Pig&Dan talk creative processes and charitable ventures

Igor Tchkotoua and Dan Duncan’s destinies became intertwined on one fateful flight to Spain. Friendship and similar philosophy combined to create a social and working relationship; a relationship that would go on to produce distinctive and beloved sound.

Pig&Dan have gone from strength to strength since that significant flight. The 80’s witnessed humble beginnings from the pair; playing “tea boy” and learning the ins and outs of the recording studio. Dan’s history is soaked in drum and bass influence having once been a part of the hugely successful act Intense. Since then the pair have indulged in a sound more suited those whose heart belongs to techno.

Since their first release on Submission they have went on to create a unique, distinctive sound; carefully crafted and enjoyed worldwide. The launch of their Sonic Society label witnessed the duo implement an edgier, minimal sound that would soon attract Sven Vath’s Cocoon Recordings.

Countless remixes and a sea of albums are a testament to the work rate and production quality that Pig&Dan possess. Elevating spirits and putting smiles on the faces of listeners who use their music as a source of escape from the boring, routine world have always been factors close to the lads hearts.

We sat down with pair to chat humble beginnings, creative processes and charitable ventures through sound.

I read that you both met on a flight and bonded over mutual philosophy. What exactly is this philosophy that ignited this bond?

Actually we bonded because of our different styles, however with a great amount of synergy. I (Dan) are the more trained clean-cut part and Igor is the chaotic grit. Saying that all these years later we both seemed to have rubbed off on each and we’ve met in a healthy middle. The philosophy we share is about creating music we both want to play in our sets and we always aim to produce something that has some sort of substance and melodic depth. Techno can be extremely monotonous and linear so we strive to push that envelope and make sure our music is Euphoric and Dynamic.

Can you tell me a little about your journey from humble beginnings to international stardom?

I (Dan) started first working in Virgin Megastore in Oxford Street London as a teenager and then worked my way up the musical Ladder working at RAK studios where I gained experience from some of the best producers. I worked with Pop Bands such as The Cure and Depeche Mode as programmer and Assistant engineer. Igor started putting on his own renowned secret outdoor events back in the days in Mallorca and also worked in a Rock studio in Munich where he also got to learn the ropes through working with amazing musicians and producers in other musical genres.

You’ve described Modular Baptism as the most hands on and most experimental record you’ve produced to date. I read that you both like to take yourself off to areas where trends don’t float in and out so you can remain completely focused. Can you go into a little more detail about that creative process?

It was all about organic madness, we just were on a mission to write spur of the moment music thus improvising both musically and while being very hands on the synth twisting knobs and sliding faders. It all sort of slid into place, we would go through sounds on the Moog for example and something would inspire us to try something with. I (Dan) would play notes and Igor would totally mash the sound up on the go. Some of the tracks were written only by Igor and some by me alone even though we added each others touches to the main idea. However most of it was done together and wasn’t even sequenced, it was just played live and recorded. Back to the roots!

Your album prior to Modular Baptism, Destinations Unknown, displayed an ambient side to both of your musical personalities. Where did the inspiration for that come from?

This album was spread over ten years of creation. We would write tracks sometimes when we needed to refresh ourselves and steer away from the four on the floor. We grabbed a lot of helping hands from my father Molly Duncan and friends of both us and him together. It was a collective that made this work and with the singers like Aqeel on board, we kind of just let the juices flow without having a so called genre to work around. It’s just music we needed to write and luckily John Digweed picked up on it and supported its release on Bedrock.

Was there any difference in the type of gear you used for both albums? Was there a piece of tech that was essential to Modular Baptism that maybe wasn’t necessary for Destinations Unknown?

Absolutely, Modular was all about (Hence the name) outboard analog synths and Destination was about real instruments crossed with some digital smoothness. Even though both albums involved a massive amount of improvisation, Modular was a pure electronic and Destination was all about real life drum samples and real instruments, vocals and lyrics to.

Signing to Sven Vath’s Cocoon label has seen your reputations as artists soar to incredible heights. How did it feel when you got the call for it?

Hard to describe that emotion really as there’s no words for that feeling of being supported by the cream of the crop. Sven and Cocoon were very much part of the reason this scene got to where it is today. To be on Cocoon was very much an honour to anyone who’s had the honour.

In a world where originality seems to be soaked up like a sponge it is becoming increasingly difficult to create your very own distinctive sound. How did you both go about birthing the twisted and experimental breakdowns you’ve become known for?

First off, thanks for the kind words! We have always stayed away from trends and devoted ourselves to taking our music to where we would want it to be when on the other side of the decks as a clubber or festival goer. We truly stick to what we want to play out there and in a selfish sort of way tried to make something that’s very much for our own taste. The good thing about that is that people either love or hate our sound so if we have a follower they’re usually a true follower. We hope and strive to remain unique.

Do you guys ever disagree on production methods/sounds or are you tastes pretty similar?

Well, we used to, however through time we learned to adapt so much so that we even write tracks alone as if we were both there because we know what the other one would think. Our synergy is really special and of course there are things one another will adore and the other will hate which can be frustrating but it’s like a relationship and you need to learn how to compromise.

Is there a particular moment or memory that stands out for you both?

We’re very spoiled for choice, we’re lucky to admit. We’ve had some seriously magical moments, from playing gigs we dreamed of like Cocoon at Amnesia Ibiza or Ultra Buenos Aires as well as releasing on labels we respect such as Drumcode, Plus 8, Terminal M, Bedrock etc. Remixing some of the most important folk in the electronic music world such as Underworld, Cirez D, Deadmau5, Paul Kalkbrenner. Collaborating with some of our heroes like Adam Beyer, Underworld, HOSH and many more. All in all its been a long hard road that’s been worth all the effort. There’s no elevator to success, only the stairs.

I read that you played at a festival in aid of children in Guatemala, just how close to your heart are charitable ventures such as this?

Naturally it is totally important to us to do what we can for people if we can. I think as a well travelled person you see that most of the world are far from fortunate and we are both very privileged to lead this life and live from our passion. Honestly if we had more money I know for a fact that we would both devote ourselves more to helping others. Saying that, even though we are not always financially able to, I do see our job as something that’s very therapeutic for the people who come to let their hair down and have a moment away from the world’s crap. We help create an environment that’s without colour, region or origins and is devoted to uniting to enjoy moments through music.

Any future projects you can tell us about?

On August 5th we proudly present our mix for the very last Space Ibiza CD ever which also has mixes from Techno master Carl Cox and Mark Brown. There are many new collaborations in the making with artists such as ANNA, Harvey Mckay, Adam Beyer, HOSH, Monika Kruse. We also have upcoming remixes of Kollektiv Turmstrasse, Underworld, Matador and Luca Agnelli. Plus, an amazing line up of releases on our own label ELEVATE by artists such as Wehbba, Julian Jeweil, Anna, JSPR, Skober, plus a load of touring trying to spread the tones of positivity and create as many smiles upon faces as possible.