INTERVIEW: Samuel Fudge on his anthemic debut single 'Fool Feeling'
‘Fool Feeling' is the debut single for Brisbane-based producer and DJ Samuel Fudge, and what an extraordinary entrance it is.
Formally a member of the electronic outfit FIVŸ and currently a member of The BattleCat, Samuel has a heavy emphasis on collaboration with his solo work. With a sound similar to Hayden James, Flight Facilities, Disclosure, and Kaytranada, Samuel Fudge's influence of booming house music paired with delicate pop melodies are a fresh take on the genre.
His debut ‘Fool Feeling’ is an anthemic pop/house track suitable for club spaces paired with Jasmine Lunn's (JSLYN)pop-inspired vocals the track focuses on relatable lyrical themes of love, heartbreak, and what it means to find yourself post-relationship.
Written around vibrant synths and rolling basslines to match an up-tempo catchy chorus, it’s one of our favourite tracks to be coming out of 2021!
We caught up with Samuel to chat all about the debut!
Hi Samuel! Happy release day, how are we feeling!?
Samuel: Hello Darcy thank you so much. I’m feeling every emotion at the moment, I think at the moment we are ranging from terrified to ecstatic but ultimately there is a sense of relief knowing that this record that has been a long time coming is finally out.
First things first, for anyone that hasn’t delved into your music before – describe it to us in 4 words!
Samuel: Energetic, Collaborative, Groove, Electronic.
Now, today is a very exciting day, you have just released an anthemic debut single titled ‘Fool Feeling’! Talk to us a bit about that…
Samuel: I was able to work with one of my favourite people in the world Jasmine Lunn (JSLYN) on this track, we have made so many songs together whether it be under our old project FIVŸ or even just for uni.
I’ve always wanted to pursue my artistic vision with music and have always been heavily inspired by electronic music, so to me Fool Feeling perfectly encapsulates various styles and genres that inspired me to make music.
Can you take us through your song writing and recording process for this track?
Samuel: I spent quite a while trying to figure out what I wanted to say with my music, I felt like my first single needed to be fun/energetic. There were many moments during the process of making Fool Feeling where I had to take month-long breaks to give my ears a fresh perspective.
Fool Feeling started with that bass groove and the 4 to the floor kick. I knew as soon as I built around the bass and the kick that Jasmine would be the perfect vocalist for a track like this.
You also worked with former bandmate and long-time collaborator JSLYN on this track, how did that come about? (anecdote about that studio week you guys did!!!)
Samuel: Jasmine is a dream to work with first and foremost, getting into the studio and writing with her is seriously the best! She was about to move to Melbourne and I had been sitting on the instrumental for a few months.
So I booked out an entire weekend of studio time and showed her probably an EP’s worth of instrumentals. We wrote so much music but kept constantly coming back to Fool Feeling (at this point it was called Selfish Kind). We just loved how this track made us feel and the energy that it bought. Making music with her just feels natural.
What’s the meaning behind ‘Fool Feeling’ and what do you want listeners to take away from the release?
Samuel: Lyrically it’s about post-breakup antics, and finding confidence in yourself through that…. but as cheesy and as it sounds I like the idea of people listening to it to find their own meaning to the song.
I just hope this record brings people joy, there are still so many limitations on the local music scene so hopefully, it’s a reminder of those really good times where we could go to festivals and packed out venues because, at the end of the day, the song was made to be heard in those environments.
How does it feel to have your first song under Samuel Fudge out for the world to hear!?
Samuel: It feels AMAZING, I have always loved producing for other people and it’s something I’m going to continue to do for as long as I can but I knew I had something to say as an artist. So today feels like a big step in that direction.
Now what let’s talk about you, what got you into music and what artists do you draw inspiration from?
Samuel: I’ve been around music from as early as I can remember, but it wasn’t until I purchased Flume’s deluxe edition of his debut album which came with a lite version of Ableton Live plus and the stems to some of his tracks that made me fall in love with the idea of making music entirely on the laptop. The ability to compose an entire song wherever I was fascinated me.
From there my love of music just grew especially electronic music, I think I’m able to draw inspiration from any genre but it was artists like Daft Punk, Chemical Brothers and Disclosure that shaped my love for the genre.
What else can fans expect for the rest of the year? Could we be seeing more new music?
Samuel: We will see, I was actually looking at everything slated for release yesterday and we are probably sitting at around 8 songs nearing completion. But If people have seen any BattleCat shows over the year you would have definitely heard the next single, which should come out later this year or early next year.
besides from that I’m working on a killer live show that people will hopefully see very very soon.
Lastly, to support local, give a shout out to 3 other artists making their way through Queensland’s music scene that you love.
Samuel: Definitely got to give some love to Isabel Wood, Eloelo and the Erratas boys. All 3 artists have just dropped new music recently! But there is so much fantastic music coming out of the local scene so I feel very honoured to be a part of it.
Stream ‘Fool Feeling’