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Frank 'Reboot' Heinrich the production wonder kid of Cadenza whose tracks Charlotte, Vandong & Caminando brought minimal from its sterile mono-singular tones to a new territory built upon warmth, percussive bedrock and vocals, emerged as the artist who left the corporate world behind in 2007 with his "Be Tougher" EP.

Along with cohorts Chris Tietjen, Robert Dietz and Markus Fix he is one part of a new wave of electronic artists emerging from Frankfurt and is yet another producer who has emerged from a classical background, but it is his work with Cadenza that has put him on the map.

One part of the Vagabundos crew that ran what were cited as the best parties on the island in 2009 and who have taken over Pacha every Sunday this Summer, he also was a part of the AETHER Project that Cadenza toured through 2009 a live experience incorporating sounds, lights, technology and more.

As a child he trained in accordion, organs and keyboards and cites his approach to production as "complex polyrhythmic architecture". From the harmonic opening chords of Uruana a track from new album Shunyata that architecture materialises evidently and is woven deeply in non-coherent fashion of layer upon layer of sound. Its complexity makes me ask throughout "How did he make that sound"?

The 12 tracks are journey like, snaking and weaving along in and out of low kilter minimal, jazz and salsa styles but also conveys more experimental moments filled with grooves, rhythms and global sounds.

The real beauty behind this album is the way the instruments are used throughout. African style percussion echoes in charisma on Astral Girls, Spanish guitars sing and beat out in full flights of harmony on Sanchez Say's, Dreilach is experimental, Me Show leans towards sounds heard in recent tracks such as Fanciulli's remix of Lusine's "2 dots", whilst, poly-rhythms stretch across the structure of Shuntaya and flourishes of keys light up the definite house hit Hermano.

This ain't filled with dance floor 'bombs' and over limited in the production process, what your getting is a more intelligent listening experience that mixes between moments that will move the floor in heat and elements that are about just about sitting back and listening.Playing 'live' is a great opportunity for me to show the broad range of music I make. I produce a lot of stuff exclusive for the Liveact, just to make it special & present stuff that has never been heard so far....

We grabbed 5 minutes with Reboot to talk about having an open mind to all genres of music, the ethic behind his 'polyrhythmic architecture" on the album and more.

You're influenced heavily by world music? Can you tell me why you think it's important for producers and dance music producers in particular to have an open mind to music of all styles and genres?
I am influenced by all different types of music, like world/Latino music, jazz, funk and also classical. For me it was a natural process listening to music that is not particularly produced for the dance floor. When I am at home or travelling for example I don't listen to dance music at all. I started really digging into world music end of 90's. I was not into the super hard techno sound that everybody was listening to at that time, especially in Frankfurt. So I started to open up my ears again. 

Should the artists mind be open to everything or should they just have a singular vision?
Of course you should have a certain idea/vision, on what you want to sound like. Maybe you could call it a trademark. But this vision or trademark sound gets influenced by everything surrounding you especially the music you listen to. For me it is elementary to be open-minded to these styles. My productions wouldn't sound like they do without this.

You collaborated in the past with artists such as Marco Delle Donne - but Reboot is a singular project? Will you collaborate again with any one and how important do you think it is for DJs or Producers to have an open and not territorial approach to collaboration or do you feel that the compromise is too much in collaborations? 
When I started producing in around 1992, I did that together with my friend Marco. We stuck together for over 10 years, but never had the intention to make a career out of it. I moved to southern Germany for a couple of years in 2003. That's when I started doing my own productions. Also with no intention on having a career as a musician, that just happened from 2006 on. With my first releases on Below and later on Cadenza, it was nice to not make any compromise on production and just do whatever you like. Still it is a lot of fun to work with other Producers, as it offers you a different point of view. That can be very inspiring and at one point, I will sure go to the studio with other artists again.

How did you get into producing? What programs etc did you start on?
Well, I had my first steps in electronic music when I was a teenager, and was strongly influenced by the so called "sound of Frankfurt" in the early 90's. Stuff like Harthouse and Eye-Q, Detroit techno or deep house. I made my first steps in producing electronic music at the age of 13. Well, it was more playing around with Tracker programs. I bought my first drum machine when I was 15 and since then I've constantly been working on productions. By now I am using a mostly analog setup, sequenced by Ableton Live. Except a couple of samples, all sounds are created on several synthesizers, drum machines, live recordings and a modular system.

