Reboot Interview: for me it's the whole party experience

Image: Reboot

Reboot is normally what you do when everything around you has gone awry in computing terms. There’s lost files, crashing software, and rebooting is the best way to rip it all up and start again. Dance music’s equivalent isn’t too far from that reality either…

The alias of Frank Heinrich, Reboot first emerged like a salient force of light amid a turgid k-hole of electronic music in the late noughties. Where there was cold barren soundscapes of minimal, Reboot updated the template with warmth and groove, bringing the sounds out of the darkness. Since going onto infect his music with much more, including Latin percussion, otherworldly rhythms and a cavalcade of other influences, he’s become one of the leading exponents of house in techno in its most devilishly exciting form, via both live sets and DJing.

He’s due to return to one of his most famed stomping grounds in the UK this weekend by hitting up Egg London tomorrow night, re-joining Yousef’s Circus party for another wild evening. We managed to catch up with the jock just in time to discuss the event, and got to grips with where the Rebbot name came from, having fun while DJed, and the strange story of how he managed to inadvertently unearth a piece of the Vilalobos family musical history.

Before success, before Cadenza, Cecille, Cocoon and Defected, who was Frank Heinrich? And did you take the transition to become Reboot?

Just a guy that worked in a normal 9-5 job with a suit and tie! I have always produced music, but it was just a hobby. I used to play in live acts with a friend for many years, then it got to the point where I wanted to do something on my own. I had a DJ residency at small club and I wanted to play a solo show there. I didn`t have a proper artist name at this point, so the promoter kept on asking me what he should put on the flyer then one day he called me whilst I was having trouble with my computer. It kept crashing, so he said, 'Ah, you have to reboot'. That set off a light in my head, and I started to really loved the name. It perfectly fits the way I make music as well, always this urge to find a new start.

Your music seems to be a perfect definition of tech house, with a bit of Latin music and some tribal echoes. Do you recognise yourself in this description? Which artists inspired you in your productions?

Yeah for sure. The rhythmical/percussive element is something that flows through almost all of my productions. It is mostly inspired by Latin music, African music or Jazz – so basically everything poly-rhythmical and very groovy. The bass is also a huge factor for me, it’s the foundation of all my productions and elementary to carrying a track. Also, I take a lot of influences from classic, soul or funk music. There are so many ways to find inspiration, especially from non-electronic music, and I feel that makes the essence of what I do unique.

We were in Ibiza in 2009 and clearly remember one thing from that summer - it was really, really hard to find a dj that did not play your track “Caminando”. Can you tell us about the story behind this wonderful production?

When I visited Brazil for the first time, my friend in Sao Paulo played me some traditional music and this song came on, it was interpreted by a singer called Simone, and I knew straight away that I wanted to use this as an element of my DJ set and produced the beat around it. There was no intention to ever actually release it at all. A couple of days later I played with Ricardo Villalobos and dropped the track. He totally flipped out and asked me if I even knew what I was playing! It turns out the original version was written by his uncle during the dictatorship and he got arrested for performing it. Obviously it was a really emotional moment for him and I knew I had to release it on his Sei Es Drum (Ricardo’s label) after that.

Bootleg, edit, mashups, and mad people trying to “Shazam” the entire set: that’s a Reboot gig. Do you enjoy watching people going literally crazy for your music?

Haha! I wouldn’t be doing what I do if I didn’t love it! It`s not just about my productions, for me it`s the whole party experience, with people smiling and having a great time, that what I love so much. There’s nothing better in the world than making people happy and smile! 

You got more than ten years of production behind you when you reached the global success, if there is one, what do you think has been your secret? What advice would you give to the producers and djs?

The only advice I can give is to really enjoy what you are doing, stay true to yourself and keep on working hard. I started producing music as a hobby, because I loved it so much and still do. That hasn’t changed for more than 20 years now. In the beginning, I didn't intend to make a career out of music, it just sort of happened by coincidence. It`s been a great gift to have had this opportunity and I enjoy every single minute of it.

Do you feel more a producer or a dj? Do you prefer to live dj set?

Equally - I started DJing just before I bought my first drum machine but I love to do both! Sometimes it’s so nice to spend time on your own in the Studio, taking time to think about new ideas and get lost in producing but on the other hand I need the balance. Just being at the party, presenting your music, interacting with the crowd and having a good time together, this is so important for me.

I like playing live as much as DJ sets, as with a live act you can present your own productions and try to improve your tracks while actually on stage, while with a DJ set you have more time to work with the people and take them on a longer journey.

What is your studio setup? Is there is a tool or a machine you can’t “live” without?

I use Ableton as a sequencer and hardware for the sound processing. I've got a lot of synthesisers, drum machines, percussion and a modular system. I just love working on analogue gear. I need the surface feeling and I personally have the impression that it sounds warmer. I would never ever give my MOOG Voyager away again either, I use it in almost every production. It just sounds so phat and warm. For me it’s the best analog Synthesiser ever.

 In which direction is electronic music moving and how is it changing the role of the “dj”?

It’s really nice to see our interpretation of dance music find more and more fans all over the world, especially in the USA. This is one of the good points of globalisation, that from Australia to Europe, to North and South America, there are people that enjoy and love the music we make. That's a massive step in the right direction. I don’t really want to talk about all the different styles that are coming and going, what’s important is that people have a great time dancing to the music we make. I believe that electronic music is getting back the reputation it really deserves. The DJ has always been some kind of ambassador for music and that will never change, But of course there are some djs that actually became pop stars. I don’t know nothing about that, I just wanna go out there and have fun!

Tell us about your future plans: what to expect from Reboot?

Loads of freaky parties and of course some fresh productions! I took some time out of the studio to recharge my batteries but thats done now and I’m looking forward to getting back to work on new stuff. My Rock N' Beats party at Ushuaia Tower on the Isla Blanca is wild and I'm loving every session, and then of course I'm dropping into Circus with Yousef at Egg London on Friday August 30th and hop to see you on the dancefloor!

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