Fushara has been a supporter of the zine since it's first issue way back in 2010. Last year sometime he sent me a batch of tracks which I thought were absolutely awesome (they still haven't been released - yet!). I noticed that there seemed to be a change in the music he made, it felt like it was more techno influenced. I've been listening out for his music since then, he released an album on Omni Music in November 2014 (http://omnimusic.bandcamp.com/album/the-ohm-series-fushara-test-one-lthe-ohm-series-fushara-test-one-lp). Once again the music very techno influenced and almost tribal. Recently I was lucky enough to check out his latest album 'A Wasteland of Memories'.
It's a masterpiece. I heard the music and I thought I had to definitely find out a bit more about the person behind the music……
Who are you? Tell me a bit about yourself, and describe yourself with 3 Youtube/Vevo videos.
I have done a rmx for the Metro & Justice album '839' which I was very happy with:
I have a brand new video for my forthcoming album created by some friends in the Ukraine who go by the name GODO, track is called Ghost Prologue and is one of the interludes from the album:
Since your teens, what 5 tracks have been influential to you on your musical path, and why?
1. Reprazent: 'Heroes'. First exposure to the musical side of DnB, I was inspired by the New Froms album.
2. John B: 'Starburst 1.1' off his debut 'Visions' album. This track inspired me to make music. The synth and tech step was great at the time when I was at school.
3. Prodigy: 'No Good' from 'Music for the Jilted Generation'. The nineties rave sound features heavily in my music!
4. Massive Attack: 'Unfinished Sympathy'. The vocal gets me every time, great track.
5. Vangelis: 'Rachel's Sound'. Anything from Vangelis gets my thumbs up. Inspired soundtrack to Bladerunner and space age atmospheres is what's its all about!
Your earlier tracks were very breakbeat driven, whereas some of things I've heard from you in the last year have had more 4/4 kicks in them. How did that come about?
Yeah as much as I have always been into Experimental DnB, I have moved away into other forms as I have been hearing some good techno and downtempo over the last year or so. Sigha's album on Hotflush recently caught my attention with his dark but emotive techno. Also, I have been getting into the dub sound with Shackleton. The sound I am working on is an interpretation of what im hearing in the dub and techno scene with my DnB background interlaced with it.
You've worked with a few record labels before, what was the impetus for starting your own?
I wanted to take my music a step further and be able to work under my own terms on my own time scale. It's good to have almost total control over your music. It has been hard work to get other people
involved and co-ordinating collaborations etc but it is rewarding. I don't plan on flooding out lots of stuff, I have a feeling that I will release an occasional special release with the emphasis on quality
rather than quantity.
You're record label is called 'Lone Foundation', what does that mean?
The name represents my feelings towards my experience of the music industry. I have had to learn the ropes on my own and everything I have done in music has been through my own motivation and self
learning and hence that's where the 'Lone' comes in. The foundation is the building blocks, so 'Lone Foundation'.
You've recently released an album on Omni Music, 'Test One'. What was that album about? And, does it have any relation to your new album, 'A Wasteland of Memories'?
The tracks for that album were all essentially experiments in preparation for this album, I was toying with changes of tempo and trying to work out how to use different drum machines instead of chopping breaks. I still have a lot to work out.
What is 'A Wasteland of Memories' about?
A deep one! Well over the last couple of years I have had to change a lot of things in my life and for a while my head was all over the place. I was disenchanted with music and did not feel the reward and
ambition that I used to have. I had lost contact with a lot of old friends and my job was getting tough and I saw very little point in that. The album is a representation of all the memories and emotions I
have experienced through that time. I have always been into concepts of robotics and urban decay, and expressed the album with those concepts in mind. Whereas other albums have been born from my current experience within an environment such as with 'Tales from a Concrete City', this album is more reflective and for that reason I reached out to old friends to help complete it.
What have you got planned for the rest of the year?
I want to spend the next few months promoting the album. Depending on sales I'm looking to set up a one year joint project with another artist to hopefully release next year on vinyl and cd format. I haven't approached them yet but I have a couple of people in mind!
On your latest album you've done a few collaborations. What made you want to do that, and what was it like working with them?
I wanted to collaborate with people I have worked with in the past, the focus of the project was to involve friends and people who had helped me in the past. I was really pleased with everyone who had
input into the project. I asked people to send small clips or samples and I used them to build complete tracks around. The great thing about being independant was total freedom to use the samples to create
something. This motivated me more than anything in the last year or so. I also involved friends from video and graphic media and I have given special thanks to them on the cd artwork.
Is there any music or films that you can recommend?
