FJAAK

German electronic duo Fjaak produce driving, energetic dance tracks which range from reflective house to storming warehouse techno, with occasional U.K. garage, dub, and breakbeat hardcore influences. Gritty yet sensual, their tracks are composed entirely on analog equipment. Since they first appeared in the early 2010s, Fjaak have released several club hits, such as 2014′s “Don’t Leave Me,” and have become a major draw as a live act. Their eclectic self-titled debut album appeared on Modeselektor’s Monkeytown Records in 2017, and most of their subsequent output appeared on their own imprints.
Based in Berlin, Felix Wagner, Aaron Röbig, and Kevin Kozicki had been making music together since childhood before they began producing techno as Fjaak during the late 2000s, while they were still teenagers. Their first release was the 2012 digital EP Introduction on Baalsaal Records, which was followed in 2013 by their first vinyl releases, Remember Me (Klasse Recordings) and Mind Games (Baalsaal). Following another release for Klasse, 2014′s Po’ Folk, Fjaak signed to Modeselektor’s 50 Weapons imprint and released several 12” singles, including a split release with Rødhåd. When 50 Weapons folded in 2015, Fjaak moved to Modeselektor’s main label, Monkeytown. The single “Wolves” arrived at the end of 2016, and the track appeared on the trio’s self-titled debut full-length in early 2017.
Fjaak’s second album, Havel, appeared on their eponymous label in 2018. An EP titled Drugs was released by Seilscheibenpfeiler, also run by Modeselektor, at the end of the year. Kozicki left Fjaak to pursue a solo career in early 2019, and Röbig and Wagner continued as a duo, releasing white-label 12”s on their own Fjaak and Spandau 20 imprints. The EPs FJAAK 006 and SYS01 appeared in 2020. ~ Paul Simpson