Music
BIRCHESS
is a dj duo from Tallinn. Their biggest hit 'Hummus-Guiness' was featured on BBC radio by Tom Robinson and referred to as the Estonian Chicks on speed. They also have a clothing brand and makes Hummus in the name of Birchess. They were kind enough to make a remix for TOURIST magazine and I talked with one of the halves; Sandra.
TOURIST magazine: How long have you known each others?
Sandra: Me and Sonja have known each other for more than 10 years. We met in an art school and experienced strong emotions towards each other, which we first interpreted as hate, but in a couple of years we realised it was love, and we have been best friends ever since!
TM: Do you have any specific memories from when you two finally bonded?
S: I think it happened when Sonja went to London for a year or so and we started exchanging e-mails.
Spending time together was like supposed to be fun, so we never talked about serious stuff. But in e-mails we felt less shy to discuss darker things and this is what made us really close.
TM: And then later, you went together to London where you experienced the charm with Italo disco and decided to bring this phenomenon to Tallinn in your own amazing way.
Right?
S: Well, we just wanted to go out and dance to Italo in Tallinn too, and it turned out the only way we could do it was to start playing ourselves. Apart from music we tried to bring the daring fashion of these parties - "80-s bad perm" hair became our trademark. Because Italo is in a way ironic and you must free your mind completely!
TM: So, I have to ask, you call your duo Birchess, why?
S: We used to lay down on floor in clubs and put our feet up (like sarvangasana in yoga). In Russia they call it "to do a birch". Also, a birch is a Russian national tree, and we are Russians living in Estonia. The double S stands for Sonja and Sandra.
TM: So, you make hummus and sell in the name of birchess and also a clothing collection, what's the next step?
S: Maybe jewellery, we already got a name - Jew Jewellery, which goes well with the hummus!
Birchess remix for TOURIST magazine
Also available for download here
Arvida Byström