Feeling a bit under the weather? Missing some good old house music at live shows and music festivals? Well, have no fear as Dr. Fresch is here to provide the perfect electro and g-house remedy to get you off your feet and feeling alive with just a few of his contagious, yet electrifying beats. Whether he’s throwing down classics or unreleased gems at festivals such as Shambhala and this year’s highly anticipated EDC Las Vegas 2021, Dr. Fresch is definitely an OG in the game when it comes down to his utmost dedication to his craft while also having open arms to support and mentor many other artists.
When I think of the future of house music, Dr. Fresch comes to mind not only for his flawless ability to make one lose all control of their mind and body as they slowly transform into one with the music but also for his consistent drive to always bring out the best in himself which is definitely expressed in his production style. Working hard to launch his very own House Call Records and even landing a spot on Lost Lands 2021 to turn all those headbangers into groove machines, Dr. Fresch is clearly an unstoppable force in the music industry.
Proving that he has ‘The Answer’ whenever you are in doubt, Dr. Fresch has called upon the Glass Petals to craft an electro blog house vibe drenched with mystical and dark signatures. Prescribing us with the ultimate dose of vibrant frequencies and heavy undertones, a foolishly filthy bassline appears to keep us bumping all night long. As subtle vocal samples begin to become apparent, Dr. Fresch and Glass Petals are preparing us for a ride as the tempo rises alongside a shifting percussion to resemble these producer’s sonic adaptabilities. With the Glass Petals consisting of no other than Felix Cartal and Johnny Jover, an immediate whirlwind of distinctive and forward-thinking instrumentals draws listeners into only craving more to follow. A true blog house revival indeed, these talented producers have absolutely killed this collaboration in the best way possible.
Recognized for being transparent with his audience and always having a few surprises up his sleeves, we had the pleasure to catch up with the legend Dr. Fresch below.
You proved at the Fractal Forest stage during Shambhala that you are a natural to keep the crowd dancing all morning long. How would you describe a Dr. Fresch show for those who have not had a chance to experience one yet?
Thank you! Fractal Forest is one of my favorite stages in the world. I would describe a Dr. Fresch set as a journey through bass house and electro; rooted in modern tracks, but with old-school sensibilities. I aim to make every performance a journey through my current record box with occasional flashbacks to my formative years in dance music which was the late 2000’s electro and blog house. I describe my performance style as a rollercoaster; a daring journey with ridiculous twists and turns on the decks that always somehow stays on the tracks.
The pandemic showed me the true value of the dance music community and live events. I did not fully realize how much people, social interaction, and live music give me life. Sometime last summer, I came to terms with that realization and invested my time equally in the family as well as new projects.
Looking at the pandemic situation and its impacts around the world, how did it affect you as an artist?
The pandemic showed me the true value of the dance music community and live events. I did not fully realize how much people, social interaction, and live music give me life. Sometime last summer, I came to terms with that realization and invested my time equally in the family as well as new projects. Seeing that the road ahead was long, I knew the answer was to spend time with the people I love. I always needed new ideas to keep my right brain at work, so I got to plan the launch of House Call Records and launch my lo-fi hip hop side project, FRED THURST. Maintaining a healthy work-life balance was crucial, as well as creating new platforms. These things kept me content and optimistic.
What was your creative process like when you were making this seriously groovy bass-house collaboration known as ‘The Answer’ with Glass Petals?
‘The Answer’ was so fun to produce! When I sat down with Felix and Johnny, we knew that we needed to make a blog house revival. Since high school, I had been a fan of Felix Cartal and got to work on marketing his early records at Dim Mak when I interned there in 2010. I connected with Felix when I moved to Vancouver last Summer, and after hanging out a couple of times we knew that we had to sit down with Johnny and get to work. My friendship with Johnny and Felix arrived at the perfect time, as Felix had taken his career in a pop-dance direction the last decade, but had started the Glass Petals project with Johnny to in a way revive that lost side of Felix Cartal. When the three of us sat down, we knew we had to use classic synths with modern dance format and sonic approach. We jumped into using Felix’s analog synths right away, mostly The Prophet and Buchia but pairing them with modern drums and a contemporary arrangement. We found a random nonsensical background vocal, then recorded my voice for the drop vocals and the track came together. I hope DJ’s new and old alike appreciate this song. We really had a blast making it. It’s special!
I like to get to the club early enough to see the support acts. As long as travel permits, I think it is really important for headlining artists to do this. Each city has a different club dynamic that is constantly changing and I am genuinely interested in seeing the other artists play too, it’s fun to be a part of the night before you take the stage!
Always being fully transparent with your fan base when it comes down to your daily life, describe your pre-show ritual before hitting the stage.
It is important for me to maintain some kind of routine on the road. After sound-checking and connecting with the team at the venue, I like eating an earlier dinner, healthy and easy. Typically a chicken caesar salad or a chicken and rice meal. I then like to have 2 hours at the hotel after dinner, pre-show one hour to focus on going through new promos and rearrange and adapt my playlist for that specific show, and an hour to meditate and get ready after that. Sometimes I only meditate for 5 minutes, but every minute counts. Then, I like to get to the club early enough to see the support acts. As long as travel permits, I think it is really important for headlining artists to do this. Each city has a different club dynamic that is constantly changing and I am genuinely interested in seeing the other artists play too, it is fun to be a part of the night before you take the stage!
My recommendations to any artist starting a career in electronic music are to focus on creating and defining a unique musical style or “sound,” to build the identity for your brand from a visual and aesthetic standpoint, and to frequently release new music about every month regardless of whether you’re self-releasing or working with labels.
Congratulations on hitting over 1 million followers on Spotify, is there any advice you would give to producers looking to kick-start their music career?
Thank you so much! I am really proud of this milestone and have many awesome people to thank for bringing my music into their daily lives.
My recommendations to any artist starting a career in electronic music are to focus on creating and defining a unique musical style or “sound,” to build the identity for your brand from a visual and aesthetic standpoint, and to frequently release new music about every month regardless of whether you’re self-releasing or working with labels. If you do these three things consistently while networking with artists in your lane, promoters, and creatives in your local scene, and writers and other digital creatives, then you will establish a foundation for your artist career over time.
Are you able to share any upcoming plans or upcoming projects for the rest of 2021?
Of course! This Friday, I’m releasing a new midtempo electro song called ‘Armageddon’ on House Call Records (listen below). Next month, I’ll be rolling out the first compilation series on House Call, ‘Shot Callers Vol. 1,’ built around dancefloor records and maximal club energy. Later this fall, I will be releasing a handful of singles on House Call, MAYBE even some bigger projects too!
