Fingalick Interview

On September 17th Loveless Records released the highly esteemed Foreplay EP worldwide. The incredibly talented Tomas Narkevičius has crafted a very distinct sound, combining elements of Post Dubstep, Juke, Deep House, and futuristic RnB all into one.

Here’s what he had to say about it:

Tell us a little about yourself, where you’re from, where you grew up:

I hail from the tiny, yet beautiful Lithuania in Europe. Spent most of my childhood hanging out with older kids, Legos and tape cassettes. Moved to UK a year ago, but came back and now enjoy every single minute in my new home.

When did you start producing music and how? Did you learn on your own or where you taught by your peers?

My first attempts to produce were in 2010, when I discovered an online music forum of Lithuanian hip hop beatmakers. Started posting my tracks there, got really useful feedback and met new wonderful people, who are with me up to this day. It was nu-jazz, beats and broken beat at that time, and as the music that I was listening to evolved, I moved to new fields. 99% of what I learned was by experimenting on my own, and because I am a musician by nature (a piano player and a vocalist), it was easier to write down my thoughts in the form of electronic music.

What do you use to produce? How long does it usually take you to put together a track? And what’s the process?

I start by thinking over the idea to the ground, experimenting with different harmonies on the piano and then try to transfer the idea to the software. Actually the process varies a lot, recently I discovered that best inspiration comes while traveling, my recent tracks were all produced on buses / trains / planes.

What got you into producing bass music?

The choice to start producing “bass music” was not something that I thought of, it just came naturally as I grew older – I do feel that this scene is for a more mature audience. The ideas behind this scene related to where I was and how I understood music, so the transfer was very natural.

What do you think about the current state of bass music and what it is today?

Bass music is very abstract and covers so much ground – from dance music to really deep headphone tracks. It is just music in general, just with a larger emphasis on some particular details which, ironically, do not matter so much in the end. I really think it is here to stay, or at least it will evolve into a deeper version, but as it had so much impact on electronic music in general, we will always feel the symptoms.

What are your influences, past and present?

In the beginning I was deeply inspired by the LA beats scene, as most of my fellow producers were. As I discovered new music scenes – garage, footwork etc, the view became broader and now I am mostly inspired by the sound, not by artists. I love to hear musicians who think alike and try something new. I do feel however, that the biggest inspiration for me is the human, I tend to dedicate tracks to particular individuals, when music comes from deep emotions.

Who are you favorite artists?

The main guy I follow right now is probably Jaw Jam. He has a really twisted mind when it comes to using vocals and harmonies and I feel his music with every cell in my brain. Fly Lo has once again proven that he’s a mastermind, and having in mind it’s only been a few years since I started producing after his breakthrough, he still sounds fresh and inspires me so much. I love everything Machinedrum puts out and was really lucky to play with the dude this summer. Oh, and Pharrell.

How long have you been dj’ing? What are some of your favorite shows you’ve played at and why?

This summer I performed in few of the most amazing places / gigs in my life. There was the Machinedrum gig in Estonia, I also played in an old barn in a tiny festival in Lithuania, but the cherry on top was a boat in the Outlook festival in Croatia. That was just unbelievable, playing in the Mediterranean to about a hundred people on a fucking boat. Thought of becoming a pirate.

How do you feel about your current release (the Foreplay EP), what were the factors that caused you to make it? It has a very loved up deep sound.

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