Sinca is a Montreal-based artist with a deftly-crafted dance-floor sound, fusing hypnotic grooves, powerful baselines, and lush, uplifting synth-work. The fast-emerging DJ and Producer is a dedicated proponent of the city’s thriving underground, rising through the ranks to garner support from global tastemaker Anjunadeep. The London-based imprint delivered her debut release ‘Mancora’ in 2021 with strong support from mainstays James Grant and Jody Wisternoff.
Raised in the French capital of Canada to a Peruvian household, Sinca’s eclectic journey and upbringing have brought an inimitable flavor to her sound and an undeniable joy to her performances. As an avid Épicurienne and a former dancer of classical ballet and rhythmic flamenco, her creative exploits and inquisitive tastes inspire evolving sets that elevate the senses and offer a transcendent experience on the floor.
Sinca will be performing at EG’s 15-Year Anniversary during ADE Week alongside Patrice Bäumel, Brian Cid, and Borella. Save your spot by making a donation to Save The Children Ukraine here.
We caught up with Sinca ahead of her performance at EG’s 15-Year Anniversary to learn more about what’s in store for the evening, the drop of her ‘Another Way’ EP, views on the state of the scene, and more.
EG: Hi Gabriela! Welcome to EG. It’s a pleasure to have you here with us. Where are you based right now? How have you been?
Sinca: Thanks for having me! I’m currently based in lovely Montréal, but I’ve had the chance to travel quite a bit in the last year. I just finished my first tour in India, which was amazing. I had the opportunity to play in Goa, Hyderabad, and Delhi. It was an incredible experience! I also recently released my new EP, ‘Another Way’, on XYZ. It’s been great to see the positive reaction so far.
EG: First of all, thank you so much for being a part of our 15-year anniversary celebrations at The Duke Of Tokyo during ADE Week!
Sinca: Yes, can’t wait!
EG: How excited are you about this one? What can your fans expect from this performance?
Sinca: I’m really looking forward to it. I will for sure play some fresh tracks that I recently discovered, coupled with my latest releases and some secret projects I’m working on. One thing is for sure: it’s going to be a lot of fun!
EG: Any sets from that evening that you are particularly looking forward to?
Sinca: Yes, definitely! The line-up is great. Can’t wait to see the other artists: Patrice Bäumel, Brian Cid, Borella…
“I will for sure play some fresh tracks that I recently discovered, coupled with my latest releases and some secret projects”
EG: Will this be your first time in Amsterdam? What activities or spots would you recommend?
Sinca: The last time I was in Amsterdam was in 2017, for very different circumstances. It’s one of those cities that I can’t get enough of. I love the canals, the food, how bike-friendly it is, and of course the very welcoming people. Amsterdam Dance Event has always been on my bucket list of events to go and play at. I couldn’t ask for a better debut in the city. On the topic of food, I’m a big foodie and can’t wait to go back to a restaurant I discovered a couple of years ago called Café de Ceuvel. The food, but also the venue itself and the atmosphere make it such a unique place for dinner and drinks. It’s not in the touristy area, but 100% worth the detour.
Read EG’s Amsterdam Dance Event guide 2022 here: https://bit.ly/3fUVfsa
EG: You’ve had a sensational start as a producer with releases on Anjunadeep and When We Dip/XYZ. How long did it take you to feel comfortable with what you were releasing? What’s next on the production front?
Sinca: I feel very blessed for my production debut so far! I don’t think I’ll ever be completely comfortable with my music projects, as it’s a very vulnerable process when you think about it (and I’m definitely a perfectionist!). I mean, you spend hours trying to come up with a sound that resonates with your preferences, moods, and feelings and send it off to music labels that dictate whether it’s “good enough” to be signed and released. Love for music is so subjective and it’s a constant debate between what you truly want to put out and what you think the music industry is looking for right now.
From a practical standpoint, I did take some production classes in 2019, but I would say I’m mostly self-taught on Ableton with the help of my mentor, YouTube. I went down a rabbit hole and created a few projects that were never sent to labels until the pandemic hit, where I created my first “real” track, ‘Mancora’, which was signed on Anjunadeep. Something I never shared with anyone is that ‘Mancora’ was produced on my beat-up MacBook as I was moving from Airbnb to Airbnb, trying to figure out where to live due to the circumstances of the pandemic.
