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.)
If you’ve listened to my show, Static + Distance, then you may find some of these selections a bit odd. I generally play a lot of folk, soul, jazz… that sorta thing. However, lately I’ve been finding a lot of refuge in new age music and incorporating more ambient music and field recordings into the show. For this edition of “Songs You Should Know” I decided to make a playlist of my favorite tracks from the genre.
The allure of wave sounds and synthesizer bliss aside, the artwork on some of these albums is worth the price of admission all on it’s own. I recommend you listen to this on headphones on a breezy summer day or while lying in your bed with your cat for maximum effect. I also suggest you check out the full albums if you enjoy the songs you hear in this playlist. Many of the albums are designed as a cohesive listen, but, well… it’s songs you should know, not albums you should know.
TRACKLIST:
Robert Martin – “Great Peace by the Lake”
David Casper – “Crystal Waves I”
Joanna Brouk – Golden Cloud Layers”
Constance Demby – “The Dawning”
Barry Cleveland – “Stones of Precious Water”
Aziz & Friends – “Wave 4”
Georgia Kelly – “Nilapadma”
Upper Astral – “Crystal Cave (Back To Atlantis)”
Gabriel Lee – Heavenly Moon*
*I couldn’t find individual tracks for this one, so enjoy the whole Heavenly Moon album!
About a week before Jessica Boudreaux’s new EP, I Think My Heart Loves to Break, was released, I was able to catch up with Jessica through the magic of Zoom.
In addition to her solo releases, Jessica is also in one of my favorite local bands, Summer Cannibals. During our chat, we talked about the process of creating the new EP, her recent SPIN article on why she may never return to touring following her cancer diagnosis, Taylor Swift, and the music she’s loving at the moment.
“I was making an album and was kind of getting to this point with the songs where I was getting to the point with the songs that if I continue with this play to put this out as an album, I’m never going to,” she said. “I was never feeling finished, so I decided to break it into multiple EPs.”
Jessica spent the past two years writing a lot and then spending time in her home studio “trying things, deleting things, and trying things again,” as she puts it.
While creating new music, Jessica also collaborated with Stevie from Adult Mom to release a cover of Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” in early June. “That song in particular, I just love the chorus and the bridge,” she said, and added that she wanted to do something upbeat and fun. “That song is kind of cathartic and I find that song has that feeling … it has little shouty bridges and I just think it’s such a catchy song.” While Jessica didn’t get into T-Swift until later, she is now a big fan.
Just as COVID-19 was shutting down virtually every venue in a matter of weeks in mid-March 2020, Summer Cannibals were about to hit the road to tour. The forced end of the tour plans ended up being a relief in a way. “In the group, where all of us were feeling really drained … and you kind of feel like you can’t stop like this,” she said. “I think everyone felt really burned out. The year before we had over 200 days out of the year and we wouldn’t have stopped because we just kept getting support slots.”
And then, in October 2020, Jessica discovered a lump in her breast, and after three biopsies, was diagnosed with breast cancer. (Thankfully, she’s completed chemo and is doing well.)
Jessica began writing about her cancer and facing death in a way she’d never thought about as part of creating music for a new Summer Cannibals album. “There’s so much comfort and safety being able to do that with this group instead of all alone,” she said.
While touring isn’t in the cards in the near future, Summer Cannibals are doing a one-off show at Mississippi Studios in September 2022. “As a performer, I seem to make more of an impact live, which is too bad that I don’t want to tour anymore,” she said. But, that isn’t stopping the music – Jessica mentioned the band is planning to record new music over the winter.
Jessica’s new EP, I Think My Heart Loves to Break, is out now on Bandcamp and available on streaming services. Follow her on Instagram. You can also check out Summer Cannibals on Bandcamp or at your favorite independent record store!
Want to listen to the full interview with Jessica Boudreaux? Check it out on Mixcloud.
