Interview by Erich Zann
The Portland husband-and-wife team of Papi Fimbres and Shana Lindbeck filter the Latin dance rhythms of cumbia through the lens of krautrock and electronic club music into the mesmerizingly fun madness of Dreckig. Their third album “Digital Exposure” will be released by Broken Clover Records on Friday, August 12th, and the record release show on Saturday, August 13th at Doug Fir is guaranteed to be a banger. Fountaine, Methods Body, and DJ Velvet Ginger will open.
I had the opportunity to send Papi a few questions over email and here’s what he had to say!
Tell me about the original formation of Dreckig. Had you and Shana made music together before? What influences fed into what would become the “krautrock cumbia” sound of Dreckig?
So, the original formation of Dreckig came to be after Shana & I playing in Orquestra Pacifico Tropical for such a long time, wanted to honor & recognize both our cultures in a different setting, musically speaking. We absolutely love German electronic music & Cumbia & wanted to mix them together in a hybrid of sounds. At that time, I was still doing my solo endeavor, paper/upper/cuts, which involves a lot of electronic & jazz aspects but I never really liked playing solo. There’s something to be said when you play with someone on stage & feel the push & pull of the energy that is being created in front of an audience.
How would you compare the audience reactions and general vibe between your first shows in Leipzig, what you encountered on your return to Portland, and what you see now?
Our very first set was literally just down the street from where we lived in Leipzig. We schlepped all our gear on foot over there, which I’m sure was a hilarious sight. I feel those first few years of performing were very different from who & what we are now. This is our third album & first on vinyl, shout out to Broken Clover Records out of San Francisco for believing in us & collaborating with us on this one. The sound has truly matured & has found its vibe.
How has your writing/recording process evolved from the early days and the first CDR to the new LP? Was there pressure to “go big” for your first vinyl release or was this business as “usual”?
The writing process is really still the same, but we have now gotten better at what we want & how to cull that sound that we strive for. We always collaborate with our homie Johann Wagner, who has a beautiful recording studio (Pinewave Studios) out in Beaver Creek, in the woods. The foundation of the songs are drum machines & we use amazing original & rare Roland 808, 909, 707, DMX drum machines & a modded 303 thru modular synths. This process can take a hot minute to perfect, especially when I write African rhythms &/or odd time Kraut beats because we have to program these weird rhythms into these classic drum machines that are mainly meant to play 4/4 rhythms, ha.
Will Dreckig be touring outside the Pacific Northwest for the new record? Have you been getting more attention in the greater electro/weird cumbia/latinx scene worldwide as time passes?
Shana & I are absolutely ready to tour the world on this shit! I feel that because our music is so specific, it took a minute for people to vibe & understand it. In fact, we just played Pickathon & was so well received from new fans, that I started crying from being so damn happy & honored that they vibed with us (I’m sure the mushrooms helped me feel EXTRA too, ha.)
Hear an episode of “The Great Pain of Space” built around ”Digital Exposure”