The Get Physical story begins on a tennis court in Saarbrücken, near the German-French border. That’s where Patrick Bodmer met Philipp Jung on a summer’s day twenty years ago. Their lifelong friendship and musical partnership was sealed on their next meeting, at the high board of the local swimming baths. After many hours of discussion they were jumping, and were virtually brothers from then on. Together they ran wild and wished for a life that could only be about their great loves - collecting records, throwing parties and meeting girls. They dreamt of a way to live as a child, running happy and free. When youthful desire had to make way for sensible adult concerns they parted ways.
At 25 Patrick and Philipp were reunited in Frankfurt, then the hub of Germany’s flourishing house and techno scene. Philipp worked for Snap’s record company; Patrick studied and lived as an artist. They began their first musical activities with releases on local independent imprints and devised their unofficial Lust (eng: joy, zest, delight) parties as an excuse to play records. Later Patrick acquired an old brewery as an atelier that served as their cauldron for ideas, art and wanton personal experimentation. They stopped in 1997 and the final twang of traditional career values saw Philipp move firstly to Cologne as A&R of Jive, and later to Berlin to do the same job for V2. Patrick finished studying before taking a sensible day job he quickly detested.
Over the next years they consumed music, raved and span records at every opportunity. DJ T and Patrik (The Sunsetpeople), from Frankfurt’s Monza club, heard them play at a party and noticed them on the dancefloor, stamping their feet and ripping their clothes. They became close friends, and M.A.N.D.Y. have held a Monza residency since 2001. The same year their old pals Arno and Walter (Booka Shade) moved from Saarbrücken to Frankfurt. The four intensified their work together and again talked of starting a label. The first official M.A.N.D.Y. release, a remix of French electronic band Galleon, was chosen as the official German single and went stratospheric sales charts. DJ work poured in but they couldn’t reconcile with the commercial scene and abandoned it after a few short months.,
M.A.N.D.Y. liken their next moves to a last exit, a final chance to do something special before time ran away from them. They decided to create a label with their friends Booka Shade and DJ T, utilising the talent of the close friends in their circle. They called it Get Physical: in tribute to the dancefloor; in memory of their meeting; for their love of disco, acknowledging the obsession with Olivia Newton-John. It was born from pure desire, the need to create something tangible from their lifelong passion. In 2002, M.A.N.D.Y. and Booka Shade moved to Berlin seeking a new creative kick. What they found was a confluence of artists and ideas, and a constant shower of music that washed over and immersed them. It was productive, intense and satisfying. Living and working together their strong relationships provided the perfect foundation for future growth.
Since the creation of the label, M.A.N.D.Y. have come into their own as artists and DJs. Their natural easy friendship allowed their skills to gradually flourish and their heartfelt excitement for what they do ignites every floor. Mixing the first Get Physical label compilation in 2004 sent their sound beyond Europe and they’re sought after remixers working with artists as diverse as The Knife, Seelenluft, the Sugababes, Hans Peter Lindstrom and Fisherspooner. And though they travel the world they treasure the family vibe that supports them in Berlin. For M.A.N.D.Y. this isn’t a job and isn’t about success. It’s about partnership and friendship and a realisation that dreams can come true. |
