Catalunya Calling

Robin Hannibal

Owusu & Hannibal, Ubiquity, Denmark

"Some people say you can’t hear a difference of one dB. But I’d like to believe that you can." Inarguable. And the kind of thesis that best reflects the curious, fine-tuned approach of Robin 'Hannibal' Braun, one half of Owusu & Hannibal and member of the Boom Clap Bachelors' collective. Having decided to make a track for the American MC Q-Tip (Robin says, "it’s a bit ambitious but you gotta try"), he and Phil Owusu created a bed for that Tip-ical flow with a shifting pattern of bass drums and floor toms. "We wanted to mix more of a real sound – we played real drums, and a lot of synths. It’s a very dark sound." Taking a classic template and then vibing with it (or messing with it), seems to be an instinctive process for them. Robin didn’t start studying music theory until after high school, but those inbuilt antennae came in useful recently when creating a soundtrack for a film about a disco-loving worm. The assignment was to recreate disco classics, which he completed diligently, all the way down to writing his own horn charts. Although the project had its limitations, the OST format was appropriate for this producer, who says "I always loved epic or ethereal sounds. I like synthetic stuff: but I like when it’s played in a very classical manner. There’s a notion or a feeling of a soundtrack in some ways." Robin is interested in the magic that can happen when seemingly mismatched elements come together. Like Morricone knocking spurs with cowboys: to stop making sense, never seemed so sensible.