INTRODUCING FENTOM: EXPLORING THE INTERSECTION OF MUSIC, CREATIVITY, AND COFFEE
Meet Fentom, a versatile musician whose journey through the realms of electronic music is as rich and diverse as the flavors of his favorite cup of coffee. In this interview, we delve into Fentom's background, creative process, influences, and upcoming projects, uncovering the unique blend of inspiration that fuels his music. Join us as we sip on the melodies of his musical journey and explore the perfect harmony between art, innovation, and a freshly brewed cup of coffee.
1. CAN YOU SHARE A BIT ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND AND WHAT DREW YOU TO PURSUE A CAREER IN MUSIC?
When I was about sixteen years old, I met my closest friend on a holiday job as a dishwasher. He took me to his home studio and explained bits about making weird electronic music and such. I was instantly drawn into it and slowly learned my way into Ableton Live. After a while, we started working together in a “one night – one track” workflow; we actually posted the track on Soundcloud the same night it was made, very productive and free. Years later, I met another close friend, and he started to give honest feedback on some of my solo tracks, saying, “if you bring this track down to 3.30 minutes, I want to press it on a 7-inch vinyl.” This was the point where I got hooked on releasing music on physical media like vinyl & cassette. I stopped dropping my tracks on Soundcloud for free and started working towards project goals and physical releases. The first release was the 7-inch under the name GOODCOOPERBADCOOPER (Fase / Bail Out The Banks | GOODCOOPER|BADCOOPER).
After that, I released music under my solo name, Fentom:
2019 | cassette "the ghost who walks" | beat tape | label: soundunbound recordings 2021 | vinyl "trichotillomania" | leftfield, idm, electronic | label: soundunbound recordings 2022 | cassette "residue" | ambient, soundscapes 2023 | vinyl "WHITE001 various artists" | electronic, leftfield | label: soundunbound recordings
And with the project called |grens| in which my friend I met when I was sixteen create and play live electronic music. We use hardware only, record 1 take jams without editing:
2021 | cassette "geen mens die op mij let" | leftfield, idm, electronic, hardware 2023 | vinyl “de verborgen kamer” | lofi, leftfield, electronic | label: enfant terrible / vrystaete
2. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE OR SOUND? ARE THERE ANY PARTICULAR THEMES OR INFLUENCES THAT INSPIRE YOUR WORK?
Fentom creates atmospheric, low-tempo electronic structures that nevertheless bang in your gut and leave you gasping for breath. Influences for his music are slasher movies, weird sci-fi stories, the darker side of life, his youth nightmares, and other weirdness. One other thing he really loves is grimy hip-hop beats with lofi anomalies, grit, and soul. Fentom always aims to release his music in a physical form. Besides releasing his music on cassette and vinyl, the process of creating soundscapes for art exhibitions and installations really inspires him.
As a DJ, he plays leftfield electronics, ambient, and experimental vinyl. He can really set the mood in the cool-down area during an intense party or event.
3. WHAT'S YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS LIKE WHEN WRITING OR COMPOSING MUSIC? DO YOU HAVE ANY RITUALS OR ROUTINES THAT HELP YOU GET INTO THE CREATIVE MINDSET?
There is one important thing, and that is starting the session with freshly ground coffee in a big mug. I love the big mugs because they don’t run out of coffee quickly and have a big handle :) I use a lot of weird guitar pedals with my synths and groove boxes so I usually start with some melody or sound, run that through some pedals, and start sampling that. If I start with these types of audio samples, I get inspired most of the time, and morphing and editing samples like that is a great joy and gives happy accidents too.
4. CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT A MEMORABLE MOMENT OR EXPERIENCE FROM YOUR MUSICAL JOURNEY SO FAR?
