After a long hiatus the Sinchi & Friends series returns with a recent label debutants Freakazzé II.  Recently featuring on our Altered States Vol.5 compilation, we expect big things from the German newcomers. Dive into their world of sound and get a short introduction to the talented Fiete and Bene, via the interview below.

1) Introduce yourself?

Hi, we are Fiete (22) and Bene (27) from Germany and two years ago we started Freakazzé II as a project for producing and DJing.

2) It has been and continues to be a strange period but what are your musical highlights from the last 12 months and what do you have lined up for the coming year?

The biggest highlight was the release of our track “Blaupause” on the Altered States Compilation Vol. 5. It was such a great feeling to get it released alongside the other talented producers. Also we had the chance to play some smaller open air gigs in Hamburg last summer which was really special after the times of lockdown. We are now looking forward to release our first own EP this year and there are some Dj gigs scheduled in Hamburg.

3) What tracks have really stood out for you in the last year and why? 

It just came out but the whole new Album by Curses is just so good but really outstanding for us is “Dejavu Inc”. Speaking of dancefloor bombs definetly “Real” by Perel is a track we really like to play but we also liked “Phénomène” by Damon Jee and Darlyn Vlys. But there is so much music being released so we can’t mention everything and everything which we play in our sets is also kind of inspirational for our own music.

4) Who or what are your biggest musical influences?

This is really a hard one. We think on the synth side it’s really that nice 80’s sound in the likes of Joy Division etc. but talking about producers from today it’s definetly the Sound of Curses, Perel, Terr, Mufti, Alvee and Damon Jee that brought us to this whole Dark Disco / Indie Dance thing. But we are also listening to a wide selection of music from Hip Hop over Punk to crazy psychedelic records or Jazz and there is always inspiration to find.

5) Tell us about 3 DJ’s / Producer’s we may not know but should be looking out for?

Jan Fackel does cool blends of minimal and indie dance.

le.fu from the Südpol club in Hamburg plays crazy good sets.

We played at a really nice party with Katzenohr from Berlin and it was definitely the best slow rave set we both heard in our life.

6) What is your favourite Venue or Festival to play at and why?

As we started this project right before the pandemic we didn’t had that many gigs yet but playing at Turtur Club in Hamburg was always a pleasure and a festival we would love to play would be Fusion.

7) Do you have a ritual before you start playing or straight after?

We are always at the party before we play and enjoy the other sets and just have some nice chats with guests and the other artists. We always get enough drinks before we start playing so we can fully concentrate on the gig.

8) What is your favourite bit of kit? 

We just added a UDO Super 6 to our setup and it’s really becoming our favorite synth at the moment.

9) What is your favourite film score?

This is a difficult question as we are both really into movies and especially into soundtracks. We both love the soundtracks of italian legends like Ennio Morricone or Pierro Umilani but if we have to decide it’s:

For Fiete Wendy Carlos – A Clockwork Orange

For Bene Alain Goraguer – La Planete Sauvage

10) What makes you smile?

If we have some nice time with friends, either at parties, in the studio or just having some nice food and drinks together.

11) Inspiration for the mix?

Despite all the bad news and the shit which is going on with Corona and the war in Ukraine, we were in a pretty good mood when we recorded the mix. The days are getting warmer and clubs are reopening and we tried to put that energy into the mix. You definitely could dance to the set which is full of our current favorite tracks.