Ethan Le, the genius producer behind Freak E Beatz, started making music at the California State University of Fullerton. While in college, he developed his love for dance and electronic music, particularly with trance and progressive sounds.
He’s always been a go-getter and proves that when you work hard, anything is possible. Having massive success with big collaborations and being released on some of trance music’s most esteemed labels, there’s simply no stopping Ethan.
This year is set to be a big year for the producer and DJ, and we were lucky enough to sit down with him to talk about his story, goals, and experience with the Freak E Beatz project. Check out our interview below:
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EDM Maniac: Thanks for taking the time to speak with us! We’re excited to get to know you a bit more. For those that don’t know, tell us the origin story of Freak E Beatz.
Freak E Beatz: Growing up as a young teenager in San Gabriel Valley, I had always been amazed by electronic music, especially trance and progressive. One of my buddies gave me a free portable MP3 player. All the tracks uploaded were mainly trance music. I would thump music in class and lose focus in school. You know, that feeling where you just zone out to the music? I thought to myself how do producers make electronic music?
Fast forward to my college days at Cal State Fullerton, I purchased equipment and began messing around with it. There was a bunch of trial and error along the way but eventually, I got it down over time.
I originally thought about using my real name “Ethan Le” as my artist name, but thought to myself, “let’s do something different.” While I was DJing at private parties in my early days, I began using Freak E Beatz and everyone seemed to like it. The letter E is short for Ethan by the way.
EDM Maniac: You are a Vietnamese American in dance music culture bringing something to the table. Are you inspired by your heritage to create music? Has it had any impact on your success?
Freak E Beatz: In some ways, yes! While growing up in the late ’80s and early ’90s, both my parents were always around music. I remember my parents taking me to a few of their house parties where my mother would sing her heart out and my father playing the guitar. It was like karaoke night but with a live band.
They would always have a band gathering on many weekends and rage with Heineken/Budweiser, all while the kids would listen and scream “the music is too loud!” But it was dope now that I am reflecting back, my parents were pretty cool in my eyes. I think experiencing that has a positive impact on my drive and passion for music.
EDM Maniac: You have plenty of vocal-driven tracks that really make you just feel good. What role do you think vocals play in your music?
Freak E Beatz: I started to listen to trance music while in middle school and during that time, Trance was becoming more popular, especially in the San Gabriel Valley Asian communities. We would share our playlists with each other and battle each other to find new tunes.
I find vocal tracks tend to take you on a magical journey and especially when played live. That feeling when you are having so much fun at an event and do not want the night to end.
EDM Maniac: Markus Schulz recently played one of your tracks, and you have some upcoming releases on his label. How does it feel to be noticed by someone so iconic in Trance?
Freak E Beatz: I am excited to announce my first official release “The Journey” with Coldharbour Recordings and to be released on February 17 of this year. I was able to meet Markus Schulz in person and his team was very welcoming. It’s quite a milestone for me and especially since I’ve been a fan of Markus from early on.
EDM Maniac: Your track “Break the Ice” has nearly half a million plays on Spotify. What do you think makes this song so special to listeners?
Freak E Beatz: This track is very special to me. I did the collaboration with Dennis Sheperd and things just took off once it was released. We gained support from Andrew Rayel and Tritonal on their radio shows.
Our track was also featured on In Search of Sunrise 18. Man, I remember listening to In Search of Sunrise 1 as a teenager and to have our track feature on there is wild.
I want to give my kudos to Dennis by the way, he is an amazing producer to work with. I think the amazing vocals and the new era of eclectic sounds played an important role in attracting our listeners.
EDM Maniac: What are some of the challenges you have had to overcome, and how did you overcome them?
Freak E Beatz: I started producing quite a bit of music in college and after college. However, music production was on and off since life got super busy. Graduated from Cal State University of Fullerton and then went into the corporate world. After that, got married, started a family and I opened my own accounting and tax firm.
In between that, it was a struggle to find a balance to get back into producing music mode. I believe I overcome most of the challenges by having a supportive wife. When we were younger, she thought I was crazy with this music passion, but over time, she’s like “damn, this guy is serious. Okay I will support his passion.”
EDM Maniac: What do you think is some good advice that aspiring artists can benefit from?
Freak E Beatz: I would say never give up on your passion and keep going. You may have a few L’s along the way and record labels turning you down. Trust me, I have been there and that did not stop me. Find your unique sound and put it out there. Your audience and fans will eventually find you.
EDM Maniac: Finally, what are some of your goals this year as an artist? And where can we find you?
Freak E Beatz: My goal for 2023 is to release more tracks. I have a few in the pipeline and will announce them as we get closer to the release date.
Also, debut my music at local LA/OC clubs. I would love to spin at Avalon Hollywood, that would be my first choice. I always enjoy seeing other DJs perform there and plus, they upgraded the sound system recently, so you know, we can hear all the details of every track crisply! The bass hitting your chest and the high hats chirping in your ears.
Ethan’s got some exciting other projects in the works, including “The One” featuring ANVY which be released with Black Hole Recording this year. Additionally “Higher” with Dennis Sheperd featuring Sander Nijbroek is to be released with Ascent Recordings in July 2023.
You can find Freak E Beatz on Instagram, Spotify, SoundCloud, and other platforms with the @freakebeatz handle.
