We Chat To Lostly AKA Andre Frauenstein
Q:So, let's start with something, that get's us rolling in the right direction… Batman has Bruce Wayne, Superman has Clark Kent, And Andre Frauenstein has Lostly… Who is Lostly? When did Andre Frauenstein become Lostly… And what are the biggest differences between the two?
A:Lostly was the sound I wanted to do since many years of DJ’ing and producing, I found writing techno and industrial a lot easier ( under Andre Frauenstein) so I ended up doing that for a couple of years. In the back of my head though secretly I was still chasing after the sound Lostly was, and finally after many years of producing I felt confident enough to do it.
Q:You've just released your long awaited Debut Album, entitled “No Direction Home”, and it's already started heading all the way up the charts and impressing all the right people, are your happy with the response so far? Is it meeting your expectations? Was that ever a goal for the album or was it purely a release of what you've got stored up inside your creative realm?
A:We ended up with #2 on the Top 100 Trance Releases on Beatport, so definitely thrilled with that result. The album was solely done to keep me sane, to take my mind off stuff, to help me and my personal journeys.
Q:A lot of your newer fans, might be surprised at the rate you're gaining recognition, but anyone who's taken a bit of time to delve into the abyss that is Andre Frauenstein, will quickly realize that it's been far from over night, how long have you been in the industry and where have you been hiding all this time?
A:Im proud of all my projects in the past, from the Industrial days, to the Dutch days, having been signed to all the major labels in those genres don’t come easy, personal goals like Dirty Dutch music with Chuckie etc. all of it prepared me to move into the direction I wanted to be in, and im quite comfortable with it now, but who knows what might happen in the future. I’ve been in the industry since 2005 I would say actively releasing music and touring. I started DJ’ing at the age of 13 though.
Q:Who would you say has been your greatest influence as far as the music you produce?
A:I don’t have a definite artist or producer, many bands, many producers so let me name a couple quick
Burial
Tycho
Jon Hopkins
Niels Frahm
Vince Clarke
Q:Without stepping away from your incredible musical talent, you're also quite a well known actor in South Africa, do you ever see these 2 sides of your life meeting somewhere in the middle, and creating something entirely new and unexpected
A:That’s a good question, like Elvis and many other artists dabbling in acting I did the same, but they are completely different in my eyes, different processes, creatively. The thing I am busy with at the moment is scoring for film, I am currently working on a film which I am scoring for. I enjoy the music side more than the acting tbh.
Q:If you had to choose the top 10 most influential tracks of all time, what would they be for you personally?
A:Almost impossible to answer this for me, in no order off the top of my head I’d say
Brook Benton – Rainy night In Georgia
Thomas Newman – Hauntingly Beautiful
Deftones - Hexagram
Jon Hopkins – Open Eye Signal
Nils Frahm – Says
Sigur Ros – The Nothing Song
Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart
Underworld – Born Slippy
Radiohead – Pyramid Song
Moderat – Rusty Nails
Q:You currently do a lot of work for the incredibly respected “Discover Records”, as well as running your own label “Lostalgia” as a sub label to discover, do you consider finding new talent within this chosen genre essential towards the longevity of the scene?
A:Absolutely, its extremely important. Problem is, nothing stands out anymore, everything is a copy of a copy. VST sounding trance, of MIDI packs tweaked, and unoriginal, due to 5 engineers in the scene.
Q:Most embarrassing experience on stage?
A:Hitting the CUE button on the wrong deck. I hate doing that.
Q:Anyone who's ever seen one of your streaming studio session, would know that you work extremely fast and efficiently, are there ever days where you stick your finger into the inspiration jar, and there are only crumbs at the bottom, or do you work until inspiration hits?
A:I write for a lot of other artists, and that’s honestly when I try tip that jar as much as possible only to find nothing in it, then I still write, that’s when I can truthfully say I don’t enjoy writing music. I honestly need to stop doing it as it just closes my creative process off as well as an artist. Generally working on my own stuff however, I work when inspired, and stop when its done.
Q:What does the near and distant future hold for Andre Frauenstein?
A:Planes, hotels, clubs and amazing fast food.
