Dynamic duo Pleasurekraft — Kaveh Soroush and Kalle Ronngardh — are in the midst of an amazing year. Currently riding high on the charts courtesy of their brilliant remix of Cajmere’s “Satisfy” forged with Tiger Stripes, a two-month DJ tour led by Soroush (Ronngardh stays close to his studio in Sweden) kicked off at the beginning of the month and will go from Austria to Sweden and everywhere in between this summer. With a DJ itinerary that notably includes playing both weekends at Tomorrowland (read our exclusive interview with Dave Clarke on how he curated Tomorrowland’s second stage), Pleasurekraft, whose Kraftek imprint recently issued Jaceo’s Godzirra EP and has another gem on the way in the form of Matrixxman’s The Spell EP, will make its long awaited debut this month at Club Space in Miami. We caught up with the twosome and asked them about playing Club Space for the first time, their experiences in Magic City and that brilliant remix for Cajmere.
Seems like you’ve both been on fire in the studio as of late. What’s been fueling your collective juices?
Kalle Ronngardh: The awesome response we have gotten for our releases lately has been a great source of inspiration for us to push ourselves further and put out more music.
The remix of Cajmere’s “Satisfy” is a real floor burner. How did it come about?
Kalle: We didn’t plan for it to be a collab initially, but we kinda got stuck after working on it for a while and put it on hold. Then Kaveh came up with the idea of asking Tiger Stripes if he was up for making it into a collab. So we sent over some parts to him, he came up with a great beat and everything fell in to place.
Let’s talk DJing. Kaveh, your U.S. tour just kicked off. How did the two dates in Texas go? Any memorable moments to report so far?
Kaveh Soroush: Both Austin and El Paso I think are two hidden gems in the U.S. scene, and when it comes to El Paso I would easily rank that in my top 10 favorite cities to play in the world as the fans there are just on another level from the rest of America.
Kalle, you’re based in the studio, and Kaveh, you’re out on the road every weekend. Does it become hard to stay in touch, or is this system quite beneficial to your productivity as Pleasurekraft? Kalle, do you make it out to shows very often?
Kaveh: It has its moments where it can get difficult to be on the same page but ultimately it’s a formula that has worked for us more often than not.
Kalle: Whenever Kaveh plays in Scandinavia, London or Berlin I try to come to the shows. Occasionally I’ll join up in Ibiza or Miami but then I combine it with a longer vacation.
What’s it like playing in Ibiza, then shooting over to play a smaller city in the U.S.? Do you ever find the need to adjust how you program your sets, or do you simply bring it and let the chips fall where they may?
Kaveh: Yeah, of course what is going to work in a big setting might not work in a small club. But for me what I’ve noticed more is that I often have to change what I play according to where I am. For example, some tracks I would play in the States I might not play in Europe and vice versa. Obviously a lot of the tracks cross over, but just some records just don’t. I would say the same for cities within a given country as well — what I can get away with playing in El Paso probably won’t go over as well in a market like Denver for instance.
Space in Miami is one of America’s best clubs, and you’re set to make your debut at the club on June 28, Kaveh. How are you feeling about your first set at this institution? Will you do any special preparation for your set?
Kaveh: Any time you get to play at one of the world’s famous clubbing destinations and it’s your first time playing there, coupled with the fact that you don’t get to play that market often, you really want to leave a solid impression to build on for future shows. That specialness definitely makes you prepare for that set a bit more aggressively than you might otherwise.
The entire world descends upon Miami for WMC/Ultra. When is your favorite time of year to play Miami?
Kaveh: Well, to be perfectly honest, almost all the few shows I have ever played in Miami have been around the WMC/Ultra period, so this is actually my first headlining show in Miami outside of March so it’s extra exciting!
“All the few shows I have ever played in Miami have been around the WMC/Ultra period, so this is actually my first headlining show in Miami outside of March so it’s extra exciting!”
What’s your go-to spot to drink or eat in Miami?
Kalle: Burger & Beer Joint
Kaveh: La Casa de Chicharonnes in Miami for the one item they have named themselves after is pretty spectacular. I also love Shake Shack, although it’s not indigenous to Miami, and also Burger n Beer joint rocks.
What’s the rest of the summer looking like in terms of new music? And when you do both find the time to work on tracks?
Kaveh: Just finished a remix for Format B’s “Gospel” which will be out August 4, and working on finishing a remix for The Naked & Famous’ “In Rolling Waves.”
When was the last time a DJ changed your life?
Kalle: First time I went to Berghain in Berlin about six years ago. I think it was Ben Klock playing and it was the first time I heard like proper German techno.
Kaveh: Life-changing I don’t know, but as far as inspiring me to push myself to be better at what I do every time I see Nic Fanciulli play I always walk away from the experience with a new vigor to just be better. He’s just so fucking good and does it so effortlessly — he’s the man simply put.
DJ image via Facebook