Maybe accessibility is the wrong frame for the question. I think perhaps with the rise of software production there’s a lack of awareness of the history of hardware? So, a kid grabs a copy of Fruity Loops and just thinks he’s ready to roll.

Alix: I understand that. When I was growing up, I had a really shitty old Mac that was passed on to me, and I was really frustrated because I didn’t have the software or the means to put things together. I think the fact that kids can do that so easily now is a great thing, but at the same time it saturates everything because everyone’s copying each other. Everyone’s able to do it, so it becomes a bit stale very quickly, so that’s what I mean by having certain tools that are going to make you stand out. If you really do your research and learn synthesis and things like that, I think you’re already putting yourself ahead a little bit. We’re very reliant on hardware, and on this tour we’ve had such a back-to-back schedule. 18 shows in four weeks is a hell of a lot of flying. Working on the plane on the laptop is fun, you can lay down ideas, but I feel like I’m very reliant on my gear and I get much better results out of being at home in the studio.

Sander: Yeah, we made a track in one day when we were at home, but it’s impossible to make shit like that on the road.

Alix: Yeah, we just turn machines on, and just fuck them up, and come up with some weird shit. That’s pretty much our process.

The internet has really democratized music, but it’s also led to a massive explosion of sub-genres. How do you see the music scene, post-internet?

Alix: I kind of like the thing that jungle and drum & bass had, the whole dubplate culture that emerged from dub (To learn more about dubplate culture, read our interview with Goth Trad). When I was a kid, I’d call my friend up and say I’d been at some rave and heard this tune, but didn’t know what it was. And, you wouldn’t find out until you went and saw the same DJ the next weekend. You’d never be able to hear that tune again until you made the effort to go out and hear that. I think that’s lacking a little it. Everything’s way more accessible, which is great because it spreads worldwide, but that one thing is really lacking for me. That excitement.

Sander: That’s why I don’t give away certain tracks.

Alix: The whole 140 dub scene is kind of reviving that a lot. I like it because I’m seeing more people cutting dubplates. Compa does it, and a few other heads. Mala obviously, but it’s very tempo-specific. Within what we do, it’s very digital still. I’ll do the same thing like make a VIP and I will keep it specifically just for friends like Sander and a small tight-knit group. That makes it exciting because when I play out, people will come up to me and ask if I’m going to play that tune, and it’s got a small element of what I was talking about.