My companion in the |grens| project told me and inspired me to let go of perfection (I used to edit on small details for nights at times) and just record live jams in stereo tracks so that there’s little to no editing possible. After he told me this, we decided to book a small cabin in the east of the Netherlands, bring our gear, and set up a studio there. Once we arrived, we closed the curtains, isolated ourselves from the world, and started creating in one big flow. Create – practice a few rounds – record – track is done. This experience and workflow really helped my creativity, the having fun part, plus it gave space for so many more tracks and creation. We made both of our albums in that cabin, and we are planning to do more in the same way. It’s fun, it gives freedom of mind and creation, and it’s productive. Two albums in two weekends – let go and enjoy the ride, you know.
5. ARE THERE ANY ARTISTS OR BANDS THAT HAVE HAD A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON YOUR MUSIC OR SHAPED YOUR ARTISTIC VISION?
At the age of 12, I started listening to a lot of hip-hop, punk, and some psyched-out heavy stuff. Through the hip-hop came the beats, through the beats came the more electronic stuff, and thanks to people around me, the love for the weirder side of (electronic) music evolved. Artists like Amon Tobin, James Holden, Animistic Beliefs, Commodo, Konduku, Identified Patient, Zohar, Kreidler, Zombie Zombie, Two Lone Swordsmen, and Alberta Balsam really inspire me at the moment. Of course, there is more, but I can’t name them all.
6. WHAT'S NEXT FOR YOU IN TERMS OF UPCOMING PROJECTS OR RELEASES? ANY EXCITING PLANS ON THE HORIZON?
There’s a beat tape on cassette called: Anomaly coming soon; it wasn’t planned and just happened actually. The elections in the Netherlands were won by a far-right party, which brought up a lot of anger and emotion for me. That night, the Teenage Engineering EP-133 KO2 campaign dropped by on my screen, and I instantly clicked for an emotional purchase. Once the device arrived, I thought let’s make as many beats as possible and see what happens. While doing that, I remembered I also had an Elektron Syntakt lying around which did not get much use, so I decided to make a cassette release with side A: KO2 beats only and side B: Elektron Syntakt beats. A friend of mine who is also a graphic designer offered to make some artwork for the tape (he’s doing that as we speak), and after that, I’ll get it to de Bandjesfabriek for production. Again; one-take live recordings of some gritty and unstable weird beats.
7. LET'S SHIFT GEARS AND TALK ABOUT COFFEE! DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE BREWING METHOD, AND IF SO, WHY?
I have a coffee machine that grinds the beans into a filter; I like that because you can make big amounts of coffee and still get that fresh vibe. When I am visiting my |grens| companion, we always drink small but strong percolator coffee, which is great too!
8. IF YOUR MUSIC COULD BE REPRESENTED BY A SPECIFIC COFFEE BLEND OR FLAVOUR PROFILE, HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE IT?
Dark roasted, on the stronger side of the coffee spectrum, and intense.
9. MUSIC AND COFFEE OFTEN COMPLEMENT EACH OTHER. DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVOURITE SONGS OR ALBUMS THAT YOU ENJOY LISTENING TO WHILE SAVOURING A CUP OF COFFEE?
I discovered the album "Her Quiet Garden" by Teahouse Radio through the label that released |grens| too. I know it says Teahouse Radio, but it blends very nicely with a firm cup of coffee. The latest |grens| release, "de verborgen kamer," isn't bad for some coffee either.
10. FINALLY, WHAT'S YOUR IDEAL COFFEE AND MUSIC PAIRING? ARE THERE SPECIFIC SONGS OR ALBUMS THAT YOU THINK GO PARTICULARLY WELL WITH CERTAIN COFFEE FLAVOURS?
A cappuccino pairs well with ambient music or soft beats.
A mug à la Fentom pairs well with some banging hip-hop beats or dark electro.
A percolator à la |grens| pairs well with the up-tempo kick in the butt.
Some iced coffee for the hot summer days, in combination with some trip-hop, works fine for me!
WANT MORE? CHECK OUT FENTOM:
fentom bandcamp: https://fentom.bandcamp.com
|grens|bandcamp: https://grens.bandcamp.com
fentom sonar page: https://checksonar.nl/fentom
|grens| sonar page: https://checksonar.nl/grens