AFFKT talks 100 releases, signing music, and more

By Kyle Marno on December 13, 2021

European house talent AFFKT will surpass 100 releases on his Sincopat imprint this week, an impressive feat which very few labels come to realise in their lifetime.

With music coming from Armonica, Christian Nielsen, Teenage Mutants, and a long list of others, the label has grown to become a flagship provider of deep and tech-heavy underground club sounds.

We recently got to speak with AFFKT, where we asked him all about the momentous achievement of 100 releases, how he decides to release a track or not, where else he might be releasing his own music in the future, and more.

AFFKT! How are you? Tell our readers what you have been up to recently?

Hi guys, it’s nice to chat with you. The last few months have been very intense with gigs and travel.

After releasing my third album on Mobilee in the summer I have also been able to enjoy time in the studio to remix artists like GusGus and Oliver Koletzki, and to finish my next EP for Sincopat – which will be our 100th release.

As you just mentioned, you’re about to celebrate 100 releases on your Sincopat imprint, that must be a pretty surreal feeling?

Yes, it seems like only yesterday that we started, but it’s been almost 12 years since our first release.

We celebrate the 100th release in the original Sincopat series, but we also have the BeenTouched series with almost 70 releases, the UpSideDown, the Sincopat remixes, and the 4 albums we have released so far.

But we are definitely very happy with the road we have traveled, even if it has not been easy at times, getting here has been worth it.

The label has seen appearances from Armonica, Christian Nielsen, and Teenage Mutants in the past, who else might we see release on Sincopat in the coming months?

The truth is that the list of great artists that we have been lucky enough to release with on Sincopat is endless.

I think this 100th release will serve as a turning point in our history, a moment to look back but also look forward. The responsibility of the great musical baggage that the label already has requires us to ensure that the next thing that comes along really makes a difference.

For 2022 we are already working on some very interesting projects, the first one will be released next year with artists like Kapibara and Vhyce.

And what is your typical approach when it comes to signing new music?

The way we find artists is diverse, sometimes we are the ones who find them, though many times it’s the other way around. We also work with a very interesting platform for listening to demos, called Hello Demo.

It is difficult to explain the sound we are looking for on Sincopat, I think our main premise is to make music that excites us, over hype and styles.

We like to imagine how the music we release now will be perceived over the years, this leitmotiv of releasing timeless music has been important to us from the beginning, sometimes we achieve it more than others as it’s something that doesn’t depend on us alone.

Your own music has been released on Last Night On Earth, Needwant, and Mobilee Records, what other labels might we see you on soon?

As I said before, on December 17th, what is undoubtedly one of the most important releases of my career comes out, Sincopat 100, which is accompanied by masterful remixes by Biesmans and GusGus.

In February I have a new collaboration with Thomas Gandey coming out on Mia Mendi’s Hydera label, as well as several remixes.

After the work that went into the album on Mobilee, I find myself experimenting a lot in the studio, I have some projects that I’m finishing at the moment, that are due to be released in 2022, but I can’t comment much more for now, because it brings bad luck, haha.

When you finish a track, how do you decide if it should come on Sincopat or be released with another label?

Many times when I’m working on or have just finished a song, I already have the feeling that Sincopat is the label to release it on.

Over the years I’ve learned to be critical of myself when it comes to the music that I release on the label. Of course it’s important to get feedback from friends and your team, and above all, it’s important for me to test the music on the dancefloor, that’s definitely one of the things that gives me the most perspective.

On the other hand, in everything I put out on the label I try to get an idea of the EP as a whole, and that helps me to find the missing pieces of the puzzle. In a natural way, and as you finish the music, you feel what should and shouldn’t go out on Sincopat.

You also released an album this year – The Big Picture – is there any specific meaning behind the name?

Yes, of course, the album is a musical journey of pure optimism and good vibes. The title talks about seeing things in perspective and keeping the big picture in mind, even more so in the times we live in.

I hope the public perceives it this way, for me making this album has been a great experience, I would say almost therapeutic.

Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions, is there anything else you want to mention before we go?

My pleasure, yes, I would like to take this chance to say thank you.

The story of Sincopat could not have been written without the help and work of a great team behind the scenes, the artists who support our music, and without the people who dance and listen to our music, so thank you very much to everyone for making this real.

AFFKT – Plot EP drops December 17th on Sincopat.