As a next step, I think feedback from other artists is very important as an external opinion allows you to take the necessary step back. When you produce a new track, you listen to it so many times that you can sometimes get somehow tired of it, so getting a fresh perspective can help to improve it but also sometimes reconfirm your initial love for the track. I do however think that it’s very important to stay true to your preferences as every artist (and human) is biased and will inevitably be more attracted to certain sounds. So, taking feedback with a grain of salt is important.
As for the next releases, you’ll definitely hear some new music in the coming months, and I can’t wait. The release process with labels can be lengthy, but I have a lot in the pipeline for 2023.
EG: Let’s take this back to your origins. Musically speaking, how was it growing up in Montréal in a Peruvian household?
Sinca: Music was always playing everywhere in the house and with my mother and sister, we would often break into salsa dancing as we’d be preparing “Aji De Gallina” in the kitchen (a typical Peruvian dish). Depending on which room of the house you’d step in, you could expect to hear either Latin, Classical, Rock, or even sometimes some Celine Dion music. Music has always been such a big part of our home. Also, I’m glad I grew up in Montréal, where we are home to so many music festivals and events.
EG: And when did you first come in contact with electronic music? What was it that first caught your attention about electronic music? Was there a record or show that pushed you down the rabbit hole?
Sinca: As most teens do, I went through many different phases but one of my earliest memories of listening to electronic music dates to when I was about 13 years old, listening to Tiesto and Daft Punk. Some years later, I was then sucked into the Dubstep rabbit hole at its inception and then pivoted to an EDM phase with the likes of Hardwell, AVICCI, Alesso, etc. As to how I transitioned to my love for Melodic House, it happened during my beginnings as a DJ as I found myself going out a lot more in Montreal: at Piknic Electronic, Salon Daomé, and Stereo for instance. I developed an appreciation for all the intricate details that this genre of music offers and started subconsciously piecing tracks together based on the mood of each song. I feel like the melodies of each track allow you to evoke a feeling that I don’t think is possible in all genres.
“I still notice an underlying layer of misogyny. I could give many examples but to give you a very simple one, I invite you to sift through social media groups and pages and notice the number of memes, jokes, and comments, that are probably intended to be harmless but don’t help the cause of equality”
EG: What are your thoughts on the current state of the scene? What would you like to see more and less of?
Sinca: This is a loaded question as there are so many avenues to take here, haha! I think it’s beautiful how accessible the music scene is thanks to technology and everything being digital. As I was hopping from Airbnb to Airbnb in the middle of the pandemic, access to a couple of hundred-dollar software has given me the opportunity to produce tracks and make a name for myself, which now allows me to travel the world doing what I love. Obviously, I am simplifying it, but it’s great how you don’t need to have a lot of upfront cost to “make it”.
Something else that I love is how tight-knitted and supportive the electronic music community is. A message of positivity and acceptance is often prioritized, and it’s definitely not present in all industries.
On the flip side, there are certain facets we can improve on, and the first one that comes to mind is surrounding the topic of equal opportunities for all genders. While we’re seeing more and more women & LGBTQ+ DJs on the scene, I still notice an underlying layer of misogyny. I could give many examples but to give you a very simple one, I invite you to sift through social media groups and pages and notice the number of memes, jokes, and comments, that are probably intended to be harmless but don’t help the cause of equality. It is evident that the transition will take time, but I’m hopeful that as more influential platforms bring awareness to this, we will be able to truly embody the values of positivity and acceptance that the electronic music community lives by.
EG: What’s next for Sinca? What particular milestones are you looking forward to now?
Sinca: I’ll spare you my bucket list, but I do hope that 2023 will be a year filled with new music, new venues, new cities, new projects, etc!
EG: Thank you so much for your time, Gabriela! We wish you all the best for the future. See you soon on the dancefloor!
Sinca: Thank you, see you at ADE! 🙂
Sinca will be performing at EG’s 15-Year Anniversary during ADE Week alongside Patrice Bäumel, Brian Cid, and Borella. Save your spot by making a donation to Save The Children Ukraine here.
Follow Sinca: SoundCloud | Instagram | Facebook | Spotify