Can you tell me about the production process behind the making of the album? Where was the mastering done?
When I usually go to the studio, I just jam around with different ideas or loops and see what comes around. For the album I had a vision of what it should sound like and where I want to go with the tracks. Also I wanted to produce all songs particularly for the album and not just compile old stuff that I already have made. So that was a big difference. Also I concentrated on myself for my debut album, so there are no collaborations.

But I have plans to work together with live musicians in 2011. The mastering was done by our friends at Dubplates & Mastering in Berlin. Rashad masters most of my productions and as always he made a great job.

There are a lot of sounds on this album that have been 'made' can you tell me your starting point? Instrument first or machine?
That does totally depend on what I want to do. Sometimes I just bang around on my Drums or Percussions record them and layer them up. Another time I randomly patch my modular system or play a synthesizer I see what comes out. I usually record that and built the rest on top of it. Just like a Jam Session.

We would never accept to make a party that is not 100% Cadenza Vagabundo style. If certain people try to put pressure on us we just turn around and do the next big thing...How do you patch a modular system?  
It's like building toy blocks for adult freaks. (modular system video here) all together I've been learning for around 18 years. It's not just learning one instrument but also to have the basic understanding of how a sound is created. It took me this time and I am not even close to be really, really good at it.

Are you saying the basic of how a sound is created in a machine?
Yes, but not only. How to shape a waveform to get a certain result, how to mix it, EQ & compress it. How to place it in a mix, how to make it sound transparent, when you have a lot of sounds playing at the same time, etc it's really a science. Of course you can just throw 5 loops together in Ableton and have a track built but that has not really much to do with real sound engineering and producing music.

Can you tell me about performing 'live'? How do you adjust your live set according to the venue and size of the venue? Any good tips for same.
Playing 'live' is a great opportunity for me to show the broad range of music I make. I produce a lot of stuff exclusive for the Liveact, just to make it special and present stuff that has never been heard so far. I have plenty options to change the sound or the atmosphere of the set while I am playing. One factor is that I always bring minimum one piece of hardware; another one is that the tracks are not pre-arranged.

So I can change from techno to more eclectic house music at any time. In big venues I would never play the same set as in a small club like Robert-Johnson. I can only tell everybody that wants to start playing live, that it takes time and experience to get it done right. So, my advice would be to start very basic, just with a couple of loops and tracks and build it up slowly.

What has happened to the party at Ushuaia? Will you stay in Ibiza or end up somewhere that seems more open to electronic music parties?
We had a great time at Ushuaia, but it was time for us to move on. We would never accept to make a party that is not 100% Cadenza Vagabundo style. If certain people try to put pressure on us we just turn around and do the next big thing. We will build something new in Ibiza. And maybe we will spread the Vagabundo message all over Europe. We'll see!

Dates
August 13th Reboot @ Cadenza Showcase, Heaven, Porto Rotondo, Italy
August 14th Reboot @ Alte Borse, Zurich, Switzerland
August 15th Reboot @ Cadenza, Vagabundos, Pacha, Ibiza, Spain
August 16th Reboot @ Capitulo V, Albufeira, Portugal
August 18th Reboot @ Guendalina, Lecce, Italy
August 19th Reboot LIVE @ Atlantida, Sitges, Spain
August 20th Reboot LIVE @ Cocoon, Frankfurt, Germany
August 21st Reboot @ Cocorico, Riccione, Italy
August 28th Reboot LIVE @ Hell & Dunkel Open Air, Wachtendonk, Germany
August 29th Reboot @ Cadenza, Vagabundos, Pacha, Ibiza, Spain
September 04th Reboot @ Electric Zoo festival, New York City, USA
September 05th Reboot @ Electric Pickle, Miami, USA
September 10th Reboot @ Cadenza Showcase, Cafe d’Anvers, Antwerp, Belgium
September 11th Reboot @ Cadenza Showcase, Guendalina@Jubilee Club, Bari, Italy
September 18th Reboot@ Robot Festival, Bologna, Italy
September 19th Reboot LIVE @ Cadenza, Vagabundos, Pacha, Ibiza, Spain
September 25th Reboot @ Cadenza Showcase, Arma 17, Moscow, Russia
September 26th Reboot @ Cadenza Closing, Vagabundos, Pacha, Ibiza, Spain

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