INTERVIEW + PREMIERE: SF Fudge’s Ominous Ode To Self-Discovery ‘What You See’
Photo by Darcy Goss Media
Launching with a rich and raucous new single titled ‘What You See’ the alias of Meanjin/Brisbane-based bedroom producer Samuel Fudge is back and better than ever under his new pseudonym SF Fudge.
After the release of his debut single 'Fool Feeling' late last year, Fudge knuckled down and journeyed through a trickly tunnel of self-discovery which led him to a new found love for his craft. Reclaiming his roots within the electronic soundscape and finding inspiration from the music that influenced him from the start, he found himself more grounded and ready than ever to share his music with world.
'What You See' marks the beginning of a new era for SF Fudge, a deeper, darker and grittier electronic concoction of everything he has come to know and love. Set for release on November 24th, the track shows listeners a caliginous side to Fudge's production with an ambitious take on dark-pop electronica.
Potent vocals dip between radiant synths, chugging basslines and epic progressive house breakdown whilst an 808 inspired drum beat drives the track home. Fudge's talent for textured production becomes more prevalent and diverse with each release and 'What You See' is testament to just that.
You can listen to the exclusive premiere of ‘What You See' right now on Ungrained!
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+ We caught up with Samuel to chat all about his new release, name change and project transformation!
Hey Samuel how’s things been since we last spoke? What have you been up to?
Hey! I’ve been playing shows like crazy for a good portion of the year, its the busiest i’ve ever been but I have been loving it.
You’ve also hit us with a name change - SF Fudge. Can you tell us a bit about that
I’ve always wanted to be portrayed as a very upfront, nothing to hide, sort of artist which is why I went with my name Samuel Fudge at the start. But with every track I began to love the idea of also making this a project where I can also tap into production that was outside of me - hence the pitched down voice on What You See. So I met myself in the middle and abbreviated my first and middle name to make SF and then used my last name Fudge, and I’m also a big MF Doom and SG Lewis fan haha!
So SF Fudge is bringing us down a whole new soundscape for your project, how would you describe it in 4 words?
Dark, clubby, organic, textured
Now you’re premiering the first taste from SF Fudge tonight on Ungrained - What You See Ft. Autumn Del. Tell us about the track!
There were so many different versions of WYS made, some were fitting with what I was making last year and around the time I released Fool Feeling and others were a more clubbier, textured style. I’ve been heavily inspired by club music since the start but really fell back inlove with dj’ing this year after a love hate relationship - now consistently djing every weekend and seeing the way I can connect with a crowd has been really empowering and inspiring for me so I definitely explored that with this release and want to in future releases.
Can you talk us through your collaboration and creative process with Autumn Del?
We started this track together from the ground up and over a long time it was chopped and changed into the version you see now. We used to play it though in old BattleCat live shows and we always used it as a tester and would change it up each time based on how the crowd would respond to it.
What inspired you two when you were creating the dark and textured atmosphere that surrounds ‘What You See’?
This is a great question! That one scene in Blade where all the vampires are in the club is the honest answer, Will and I had tried conjuring up a world and a vibe before we actually wrote any of the lyrics or instruments. I’m also always trying to make music that can fit a specific colour that I see in my head so I tried to create this track around a mood board that I had set up with a specific shade of red which is what is used in press images and the single art etc.
Photo by Darcy Goss Media
You recorded the track in your bedroom studio, and produced it in a variety of environments - what does your ideal creative environment look like?
I make everything on the my laptop, I really love the freedom of being able to create wherever I am. But the ideal environment would be a open space with lots of greenery and a good view.
What do you love most about producing?
Being able to create a whole track from start to finish is such a empowering aspect to production. But collaboration is what I love the most and immersing myself in a project.
You mentioned that What You See marks the beginning of a new era for you - what do you hope this will entail and what are you most looking forward to?
I’ve been working on so much that doesn’t have any collaboraters and either has my voice or is using samples, But i’m just wanting to push myself further as an artist and step outside of my comfort zone.
The year is closing up fast but things don’t seem to be slowing down for you, what can fans expect from SF Fudge next year?
Lots more shows, finishing off the next slate of releases for next year but hopefully one more remix out by the end of the year.
Thanks so much for chatting with us! To wrap things up we’ve got some fun Meanjin based quick-fave Q’s for you:
‘What You See’ Ft. Autumn Del is out on all streaming platforms November 24th.
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