Session Victim are Hauke Freer and Matthias Reiling, one of Germany’s most prolific house music production duos. Deeply rooted in vinyl culture, sampling, and DJing, the pair have built a wide-ranging catalogue that includes albums and EPs for labels such as Delusions of Grandeur, Late Night Tales / Night Time Stories, Rhythm Section, Retreat, Wolf Music, XK, Pen & Paper, and Permanent Vacation.
Photo credit: Finn Jones
Their body of work also includes remixes for artists including KiNK, Midnight Magic, Folamour, Khruangbin, John Beltran, and Felipe Gordon. Alongside their studio output, Session Victim have become known for a live show built around hands-on energy, bass guitar, and their self-described Two Man House Band spirit.
Following their three-part ‘Sidequests’ project, the duo now return with ‘The Disconnect’ EP on Rhythm Section, featuring collaborations with Kenneth Scott, Rossano Snel, and Quarion.
In this conversation, Matthias Reiling speaks about the release, collaboration, groove, creative instinct, and what comes next.
EG: Hi, guys! Welcome to EG. It’s a pleasure to have you here with us. How have things been lately, and where are you joining us from today?
Matthias Reiling: Thank you so much for having us! Things are good, the days are hot, and I am joining you from my living room, just between the DX100 and the SP404 at home.
EG: First of all, congratulations on the release of ‘The Disconnect’ EP. Coming off the back of the ambitious ‘Sidequests’ trilogy, you must be excited to share this new chapter. What has the initial response been like so far?
Matthias Reiling: Overly dope. A huge thank you goes out to all the colleagues and homies supporting the record right now! We feel blessed to be surrounded by impressive, inspiring musicians almost since we started, and especially lucky as many of them have been around us for most of our musical journey. The respect and support from these people is just invaluable.
EG: ‘The Disconnect’ features some collaborators, from Kenneth Scott to Rossano Snel and Quarion. What drew you toward bringing other voices into the project, and what did these artists bring to the music that perhaps surprised you?
Matthias Reiling: If you look at our records over the last few years, you will find that we’ve been into jamming with other musicians of all shades and kinds for a long time. This is especially noticeable on our most recent ‘Sidequests’ trilogy 3xLP, but it has been happening for much longer. The tracks that make up ‘The Disconnect’ just came together the way they are with no release in mind whatsoever. We basically sent a package with our newest jams to the RS crew, and they said: “Yup, let’s do these five together.”
It’s interesting, though, as Kenneth Scott, who we just started to work with, is the longtime homie and musical partner of Eo, who, for example, made the ‘Sidequests’ closer ‘Rain Or Shine’ with us, as well as other tunes before that, of course. Rossano Snel, we met for the first time around 14 years ago, when we went to São Paulo for the very first time, and Quarion was actually the one who introduced us. Sometimes it’s a really small world, and that is a beautiful thing.
EG: Funk, soul, jazz, broken beats, house… none of these elements ever feel forced. Looking back, what first shaped your musical identity, and how did the two of you discover that you shared a similar language?
Matthias Reiling: Musical identity shapers – whoa, that’s a lot of stuff over a long period of time. I will try to keep it super simple. The first record I can think of that really hit me, and that was somehow sequencer-produced, must have been ‘Black Sunday’, and I only really gave that a listen because I saw one of the Sick Of It All guys wearing a Cypress Hill shirt in some photo somewhere.
Our music language, hmm, I wanna say Omni Trio, Goldie, LTJ Bukem, K&D, Portishead… Oh, and of course the infamous Jimpster remix of The Irresistible Force’s ‘Nepalese Bliss’.
EG: This marks your 40th EP, which is an incredible milestone in itself. Has your relationship with making music changed over the years, or do you still chase ideas with the same excitement you had when you first started?
Matthias Reiling: 40 EPs, yeah, right, I thought the Rhythm Section PR person made that up and had to double-check on Discogs, and if you count the records a certain way, it actually adds up. It kind of means we can’t call ourselves newcomers anymore, right? Well, I am very grateful that we get the chance to release our music as constantly as we do, that is the closest thing to what I call living the dream. Thank you labels, thank you record stores, thank you wax collectors!
“Nothing feels fresh all the time, but we manage to find intersections of common interest and aesthetic satisfaction again and again”
EG: Your music often feels carefully crafted, but never overworked. How do you know when a track has reached its final form? Is there a feeling you’re chasing, or is it something more instinctive?
Matthias Reiling: Well, thank you, although I have to admit we occasionally reach that state of overthinking a tune and might have to step away from it for a while, or for good. Knowing when something is finished is a blessing, as music often never really is, is it? It does most certainly depend on the piece we are working on at that very moment. Sometimes it’s easy; sometimes it feels almost impossible.
EG: Across your catalog, there’s a sense that emotion matters just as much as groove. What role do memories, everyday experiences, and life outside of music play in shaping the records you make?
Matthias Reiling: It does not; groove is everything, and emotions usually just get in the way of what’s really important. Honestly, memories, everyday experiences, and general life make us what we are, and therefore have to be the driving energy behind all kinds of creative work. Trying to dive deeper into this will turn out 15% nerdy, 10% weird, and 75% boring for 808% of the people who read this, so let’s keep it at that.
EG: House music and club culture have changed dramatically over the years. What do you think artists coming up today struggle with the most, and what would you like to see more of in the scene?
Matthias Reiling: Changed dramatically, do you think so? If there’s one thing missing from my perspective, it’s originality and authenticity, says probably everybody at this point. For real though, those are the two things I want to see more of, plus a few more emotions, to be really honest with you.
EG: After so many years working together, what have you learned about collaboration? Is there something about your partnership that has kept the project feeling fresh all this time?
Matthias Reiling: Nothing feels fresh all the time, but we manage to find intersections of common interest and aesthetic satisfaction again and again, which builds energy and momentum between us and the music, in the studio just as much as on stage.
“Knowing when something is finished is a blessing”
EG: Finally, what’s next for Session Victim? Where can your fans catch you next, and what can they expect from the months ahead?
Matthias Reiling: More exciting releases for sure — we’ve been so focused on the actual studio work, though, that we pushed the planning of when and how to release to the back of the to-do list and, to be honest, have not been answering most of the label emails that came in at all. We will be out there playing, of course, looking forward to a quick trip to Colombia and Mexico in July. That’s exciting, as we have not been there for a while now.
EG: Thank you so much for your time. We wish you all the best with ‘The Disconnect’ EP and everything ahead. Take care!
Matthias Reiling: You too! Peace!
Session Victim’s ‘The Disconnect’ EP is set for release on July 3rd, 2026 via Rhythm Section. Pre-save your copy here.
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