Meet Anna Brinckmann

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Anna Brinckmann. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Anna, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

I think overcoming imposter syndrome heavily relies on empathy. When you take a step back and notice the people around you, you start to realize that everyone is human and everyone has their own set of internal battles you’ll never see. Stepping outside of yourself is a good way to become comfortable with being your fullest self. There will always be someone more talented at a skill or better at qualities you lack, but I feel you will naturally attract people into your circle who like or relate to who you are and what you’re doing. At that point, worrying about what other people think about you will quickly become a big waste of time.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

Here is a little bit about me and what I do: I run an electronically inclusive record label called Quack Squawk Honk and I co-run an artist/dj collective called Qwerk and Quack. I also work for various other record labels in distribution and label management. I am also an artist and I release music under the alias “Artsychoke”.
I love my line of work because I find putting out art into the world extremely fulfilling. I love being someone that independent artists can lean on for that extra push to get their music out there.
I distribute music on my label around twice a month depending on how many tracks are on each release. I run the backend of my label on my own so I spend a lot of hours in front of my computer preparing releases, organizing and solidifying marketing plans. I put out music that I personally believe in. I am picky with my demos but I am always someone who enjoys coaching artists to get their tracks over the finish line and I will always put in the effort to market each artist the way they want their artistry to be seen and heard. My label discography ranges from: Tech House, Techno, Hardgroove, Breakbeats, Indie Dance and Left Field Bass. I pick demos by their originality and creativity, I like songs that are memorable, catchy or tell a story in their own way, genre is always secondary.
I work with a mastering engineer, Hume Audio. They help me with all the mastering at Quack Squawk Honk and they have been a loyal part of my community from day one.

Qwerk and Quack is where I throw events with my partners at Qwerk Records, Rodney Dinkles and Taylor Wooja. We recently raised over 4k for the California Fire Foundation with an online music festival we threw on Twitch. In the past we have also raised over 2k for the Center Of Safety And Change with a similar online festival to help victims of abuse and violence and support their family shelter. Our DJs are often artists from both of our separate labels as well as a few other DJ’s in various cities across the United States. Qwerk and Quack just threw our first in-person event in San Francisco, California with headliner Ashley Anngora. We plan to do more of these in different cities moving forward.
There are exciting music releases I am really looking forward to. One of my artists, L3NA who is also an important member of our collective, is releasing her first EP ever with me on Quack Squawk Honk. Her EP is called “Do My Own Stunts” and she has collaborators on this EP such as Rodney Dinkles and AIR APPARENT. The three track/multi-genre EP comes out on February 28th and I will be spending a lot of my time getting the word out about this project as every track on this EP has a different story to tell and a different energy. There is something in this EP for everyone.
As for my own personal music–I just had a release on Nala’s label imprint Mi Domina for the very first time. The track is called Yoko Ono and it is an indie dance track with my original vocals, production and lyrics. I love to make music in many different genres as I don’t ever stick to one label or put myself in one box. Another artist who I work with closely, Rodney Dinkles from Qwerk Records, is very similar to me in this way. To honor our multi-genre discographies as well as our genre inclusive labels, we put out a 4 track EP on Quack Squawk Honk that showcases 4 different genres we have been messing with. The EP is called “Fresh Cut Boi” and it also has a techno remix on there from L3NA. The release date of this EP is February 14th, 2025. The title track, Fresh Cut Boi, is a playful and high-energy Hard Dance anthem inspired by Tibby The Dawg, who truly embodies the essence of a ‘fresh cut boi.’ The track’s fun, lighthearted vibe is complemented by the cover art, which features Monkey, Rodney Dinkles’ dog, who is equally deserving of the title ‘fresh cut dapper boi.’

Something I have been doing on my label is releasing compilations called “Ducks Of The Week”. They are multi-genre compilations of tracks I think are inspiring, catchy or memorable. The name Ducks Of The Week came to life from an Instagram series where I paired pictures of ducks with songs and I said what I think the songs would look like if they were ducks. I have a playlist on Spotify called Ducks Of The Week that I update every Friday with songs I love that just came out. Now I use the term Ducks Of The Week to refer to all unique and creative tracks that come out every week and these compilations represent that same playful energy. The first Ducks Of The Week compilation just dropped on January 17th with 7 tracks from artists like: miido, DerteeDisco, Mimi Moss, Leroy Lemans, Holt 88, Gustavo Gazonato, HumungusFungus and myself. HumungusFungus had the honor of having the very first techno track on my label but most certainly not the last. I now have upcoming techno releases from L3NA, Rodney Dinkles, Ashley Anngora, OJ, Biata and more! The next Ducks Of The Week compilation should be out this June so if you’re interested in hearing the next collection of tracks, I will be notifying everyone about this release on my social media.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Three qualities that have been the most impactful for me have been patience, confidence and perseverance. The biggest one for me being perseverance as there is truly no need to give up on something you love just because obstacles jump in your path. There are always going to be hurdles no matter your line of work, but when something brings you joy and a sense of self, it is always going to be worth overcoming every single one of those battles that you thought were going to kill you. If you are early on in your journey, I think it’s important to continuously remind yourself why you’re doing what you’re doing, especially when times are tough. Having the patience to work through the hard stuff leads to brighter days and allows you to continue focusing on the passion that you love.

To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?

My parents let me be me.
They have always supported my passions and interests, especially since when they were growing up they were also musicians and worked in music. They gave me the space and the encouragement to do my thing and let me be who I am meant to be, which I am very lucky to have. They offer advice when I need it. My mother always offers to lend an ear listening to mixdowns and final masters and provides input when I am taking notes to better a project. My father is gifted with words and good business communication skills and he is a reliable source to proofread an important press release or advise on difficult business interactions. So needless to say, my parents have been extremely helpful to me and they have always encouraged me to keep going.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://quacksquawkhonk.komi.io
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quacksquawkhonk/ and https://www.instagram.com/artsychoke/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artsychokemusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKFGVB7QVouOwFFqZFnc1Mw
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/quacksquawkhonk and https://soundcloud.com/artsychokemusic
• Other: Qwerk and Quack IG: https://www.instagram.com/qwerkandquack/
  Qwerk and Quack Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/qwerkandquack
  Ducks Of The Week Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4aR4KCkgW1rKhh72WrrG9H?si=6e2dbd2cfc704e4c
  Ducks Of The Week Vol. 1 Compilation: https://hypeddit.com/variousartists/ducksoftheweekvol1
  Artsychoke Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6ZrHR85iyOOGeFvYLSilGe?si=i3eDPArKTrKxFsYcTIEMuQ
  Quack Squawk Honk Discography Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4gnejfvmNKSBphn6v6MKiQ?si=2845c0cb51e9460d

Image Credits

Devyn Breslin, Kenny Cordeiro