Interview
Since 2022, Matt Friedrich has been DJing, planning events, and producing music as Freddy M. Freddy’s dedication to the underground dance scene in Seattle has brought several outstanding international and domestic acts to local clubs and underground venues alike. Freddy’s style can range from dark minimal techno cuts to an eclectic fusion of funk and 80’s femme pop sounds, with the right tracks for any dance floor. In 2023, Freddy had 3 releases on the Between the Lines imprint, and he has a new single “Resquared” forthcoming on Chicago’s Aathee Records May 24th.
Tell us a bit about Between the Lines, the crew, and your involvement.
We started Between the Lines Collective back in 2022 after my closest friends and I graduated from UW, and we most recently picked up alexia.f as a member after meeting her along the way. We all love dance music, and wanted to throw parties that really embodied our favorite parts of the scene. Our crew’s taste definitely leans minimal house, but with 8 residents we have a lot of variety and a little something for everybody.
Over the past 2 years we’ve learned a lot about how we can create an amazing community of dancers and friends. The Seattle scene has been so great to us and we’re going to keep putting on quality events because we love to do it.
Do you have a favorite Between the Lines party to date?
Our warehouse shows were always the best. The space was perfect for what we wanted to do with the parties, and it really helped us develop our style and taste in terms of event planning. If I had to pick one, it would probably be the & Friends all nighter at the warehouse.
In recent memory, our party with Vitess at Kremwerk in April was awesome. It was really cool bringing some live electronic music to Seattle, especially all the way from France, and the crowd was amazing.
Besides Between the Lines, what are some other things that are exciting you about Seattle?
Too many to name them all! Data Club and Time Zone Kru are always throwing quality events, Makes Me Human has been booking some of the best names in the global underground, Restless Planet just launched their vinyl imprint with some heat from Adam Collins and Christine Benz, the list goes on. I’ve also been learning more about the Seattle jungle scene and Rhythm Section definitely has it locked down.
Outside of music, I’m pretty excited for summer in Seattle. Also I heard they’re building a second Space Needle.
Over the last year, give or take, you've become much more dedicated to producing. What's your production process like, and who/what are your influences?
Two of my favorite producers are J Dilla and The Alchemist. I grew up listening to them and still do for inspiration. J Dilla just has that unmistakable sauce to his drums that can’t be replicated. Matthew Herbert also really changed my view about what dance music can be. Some more recent influences of mine are Youandewan and Silat Beksi.
When I’m making music it’s usually pretty disorganized. I tend to have a lot of ideas and really only follow through on the best ones. I really enjoy spending time learning about modular synthesis. It doesn’t necessarily help me make club bangers but it’s very fun. Right now I have a couple analog synths but I’m looking to expand my studio with some sort of MIDI brain, I can definitely appreciate the process of a DAWless setup.
Can you talk about the inspiration and digging process for this mix?
This was really special for me because it was my first all vinyl mix. I’ve been building my record collection slowly but surely (shout out Selector Records and Derek Plaslaiko) and finally had enough to piece together a cohesive minimal set. There are some tracks in there I was really happy to get to play, and even more that I wasn’t able to fit in. I’ll definitely be incorporating more and more vinyl into my sets in the future.
For more from Freddy and Between the Lines, give them a follow: