Praise be to the internet for opening our ears to underground music from all over the globe. The added accessibility not only makes it easier for left-of-centre artists to gain a larger following, but it lets listeners discover such obscure artists as Argentinean electro duo Frikstailers.
Now based in Mexico City, Frikstailers are considered pioneers of the digital cumbia genre. Cumbia is a form of Latin American traditional music, rooted in African rhythms and geared towards dancing. The idea of coupling local folk music with electronic production mightn’t be a surefire way to gain hype and success, but this approach has seen Frikstailers beget plenty of accessible and positively joyous tunes over the last eight years. Ahead of their appearance at this year’s Sydney Festival, one half of Frikstailers, Rafa Caivano, brings us up to date with the band’s journey so far.
“Lisandro [Sona, Frikstailers’ other member] grew up in Jujuy at the very north of Argentina, on the limit with Bolivia, and I come from a very small town in the province of La Pampa,” Caivano says. “In both places the first music you learn to dance when you start going out to parties is cumbia. On the other hand, we were big fans of electronic music, so the mixture came up quite naturally.”
Dance music’s defining feature is its encouragement of physical motion. Despite this, beyond a pulsing beat, much of cheap contemporary EDM isn’t exactly furnished with a bodily thrust.Meanwhile, on last year’s Crop Circles EP, Frikstailers prove they’re more than capable of generating a vividly corporeal sound.
“We always try to transmit this energy that represents us,” says Caivano, “and in this EP we achieved that energy with the emotion and expression of the synths. One of our main goals every time we release something [is] it must work for the live show, but it needs to be something you’d like to listen to at home. And we always think in the details that will call your attention in headphones.”
Along with the cumbia influence, Crop Circles’ six tracks show thatFrikstailers are partial towards hip hop, techno and new wave. On top of this, Caivano says they’re always on the lookout for new sounds. “We listen to as much music as we can and we get inspired by a lot of what comes up from Germany and the UK especially. We try to keep our sound at that level but at the same time always try to put our own energy and personality into it.”
Frikstailers’ forthcoming Australian visit is indicative of the increased attention they’re getting from around the world. Prior to the project’s inception, Caivano and Sona both experimented with a range of electronic music offshoots. But it wasn’t until they teamed up that their distinct sound was born.
“I met Lisandro studying at a school to become audio technicians,” Caivano says. “He was more into rock music then, but he was making beats with a PlayStation software called Music 2000. When I introduced him to computer sequencers he fell in love instantly and started to produce a huge amount of music.
“First, we both had our own projects – Lisandro started with IDM and I was more into ambient and indietronica. At some point we felt curiosity for what would come up if we joined forces and produced together. We went straight to dancefloor music. We made a couple of experiments. A nice song came up and we thought, ‘Damn! There’s an interesting path here which is not yet explored,’ and so Frikstailers was born.”
Crop Circles out now through ZZK. Catch them atThe Famous SpiegeltentonSaturday January 17, tickets online.
