INTERVIEW: Freydel
Freydel has no time for your superstitions. Ready to forgo all the rules, the German DJ / producer moves at a breakneck speed, dishing out vibe-y electronic beats that will no doubt soundtrack the best pool parties this summer. His EP New Thoughts - out now on the excellent UK label Everybody In - borrows some of its charm of the hey-day of lofi house, but it also conjures the edge of modern dance music productions. The result? 4 euphoric tracks full of banging percussion and hypnotic bass lines. In this interview, Freydel tells us about the 5-year process that led to this new album, and the major life changes that inspired it. He also gives us a sweet freeware synth recommendation, just sayin’.
Can you tell us a little bit about your background as a musician? How did the project Freydel get started?
I started making hip hop music as a producer at the age of 14. Then, in my 20s, I basically moved to Cologne, Germany, to study audio engineering.
From there, I mostly produced hip hop beats, and then later started with house music when I got a bit older and hip hop wasn't that interesting to me anymore!
There’s a very interesting mood flowing through your album New Thoughts. What can you tell us about the development of this record?
The EP is a mixture of multiple tracks from different times in my life. New Pics On The Wall is the oldest track of the EP. I think I made this track around 2019 or something in my old flat, and I think I hung a new picture up that day. Actually, it's one of my favorites from the EP, especially because it's not so much made for the club.
New Thoughts, for example, is a track I made when I got back into producing more last year - that's probably why I picked that name for it. At the time, I was at home a lot because I became a father. Therefore, I had a bit more time in between to make some music.
Summer Heat was just made directly in the summer of 2023 - and the last track Mongolian Princess is named after my daughter, who was always wearing this Russian fake white winter hat around in the flat, so I named the track like that!
What was your process for getting started on new music for this album? Do you follow the same recipe, or is it different every time?
I think the process is a bit the same, like with everyone else - starting with the loop, adding more elements to the track bit by bit...
And if the loop is worthy enough, try to build a proper arrangement and finish the track.
When you work on your tracks, do you get more inspired by hardware or by VST? (or both?) What’s your philosophy?
In the past, I used a lot of hardware like the Juno-60. Nowadays when I make music, it's mostly in the evening. And if I'm really honest, I then mostly sit with my laptop and headphones on my bed in a cozy position and just make a track.
I think you don't really need that much these days to make good music. I have a mixing strategy. I know quite well how these Apple AirPods sound and then re-check the mix and master in my car, make notes, and basically do the corrections blind, master again and check it again.
I truly got the best results like that.
What were some of your go-to synths and bass instruments for New Thoughts? And how did they inspire you?
Favourite synths / VSTs are KORG M1, Triple Cheese, or Albino.
The Triple Cheese plugin is free, and I made such nice bass lines with it! Definitely worth checking out and downloading.
Other than that, I also work a lot with samples. I would say a mixture of both.
Many people say the drums are the most important elements of electronic music. How do you make your drums?
Drums are actually mostly samples. Only real trick / advice I can give here is:
Try to give every element of the drums, like kick / snare / hi-hat, its own track and - if possible - don't use the Drum Rack.
Do you have any tips for mixing and mastering?
The best advice I actually can give is to stick to your listening routines, which means using the same headphones or speaker in the same position. Use the same mastering bus, and then adjust the mix back to the same mastering settings. I know this is definitely not how mastering usually works, but that's how I get my best results at the moment!
And, of course, try the track out in the club if you have the chance, make notes, and try to make the adjustments later at home.
Will you be doing any shows around the release of New Thoughts EP? If so, what are some tips you can give our readers on how to have a good performance or DJ set?
There are definitely some gigs ahead in the next months - on the other hand, I try to reduce my playing at the moment a bit because I want to be at home for my family, and my other passion and job that I have - photography - is taking a lot of my time at the moment...
So I try to find a good balance, but next gigs are: 07.06 Live Stream in Cologne, 08.06 Bumann & Sohn in Cologne, 21.06 Scheues Reh in Cologne.
Were there any tracks by other artists that have inspired you lately?
Definitely, actually, all the time! It's what inspires me the most, hearing other very good tracks and then thinking to myself: “ohhh I should do more music again!”
Recently, a lot of unreleased stuff from Litmus - the Amsterdam-based producer – he was so friendly and sent me some stuff over!
What can we look forward to from Freydel in the upcoming year or two?
I try to squeeze in as many releases as possible and actually finish sketches and release the tracks before they just die on the hard drive.
Other than that, I don't expect something super special from DJ-ing or making music nowadays. I mostly do it for fun and because I love it :)
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