with a US release due for May.
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