Interview with Henry Krinkle

Shanghai-based producer and DJ Henry Krinkle was kind enough to answer a few questions for us on the heels of his recent gig at U Street Music Hall. Read on to learn what has shaped the immensely talented young artist’s distinctive sound.

Can you tell us a bit about your background and growing up in Florida? What formative experiences encouraged you to become a producer?

I was born in Estonia. I spent my childhood in the back country of North Dakota. Music was always around me as a kid but I was more interested in playing video games or running around the woods. I spent my high school years in south Florida. I appreciate the experiences I’ve had.

I started playing bass guitar with a kid who played guitar. I made friends with him shortly after moving to Florida and we used to learn songs together and just muck about. It was from then on that I started to take music more seriously. A couple years later I found myself wanting to write my own songs but couldn’t really get a band together to do what I wanted. It was at this time I started to learn how to produce songs on a computer.

Did you approach production with the intention to create a “post-dubstep” sound or did you find that it came naturally when materializing your ideas?

At the time it came naturally because that’s what excited and interested me. I’ve made plenty of songs that no one will ever hear in many different styles.

Your moniker originally comes from the film Taxi Driver with Robert DeNiro. How did you come about choosing that name? How do you relate to the fictional Henry Krinkle (or Travis Bickle)?

I like the idea of using a fictional character’s alias. I happened to be watching the film around the time I was looking for a new musical identity. I heard the name and it stuck in my mind. I had just recently wiped the internet of a previous project I had been working on since high school. After a few months the name was still rolling around my head so I decided to make it something real. I have other projects/aliases but I don’t share them actively.

What prompted you to move to Shanghai? Was there anything you knew about Shanghai before moving that attracted you to the city?

Love. I didn’t know anything about the city.

Now that you’ve been living there for a bit, what are your thoughts on Shanghai and its music community?

Shanghai is an amazing city and I love it to death. The music community is very passionate and welcoming. I miss it.

How has living outside of the popular hubs for electronic music (such as London, Berlin, NYC etc.) influenced your experience as a producer?

I don’t know how my life would be different had I been living in one of the hubs. What I do know is that where I’ve grown up, there isn’t much of a community of or for electronic musicians. I probably should have been producing hip-hop or playing indie rock.

What’s coming up next for you in 2014? Any New Year’s resolutions?

I will be touring, making remixes, writing and releasing originals, relocating and building my first home studio. In short, a lot of hard work. I don’t do New Year’s resolutions.