Milky Chance: How Two Friends Created A Phenomenon

The Show On The Road with Z. Lupetin

What if you started a band with your best friend in high school - and the first song you put out went straight to the top of the charts? Sure, the journey singer/guitarist Clemons Rehbein and drummer/bassist Philipp Dausch have been on after meeting up in Kassel Germany isn't that simple...but it is remarkable that a decade after "Stolen Dance" and the blockbuster album behind it Sadnecessary changed their lives - their friendship and deeply-intiuative sonic connection have never been stronger.

I was able to call into their tour bus to talk about their humble start to headlining Red Rocks and touring four continents behind their lush new record Living In A Haze. More than ever, the new LP mixes their roving love of jazz, electronic dance music, reggae and folk forms into a sound that is wholly their own. Standout international collabs with Charlotte Cardin (Quebec) and Fatoumata Diawara (Mali) create a gorgeous aural tapestry that is still danceable but shares more raw emotion than previous releases.

Both Clemons and Philipp are dads now, so a three month tour is a big family affair - with their band, there are seven kiddos on the bus. Throughout our talk, it was stirring to hear how they've kept the creative fires burning while balancing new pressures like family and relative fame while keeping their own ever-evolving friendship growing. Also, they let us know exactly what a "disco boy" is...and why dancing the night away is still the best medicine if you're feeling lost.