Mario: Where do you see this movement that’s really picking up from Latin America mixing Electro, Cumbia, Baile Funk, Hip-Hop, Dub, Tropical/Spanish Rhythms, etc.? I hear a lot of people saying that Latin America (specifically South America) will soon have its turn at the front of the Electro scene with great acts like you two and others such as El Remolón putting out amazing music. Thoughts?
Frikstailers: Well, we’re not very conscious of that…but we’ve seen the electronic music scene of South America grow madly in the last five years. Seven years ago we didn’t listen to many bands from Argentina; we were mostly fans of bands from the USA and Europe, but at the moment we are very excited for bands like Tremor, Chancha Via Circuito, El Remolón, Zort, Fauna, and Los Reyes de la Milanga. We’ve seen them grow, we’ve influenced each other, and now we’re all planting our seeds together around the world. And producers from other countries are getting influenced by us! We just can’t believe it…
Mario: Definitely. On the ZZK Records site, it says your compositions are a “mix of many sounds and rhythms that are morphed into a mutant sound.” Can you explain how this style or sound developed for you guys as a duo?
Frikstailers: Well basically there aren’t many rules in our compositions. There are so many genres we’ve been interested in exploring, that we can’t leave any of them out. We sample a lot of pop artists, then we destroy those sounds, recycle them, and put them in weird contexts. The result is what you hear in any of our songs, and each one we make is like doing research.
Mario: Cool. Have you guys heard of the Gurarachero or Tribal (pronounced tree-val) electronic sound going on in Mexico? Any plans to do any tracks or remixes with this sound that seems to be taking off as well?
Frikstailers:Yes!!! We’ve heard some of it and danced to it, too! The rhythms are very similar to Argentine folklore music – very fun and very energetic! In some ways, it reminds me of my Chicago-techno times…At the moment we have no plans of doing anything with Guarachero sounds, but who knows? Why not?! Big respect for the Mexican brothers!
Mario: Awesome. What’s the story behind the psychedelic stage, costumes, and multi-colors you use during your performances?
Frikstailers: In the beginning we didn’t use any particular costumes, but then we started our club, Random Club, in Córdoba, and we started DJing every week. At that time, our set up was much more simple – just 2 laptops. When people would see us playing live, they couldn’t tell when it was Frikstailers from when it was DJ Rafa Caivano and DJ Sandro de America. So we went to the party supply store, where we bought cheap wigs and masks, then we replaced the masks with glasses, and that was pretty much it. We realized that people had a lot of fun watching us in this costumes, and we were having a lot of fun, too! THEN, we took the next step…we grabbed the microphone! Every time we added something to the show, it became more and more fun, and it spreads to the people in a true and genuine way.
Mario: What was the inspiration behind the Major Lazer “Hold The Line” remix song & video done last year? It’s so dope!
Frikstailers: It was a strange experience…we made the remix totally illegally, and put it on the internet. Then a movie director from Argentina listened to it and wrote us with ideas that were inspired by the song. He got in contact With Tranqui-Yanqui (a Buenos Aires-based North-American costume designer), Mich (a very famous trash-TV star from Argentina), and then casted some girls to shake their asses. After filming it in a studio and a lot of post-production, the result was this incredible psycho-tropical video that got more than 20,000 views in a month.
Mario: That’s incredible. What’s in the future for Frikstailers? An album coming out? Are you coming back to LA?
Frikstailers: There’s an LP coming out; it’s actually a very special release because the music on it was made before the Bicho de Luz EP. It’s an album we spread in our city, but it was never released. We think it deserves to be listened to worldwide. Of course we’ll come back to LA!