Press

AT THE END OF 2008, FRESKU PUBLISHED THE NUMBER OF LETTER TO KEES, ADDRESSED TO KEES DE KONING, WHICH PROVIDED HIM A CONTRACT WITH TOP NOTCH. HIS DEBUT ALBUM FRESKU WAS APPEARED IN 2010, WHICH FOLLOWED THE 2012 PLATE MASKERADE. BOTH ALBUMS WERE SELECTED BEST ALBUM AT THE STATE AWARDS. HIS THIRD ALBUM NEVER AGAIN (2015) WAS ALSO WIDELY APPRAISED. NOW FRESKU HAS GROWN INTO A CREATIVE CENTIPEDE: HE ACTS, HAS PLAYED SEVERAL SUCCESSFUL THEATER TOURS AS A CABARETIAN AND RUNS HIS OWN LABEL BARANKA. MUSIC MEANWHILE REMAINS THE BASE. HIS ALBUM WILL BE ON THE AIR IN 2021 (PART 1), AND A NEW PLATE WILL FOLLOW IN 2023. PRESS RELEASE– Fresku and Takumi join forces for unique collection Craftsmanship, dedication and generosity: these elements were found by rapper Fresku and the founders of the popular Takumi. Together with the Eindhoven branch of the ramen restaurant, the rapper will launch a unique, limited collection. 'For us, Takumi is a permanent base: my family and I start or end many days there, I have work appointments there, I simply love coming there,' Fresku says. 'I once recorded a video to thank my fans for coming to my shows so en masse, and then a lot of reactions were about Takumi Eindhoven. I realized: wow, we share that love for this place. From there the idea for a collaboration was born.' Soon several unique hoodies, T-shirts, posters, chopsticks, spoons, plates will appear - all with references to both Fresku and Takumi. Parts of Fresku's texts can also be found on some attributes, such as the classic sentence: must eat, must eat must. All merchandise, which will be made in limited edition, is designed by Takumi's namesake and co-founder Takumi Ogata, who worked closely with the rapper from Eindhoven. “I'm not only a fan of Takumi because of their food,” says Fresku, “but also because of the whole style of the restaurants. Ogata is a creative genius. I visited him in Düsseldorf and it was immediately on, we really found something in each other. Takumi designed, I thought along – it felt like when I click with a producer. And then I watched in admiration how he made so many details with one ordinary ballpoint pen, evoked so much accuracy. When Takumi draws wood, you want to touch it to see if it isn't real after all.' Takumi was founded in 2007 by Mr. Saeki and Mr. Ogata, who met in a restaurant kitchen in Amsterdam. 52 Takumi branches have now been established, spread across Europe, including one in Eindhoven. Saeki and Ogata express how pleased they are about working with Fresku. 'One of the things that appeals to us is that it is a spontaneous collaboration. This was not invented from above, but a result of enthusiasm: Fresku was very happy to visit one of our restaurants. And we recognize ourselves in the way he tries to address his fans personally. We also value loyal guests. And we both have the thought: everyone is welcome at our table, small, large, young, old, everything mixed together.' The unique collaboration fits the path that Fresku has taken in recent years, now that he runs his own label Baranka Music and therefore has full creative control over his work. 'I'm approaching forty and for the first time I really realize how much fun my career can be,' says Fresku. 'Things with merch have always been small and hobbyist anyway. Now it really has soul and bliss in it. That's why we don't just offer a shirt, but a whole package. Since I'm my own boss, that's really possible. It's about that love and the craft. It is also very much about the feeling and the care with which something is made.' The Fresku x Takumi collection will be released on September 29. This will be accompanied by an exclusive listening session of new Fresku work. More information about this soon? Or already? Recently, Fresku's new song Turn back in time LINK, a personal collaboration with Jennie Lena, was released. More single tracks will be released in the near future. Fresku's new album has already been completed and will be released this fall. Click here https://fresku.nl for more information about Fresku. More information about Takumi can be found here www.takumiramennoodles.com