Books: 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep'. The book that inspired Bladerunner
http://lonefoundation.bandcamp.com
It's a masterpiece. I heard the music and I thought I had to definitely find out a bit more about the person behind the music……
Who are you? Tell me a bit about yourself, and describe yourself with 3 Youtube/Vevo videos.
Full name is Thushara Goonewardene, I was born in London, I got into DnB and electronic music after teenage years spent raving at local events etc.. I started DJing in school and at university got a regular slot on LifeFM under Paul Roast. There I started to meet all crew, I played along artists such as Data, Wilsh and Madcap, and met long term friends and Croydon based crew Lab Creation. Debut release was on Martsmans/Cycom Plainaudio Productions, however my first album was Tales from a Concrete City on Make:shift records.
Youtube video for one of title tracks ICU:
Since your teens, what 5 tracks have been influential to you on your musical path, and why?
1. Reprazent: 'Heroes'. First exposure to the musical side of DnB, I was inspired by the New Froms album.
2. John B: 'Starburst 1.1' off his debut 'Visions' album. This track inspired me to make music. The synth and tech step was great at the time when I was at school.
3. Prodigy: 'No Good' from 'Music for the Jilted Generation'. The nineties rave sound features heavily in my music!
4. Massive Attack: 'Unfinished Sympathy'. The vocal gets me every time, great track.
5. Vangelis: 'Rachel's Sound'. Anything from Vangelis gets my thumbs up. Inspired soundtrack to Bladerunner and space age atmospheres is what's its all about!
Your earlier tracks were very breakbeat driven, whereas some of things I've heard from you in the last year have had more 4/4 kicks in them. How did that come about?
Yeah as much as I have always been into Experimental DnB, I have moved away into other forms as I have been hearing some good techno and downtempo over the last year or so. Sigha's album on Hotflush recently caught my attention with his dark but emotive techno. Also, I have been getting into the dub sound with Shackleton. The sound I am working on is an interpretation of what im hearing in the dub and techno scene with my DnB background interlaced with it.
You've worked with a few record labels before, what was the impetus for starting your own?
I wanted to take my music a step further and be able to work under my own terms on my own time scale. It's good to have almost total control over your music. It has been hard work to get other people
involved and co-ordinating collaborations etc but it is rewarding. I don't plan on flooding out lots of stuff, I have a feeling that I will release an occasional special release with the emphasis on quality
rather than quantity.
You're record label is called 'Lone Foundation', what does that mean?
The name represents my feelings towards my experience of the music industry. I have had to learn the ropes on my own and everything I have done in music has been through my own motivation and self
learning and hence that's where the 'Lone' comes in. The foundation is the building blocks, so 'Lone Foundation'.
You've recently released an album on Omni Music, 'Test One'. What was that album about? And, does it have any relation to your new album, 'A Wasteland of Memories'?
The tracks for that album were all essentially experiments in preparation for this album, I was toying with changes of tempo and trying to work out how to use different drum machines instead of chopping breaks. I still have a lot to work out.
What is 'A Wasteland of Memories' about?
A deep one! Well over the last couple of years I have had to change a lot of things in my life and for a while my head was all over the place. I was disenchanted with music and did not feel the reward and
ambition that I used to have. I had lost contact with a lot of old friends and my job was getting tough and I saw very little point in that. The album is a representation of all the memories and emotions I
have experienced through that time. I have always been into concepts of robotics and urban decay, and expressed the album with those concepts in mind. Whereas other albums have been born from my current experience within an environment such as with 'Tales from a Concrete City', this album is more reflective and for that reason I reached out to old friends to help complete it.
What have you got planned for the rest of the year?
I want to spend the next few months promoting the album. Depending on sales I'm looking to set up a one year joint project with another artist to hopefully release next year on vinyl and cd format. I haven't approached them yet but I have a couple of people in mind!
On your latest album you've done a few collaborations. What made you want to do that, and what was it like working with them?
I wanted to collaborate with people I have worked with in the past, the focus of the project was to involve friends and people who had helped me in the past. I was really pleased with everyone who had
input into the project. I asked people to send small clips or samples and I used them to build complete tracks around. The great thing about being independant was total freedom to use the samples to create
something. This motivated me more than anything in the last year or so. I also involved friends from video and graphic media and I have given special thanks to them on the cd artwork.
Is there any music or films that you can recommend?
Books: 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep'. The book that inspired Bladerunner
Finally, is there anything you want to add or mention?
Special thanks to GODO the artists behind the visual work, Bear the Artist and Metro for layout and design and obviously a big shout out to all collaborators musically for the album.
http://lonefoundation.bandcamp.com
Comments
Post a Comment