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"In life, we find inspiration through the Universe, Nature and all the creative creatures spinning around with us on this tiny piece of earthy round materia"
FRANGIE creates music that works in all settings and transcends genres. Their openness to a wide range of sound is what has both made them a widely loved favourite, but also someone who operates in their own parallel musical world. We had a chance to talk to them, so enjoy your reading and check out their latest releases.
Hey, where can we find you right now? How did you start your day?
Francisco: We live and operate from Stockholm. Our studio is close to nature, so in these winter times we start off by taking a walk outside to get in tune with creativity.
Adriana: Today I took a skinny snow dip after a tabata session. A sweet way to start my day!
Fredrik: I woke up early with my son Leo. After breakfast with mommy we had a dance and workout session to Justin Jay’s “Take a Ride”, getting down on the living room floor. We love starting any day with music.
Can you tell us a little about your experience? Where are you from / how did you get into music? Was it all internet based?
Fredrik: I grew up in Stockholm and got into music early, but more from a listening side, back then thinking about making music. I played the clarinet in band class which was a little strange, because our music teacher was pure horror. I’ve always loved a wide variety of music and in my early twenties I got into DJ-ing house, hiphop, electro and techno.
Francisco: I grew up in a latin american folklore family and while touring I have some early memories listening to Nicola Bari, ABBA and then Mc Hammer. Playing around in some teenage grunge bands and later on with salsa, house and techno.
Adriana: I have sung in different constellations for as long as I can remember. I went to music school and later during my masters in fine arts I immersed my passion for lyrical composition, performance and sonic production.
Who have been your main inspirations (both musical and in 'life')? And how have they affected your sound?
Musically we’re fans of Erland Oye’s projects, especially Kings Of Convenience. Their music is something that keeps coming back. Sometimes people reference Kings Convenience when they hear our music. Which is weird because we sound nothing like them, maybe it’s just the vibe or something.
In life, we find inspiration through the Universe, Nature and all the creative creatures spinning around with us on this tiny piece of earthy round materia. As social beings we crave to find our tribe, and in this yearning we blend with everything around us. What we eat, the air we breathe, our closest ones and the rest of the world knocking on our digital door. Everything has an impact. But we try to stay mindful of our musical micro cosmos, a playful sanctuary which we call the organism FRANGIE.
How would you define your sound?
Our music is both eccentric and eclectic, we never know what to expect while creating. It’s form is electro acoustic. We love jazz and techno music so maybe FRANGIE floats somewhere in between.
How has your sound evolved so far?
We started with many different sounds, finding a way to blend our different musical backgrounds into a new entity. We embrace a broad atmosphere and have so far collected an emerging sound bank that we often use. Nowadays we try to grasp the same groove but with fewer elements one could say.
What can you tell us about your last job? What inspired you? What do you want to convey?
Our upcoming release Lunar Eclipse came about during a summer night with a total lunar eclipse. We climbed up on the roof of our studio villa and contemplated over that magnificent three dimensional, red luminous ball. "The sun, earth and moon aligned", became a collective blessing, a bittersweet connection, giving our music session a timeless memory. Let's hope this shines through to the listener.
Are you the type of producer who can create music on the fly or do you need to be rooted in a studio?
Most of the time it's easier to finish up a project in the studio. But the idea of a new song can be born out of many things, situations and feelings. From a memory or in a music store, sweeping on a Prophet 5 (one day we'll afford it) or a JU-06. Even from a weird dream with the soundtrack of heavy dark disco chords that just needs to be written down.
What can you tell us about your latest productions? What did you want to convey? What next productions can we expect?
Our latest production is basically the story of how three friends became one with the lunar eclipse. We knew that this night might be a special night. A total lunar eclipse was going to take place and we were really excited about it. We went inside and turned our fascination into a densely, intensive musical session. That night we planted the seed of Lunar Eclipse EP, released on Taiga Riviera label 5th of March.
We plan to keep our passion for the disco era alive in our upcoming productions, infusing some faithful reflection while contributing to future dance floors.
How are you living the current situation because of COVID? Has your work affected a lot? Do you think there is hope?
It feels like we've been given a new perspective. A new way to look after one another. We lost some gigs but we got some others and it actually turned out really well. We’ve had no choice but to go with the flow and it led to an unbound and satisfying result. So yes, the creativity we see everywhere around us is probably gonna put the music industry (maybe even in a new form) back on track.
I feel like the underground scene will continue to persist. Do you think we can go back to "normal" events and festivals?
We too, gradually we hope yes, that would be awesome.
What are your 5 best songs of 2020?
Opak Silence - Storken’s Snowroller Mix
A bite of papaya by Miynt
Nuevo mundo by Hermanos Gutierrez
Steps of you by PVLMS
Both of Us by Jayda G
What projects are you working on at the moment?
New disco demos as well as some more experimental stuff. We’re aiming for another release this summer!
Do you have any final words of wisdom?
Let's make room for the unexpected and dream of a collective future, where we can move together to the pulsating rhythms of life.
