All is well. “I’m grateful for how things are right now,” says the musician, who has his hands full at the moment but isn’t complaining about it. After all, he chose the path himself.
Those who know the music that the Upper Austrian serves up under the name FRINC know that there is a musical life besides Folkshilfe. FRINC as a band is older than Folkshilfe. But that’s just by the way.
There won’t be a whole album until next year, but with “Pamplona” Ritt is now releasing another FRINC piece in which he releases the “large High German part” in him and musically expresses his preference for hip hop and world music.
“During the Corona period, a few songs were created that I knew wouldn’t be cool if I had to change them so that they fit Folkshilfe. That’s why I wanted to give it a name and brought FRINC back to life,” says the musician in an interview with OÖN.
Two projects, one creator
As a songwriter, Florian Ritt has Folkshilfe and FRINC days. At the beginning of the year he was in Tenerife for six weeks and was very much into FRINC in the sense of kitesurfing and songwriting. That’s how he felt looking back. But in his own opinion, this question preoccupied him more than it does in reality.
“I discovered that Folkshilfe and FRINC were Florian Ritt. The person from whom all this content arises is me. It comes out authentic. I feel like I can be a lot more Folkshilfe through FRINC and a lot more FRINC through Folkshilfe because it makes me more holistic as a musician. In my heart it is equal.”
Back to “Pamplona”. It is a euphoric song that Ritt sees as having a positive connotation because “you can see yourself and your friends as the bulls of Pamplona, roaming through the city, partying and, symbolically speaking, skewering your bad mood.” On the other hand, for the Spain lover, the topic is very serious; bullfighting is nothing more than a ritualized murder. “Even if it’s a tradition, you don’t have to continue it,” says Florian Ritt, who found it exciting to take the bulls’ perspective in the song. “They are now taking revenge for all the suffering that was inflicted on them and are now moving from Pamplona to Barcelona.” It is important to have a clear opinion and attitude as a person and as a musician. This is also FRINC. Just like Folkshilfe.
The musician also wants to celebrate the moments of life with his songs. As much as people dance to FRINC’s music and tear down their huts at festivals, Florian Ritt doesn’t want to close himself off to what else is going on in the world, which inspires reflection and rethinking. “For me it’s not a contradiction,” he says.
The Upper Austrian describes FRINC as a mature project. “I’m not 16 anymore, I don’t want to be 16 anymore and I don’t want to sing about topics that I thought about when I was 16. I’m an adult now, I’m in my early 30s and in the best case scenario that’s how it should be reflected lyrically in my music.”
The feeling of having arrived
“I feel like I’ve arrived, both with Folkshilfe and with FRINC,” says Florian Ritt, describing his development like this. “I realize that I’m a musician, a musician, a songwriter, but also an entrepreneur, that I have a record company (daughter’s sons, note) with four other people. That’s good for me.”
At the same time, this also means being careful with time. So when will Florian Ritt find peace. You don’t have to wait long for the answer. “January, February, March.” He allows himself to be away from home for many weeks and to enjoy the “beautiful side of a musician’s life”, which he sees as creative work on songs. The calendar is then packed full for the rest of the year. There will not only be a lot of Folkshilfe concerts this year, but also appearances with FRINC at various festivals. Ritt will also showcase “his other side” musically at the Frequency in August in St. Pölten.
Author
Reinhold Gruber
Local editor Linz
Reinhold Gruber
