Carribean Sibling Duo Shermanology Drops 2031 EP With A Rawer Sound

Dutch DJs Shermanlogy is releasing a new EP on Sola Nauts on 18 June, and it looks set to be a well-rounded soul-tec affair. The upcoming “2031” release is three track heavyweight album that explores a deeper and more raw sound from Andy and Dorothy Sherman. 

The duo energy from Shermanology’s Dutch and Carribean roots make for an edgy and modern sound, bringing a much needed ‘soul-tec’ groove to the Dutch underground scene and UK garage scene.

“2031” is special one for Shermanlogy as it’s a family affair. Their father and uncle were part of The Sherman Brothers and has collaborated with many big names in Holland, with the former making a surprise appearance on a track. With such a musically talented family, it’s no surprise that the siblings have followed in their footsteps wearing multiple hats as singers, MCs, DJs, and producers.

Meet Andy, one of the siblings, who shares more about the EP that was created during the pandemic - the current spark feeding their creative juices. While he’s been missing the energy of live music, the duo has been taking this time to work on a lot of exciting things.

Electric Soul: Hi Shermanology, thanks for having this chat with us! Let’s start with a quick introduction of Shermanology to our readers.

Andy: Hey folks. We are Dorothy and Andy Sherman, a brother and sister duo raised in Curacao, now living between Amsterdam and Rotterdam. We make house music, blending our own Caribbean roots with the things we love about electronic music.

ES: Tell us more about your upcoming EP – 2031.

Andy: This EP is a special one for us. For a start, we finally got to do a record with our dad, called ‘Let’s Talk About.’ We always wanted to do a house record with him and now here we are! I think dad has to be considered the third member now! Besides the more soulful side of our stuff, we wanted to show the rawer side of the Shermanology sound too. That’s where “2031” comes in. This was one of the tracks we made during the pandemic. These lyrics are exactly how we were feeling - that urge to get out and party like there’s no tomorrow. We cap the EP with ’Deez-aya,’ where we tried to mix up some of that baseline vibe that you find in our music a fair bit alongside a diva-esque kind of vocal. 

What was is it like producing the EP as siblings? Has there been any disagreements or sibling fights as you’re working together?

Andy: We are very lucky that we land on the same page musically most of the time. Our tastes are pretty much identical. There’s an openness to the creative process where we both get to say our thoughts and so it always feels like a truly pure collaboration between us. Sometimes Dorothy comes in with an idea and then I (Andy) builds the music around it. Other times I’ll think of something that I need Dorothy’s voice to bring to life. It’s always a fun process.

ES: Who would win in a fight – Andy or Dorothy?

Andy: Definitely Dorothy! Our last fight was when we were 16 years old. That was like the final clash of the titans. After that one, we decided that we are better off just giving each other “the face” when we get mad. Our arguments never last more than a few minutes anyway. But I’d still pick Dorothy to win every time.

ES: You’ve also roped in your father on ‘Let’s Talk About’ for the vocals. That must be pretty special as a family. What inspired this collab?

Andy: We went to New York six years ago to write with our friend Greg Cohen. When we got there we felt that we wanted to write a song that fits our dad and his voice. We wanted to do a house tune where dad could really sing, so we made a fully orchestrated house tune for him. It evolved into the way clubbier sounding record that is now coming out on Sola, but I think we will try and dig up that original mix later down the line.

ES: This is your fifth EP release. Will we see a full album from you guys anytime soon?

Andy: At the moment we are just in create mode. We have no idea where this all will take us. But an album is definitely on the horizon.

ES: Andy, you’re more into the UK garage scene whilst Dorothy is more of a modern soul singer. How do you both develop and balance your sound as a duo with such contrasting genres?

Andy: We both have a real raver side. So when we go out together we go to deep tech kind of parties. That's what we like when we rave. And when we listen to music at home or in the car we go for the more soul vibes. Where we go from Kim Burrel to Jazzmine Sullivan. But also Kaytranda, Timberland, and Swizzbeats are big inspirations. On the electronic side, guys like Jamie Jones, The Martinez Bros, and Loco dice are true club inspirations for us. The last few years has allowed us to blend and refine a sound that’s true to everything we like and that speaks to us.

ES: You’ve come a long way from your MC-ing and singing days. How has being a producer and DJ changed since you’ve started your musical journey?

Andy: It’s been quite a journey! When I started I was just doing vocals. I was the MC for Artful Dodger after Craig David went on to do his solo thing. Back then there was still a line between people producing and people DJing - the two weren’t really in the same lane. Nowadays you’re sort of expected to be both by default. That’s for better and for worse, as I think it takes away from the craft of DJing and a generation of people who really understood how to work a room and keep a crowd going at different times. Same time, you’ll have guys with huge records who can’t get booked because they don’t understand how to turn their sound into a live experience. We need good DJs more than ever now. After all this time out, the dance floor is going to be somewhere people go to fix their blues after all the downtime the pandemic forced us to have.

ES: What do you miss about the music scene from before the pandemic?

Andy: Just being around our crowds and seeing people enjoy music in real-time. That’s the biggest inspiration for us to make music. It's all about good energy. We miss that. When you see people dancing and smiling you know you did well. You can’t beat that feeling.

ES: Finally, let’s wrap up with your plans for the rest of 2021?

Andy: We have a lot of new music coming out! We will be dropping a new EP at the end of July. It’s a collaborative EP with some folks in the scene that we really dig. We will also launch our label later this year, and as I said earlier, don’t be surprised if you get wind of an album from us sooner than later!

'2031' by Shermanology will be released 18 June on Sola Nauts.