Frederic. on Why Precision Matters More Than Performance in the Booth

Frederic. had been on a steady climb for years, and lately it had started showing up in the places that matter for this lane. He had been active across Europe since 2017, and his recent run included repeat appearances on HÖR, plus appearances connected to Boiler Room, Teletech, and Blackworks, and he had also been booked at venues like Tresor and RSO in Berlin, Fold in London, Mondo Disko in Madrid, Razzmatazz in Barcelona, and Radion in Amsterdam. What I take from that run is consistency across very different rooms, and that only happens when a DJ can manage pacing, transitions, and tension without losing the floor. It also lines up with his production output, since his releases on Selected. and other Berlin imprints had kept sharpening the same priorities, and projects like Rather Be With You and Fainted marked a clear progression in how he balanced drive, melody, and space. The interview below added the personal context that made those results feel explainable, and it also clarified what he was doing differently now. He talked about teaching dance as a teenager and how that trained precision and rhythm awareness, then he described a structured week built around sleep and training so long sets stayed sustainable. He also spoke plainly about pressure and self-doubt, the mental reset he had in 2024, and the recent shift in which he stopped trying to satisfy other people’s expectations of his style and started digging deeper again, which made his current phase feel focused and forward-moving. Interview With Frederic. What parts of your life outside of music have ended up shaping your approach in the booth the most? A big part of my musical mindset goes back to my teenage years when I worked as a dance teacher. It shaped me more than people think, and it trained my sense of precision, rhythm, and technical awareness. When you teach people how to move, you become hyper-aware of what energy feels like, not only what it sounds like. That carried into how I build tension, release, and flow in a set. My parents also introduced me to music early. I always tell the story of going CD shopping with my dad when I was a kid, and those were my first digging sessions when I think about it. From there I started mixing young, earlier than I should have, and I was sneaking into local clubs, hanging around older DJs, and training at home until I ended up playing with them. I also had a few people around me who pulled me in the right direction, from within the scene and outside of it, like AnD and my good friend Henning Baer. Do you find inspiration in non-musical places, conversations, art, nature, travel? What sticks with you? I get inspired by my environment constantly. I live a bit outside the city next to a lake, and my studio window faces the water, and that calmness is essential for me. Touring can be chaotic and overwhelming, so being home gives me the mental space to breathe and reset. Travel also plays a huge role, because playing in different countries and meeting people from all over the world opens my perspective, and I always come back with something new even when I’m exhausted. Another big influence is Lola, my dog. Taking long walks with her forces me to slow down, step back, and detach from the noise. Some of my best ideas come from those walks. Has there ever been a moment where something outside the club shifted the way you DJ? Absolutely. DJing can feel competitive, and a lot of pressure comes from inside your own head. I used to overthink everything during shows, before shows, and after shows, and for a while I doubted if I was good enough or unique enough. Then I hit a mental reset and something clicked around my long-term goals, and I felt grounded again. That shift has influenced how I perform now, because I play freer, with more confidence, and with less fear of judgement. My entourage also played a big role. Having the right people around me, friends inside and outside the industry, helped me develop emotionally and musically. The conversations, the support, the honesty, all of that changed how I show up in the booth. Do you think DJs should actively seek out inspiration from outside the scene, or let it come naturally? I always say, the moment will come. Your skill comes from practice, your style comes from experience, and both need time. You can’t force inspiration, and you can create conditions for it. Go outside your bubble, listen to sets far from what you play, house, hip-hop, trance, ambient, and let that shape you. I learned a lot from hearing DJs who operate far from my lane. How does your daily rhythm or lifestyle affect the vibe you bring to your sets? My weekdays are structured. I sleep a lot, I go to bed early, I wake up early, and I work out almost every day. I had moments in the past where long sets exhausted me physically, so staying fit matters for longevity. That structure keeps me sane because weekends are the complete opposite, and discipline during the week lets me give full effor