Sinchi & Friends 37 is a special one from fellow Amsterdammers @Pin-Up-Club. When asked about the inspiration for the mix they had this to say….
The inspiration actually came from the DJ set at Sinchi festival, when they asked us to play a mainly percussive and tribal set. I (Josef) am a real afro-percussive fanboy and everything that night seemed to fall in it’s trippy place just about right. This mix also tells a story of the many sides we have as producers, a love for warm and analog but also cold and daunting and we think it evolved into a real trip thru space and time. Without borders and without a single designated genre to comply to.
We couldn’t agree more, check it out and get to know them a little better in the interview below.
Introducing
1) Who are you?
We are Josef and Jelle. We have been making music together since 1998. In 2015 we started working together on our latest project Pin up Club.
2) What have been your highlights from the last 12 months?
We have a couple of highlights. Our debut 12’’ EP called ‘FRIENDS OF THE VORTEX’ on Bordello a Parigi was released on the 10th of January. We have been receiving massive support from dj’s all over the world and it got reviewed by DJMag with a 7.5. We were told by the label they expect it to sell out soon. (So get your copy quick haha)
Another highlight were the first ever live gigs we did last year. Finally we we’re able to play our own music for an audience. That was a real thrill, we are expanding that horizon this year. We’re actually playing live at Salon Sur Wilde Renate next month that will be a Highlight for us for sure!
3) What do you have lined up for the coming year?
There is a remix coming out on 12’’ next month for Machinegewehr’s stomper ‘Venom’ on Nocta Numerica. There are two separate tracks coming out on two different labels. One is on a label compilation, we can’t say yet which label this will be. Two releases for later this year, both on new labels. Also we hope to release our new EP this year. It’s finished but we still have to find a nice home for it.
MUSIC
4) Which track in the mix is your favourite right now?
ooh..Tough one. I guess i would play the opening-track basically every chance we’d get. it’s Auntie Flo’s track called ‘Waiting for a (woman) and it’s reworked by The Revenge. Also Khidja’s ‘Die Wilde Spirale’ had me jump up when i first heard it.. So good.
5) What is your favourite track of the last 12 months?
Jelle: Vox Low- Loving Hell
Josef: Ill Est Villain – Surf Rider
6) What is the last record you bought?
Jelle: That was an oldie, David Bowie – Low
Josef: Dollkraut – Holy Ghost Peoples
7) Who or what are your biggest musical influences?
Jelle: Any music that strikes me right in the heart. But if I have to name a couple. Two bands from the nineties, Nirvana and Radiohead and two from the sixties, the Beatles and the Beach boys. Their melodies and harmonies are a big influence when I’m writing, also for Pin Up Club.
Josef: I can get influenced by anything that has soul and commitment in it. Anything goes as far as i’m concerned, be it Rock n’ Roll, Disco, House, Hiphop or Afrobeat as long as you can hear that it’s in the artist’s blood.
8) Do you have a ritual before you start playing or straight after?
(Josef) I do, i get REALLY cranky before a gig and want to go home so i have to have a small moment to myself, no one else around, just before going on.
9) Who is your favourite DJ? Not including yourself 😉
Jelle: Four Tet
Josef: Hunee or Solar.. sh*t i can’t choose, so many ace selectors out there..
10) Tell us about 3 DJ’s / Producer’s we may not know but should be looking out for?
First off: our good friend WOODY, he’s rising quickly to the top of the Selectors foodchain, great selector Dj and the most likeable person we know. Also, seen him play so many times and he always suprises with some true musical gems.
Second our homeboy CURSES, he’s been around for a while now but is seemingly making somewhat of a comeback. His Rock ‘n’ Roll and Wave infused style gets us going.
Last but certainly not least is DAZION, the second track in our mix is from him, (Josef) ‘we actually grew up together and found each other back after years, somewhat in the same business.’ His music is cool, classy and filled with influences from Afro to Italo merged into this great sound.
OPINION
11) Best advice for anyone coming into the scene, either as a Producer, DJ or Promoter?
Hard work pays off, it really does.
12) Do you think the gap between the mainstream and the underground is getting closer or further apart? Is this a good or bad thing?
There will always be a imaginary line that can seemingly be crossed from the Underground toward Mainstream but it will always be someone else’s point of view and never something that should hinder you in making whatever your heart desires.
13) Due to developments in technology and software, there is so much which can be done to change a track to the tiniest detail, how much do you use this in your sets? Can too much technology be a bad thing?
We edit almost everything to suit a podcast, Dj-ing live is different, the ‘old way’ still has a lot of charm, playing tracks how they were conceived in the first place. It’s just that some music needs editing for better ‘results’ on the dancefloor but can also easily become less organic in the bigger picture of a set.
QUICKFIRE
Favourite bit of kit? Roland Juno 106
Secret studio trick? We re-route everything thru an old mixer called a Cooper 104, it’s a analog 4 track mixer designed for on-set film/documentary sound recording that kinda ‘glues’ our sounds together with a warm edge.
Guilty Pleasure? Josef: Last Christmas by Wham / Jelle: Last Christmas by Wham
Ultimate aspiration in life? We both work really hard to be able to put in as much time in our music as possible because our hearts need too.. Ultimately we just want to make people dance and celebrate life with us.
Photo Credit – Renate Beense