F.O.O.L and Waveshaper have spent the last decade evolving into two of the most influential figures in the electronic music scene, especially regarding synthwave and cyberpunk-esque tracks. Now, they are poised to shake things up with their latest creation, “Encounter,” out on the prominent label of Monstercat Uncaged. This electrifying synthwave anthem is just the tip of the iceberg regarding their musical journeys.
Hailing from the European electro scene, F.O.O.L, aka Rasmus Hermansen, has undergone a remarkable transformation from bass music powerhouse to progressive, to finding his true calling as an innovative heavy electronic and synthwave artist. His unique fusion of bass, cinematic soundscapes, and cyberpunk aesthetics has captured the attention of fans worldwide.
Waveshaper, equally magnetic in electronic music, draws inspiration from ’80s and ’90s video game soundtracks. With a versatile and melodic approach, he is not just a standard producer but also composes for video games and films, creating immersive sonic experiences.
In this exclusive interview, F.O.O.L and Waveshaper open up about their musical origin stories, share insights into the world of synthwave, shed light on the intriguing crossover between gaming and music, and provide a behind-the-scenes look at the making of “Encounter.” Get ready to dive into the minds of these multi-talented trailblazers, where creativity knows no boundaries. Check out Magnetic Magazine’s interview with F.O.O.L and Waveshaper below.
Can you share the backstory of how your collaboration on “Encounter” came about and what made this track special to both of you?
F.O.O.L: I discovered Waveshaper back in 2015 after finding his album “Exploration 84” on Spotify and have been a fan of his music ever since. His diverse productions of the synthwave genre inspired me to create more of it, so he’s played a big role in me getting back into producing more synth-like stuff again.
Ever since I first heard of Waveshaper’s music, I have always wanted to collaborate with him. After talking about working together for some years, we have finally found the right idea and time to release one. I really enjoyed working on Encounter, because I feel it captures both of our sounds really well. It also just flows super well, so the process of producing has been easier than usual.
Waveshaper: I remember discovering F.O.O.L when he performed at one of Sweden’s biggest festival back in 2011. The sound and mix stuck out among others. Our roads crossed by some years ago and we started to discuss a collaboration since we shared the same inspiration and ideas. “Encounter” is a track that takes you on an immersive journey from the beginning to the end. I think the special thing is that we managed to combine our sounds and the dynamic between us worked instantly.
“Encounter” is undoubtedly an electrifying synthwave anthem. What elements or inspirations from the ’80s and ’90s soundtrack scene did you incorporate into the track?
F.O.O.L: Being born in 1992, I grew up with my parents, who were musicians themselves. My mother used to play the synthesizer and was a big fan of Kraftwerk, The Prodigy, Daft Punk, Depeche Mode, Yazoo and other pop, disco, and electronic artists who used a lot of that analog synth sound. She was also a metal-head and a fan of Metallica, while my father was a drummer who shared that same music taste.
Growing up with that sound, I have always had this subconscious inspiration from my youth that I have taken with me into my current sound. It was not until I was a teenager that I began to explore movies and soundtracks from the 80s such as The Terminator, Blade Runner, Alien, and Star Wars to name a few, where mainly the whole dystopian and futuristic atmosphere of the movies is the big inspiration and not necessarily the soundtrack itself.
I usually try to imagine certain scenes from these movies and how I would create an atmosphere or soundtrack out of that. Typically, there is a lot of action and intense moments involved in my imagination, which is probably where the sort of aggressive sound is coming from. I bring this inspiration into a lot of tracks, and “Encounter” is definitely one of them!
Waveshaper: There are always some prominent 80s and 90s elements from my side when composing music. In this particular track, I had some more bass-oriented dark stuff in my mind, like the chase scene from The Terminator. As for the end part of the track, I worked with an arpeggio that somewhat reminds you about a scene from Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange.
What production techniques did you use to construct the main bassline in “Encounter”? How were you able to transition smoothly into the different phases of the track?
F.O.O.L: The main arp-bass consists of a couple of layered basses made in Sylenth1 and u-he Diva that goes along with a separate sub layer that has the same fast-hitting decay level as the layered basses. Layering is a great way to get a more thick and interesting bass, but there is a lot of messing around with EQing. In the mid-section, there is an introduction of a new top-bass layer with cut-off filter automation, just to keep everything fresh and intriguing.
In my opinion, low and high-pass EQing and reverb plays an important role in smooth transitions. But another good way to be able to transition smoothly into different phases of a track is to try to include parts that the listener has already heard, yet have it layered in a completely new section. This technique can be heard a bunch throughout “Encounter.”
Waveshaper: The fun thing with this track is that it has different phases and one idea led to another when we started to compile things. For the second part of the track, I generated the bassline with an analog sequencer to gain some creativity that I normally do not get when I am stuck in front of a computer screen.
As two artists with unique musical journeys, how did your individual backgrounds and experiences contribute to the creative synergy in “Encounter”? How did you balance each other’s signature styles?
F.O.O.L: I think my background with making a bit harder stuff previously makes a great combination with Waveshaper’s beautiful melody, chord progressions, and synth work!
Waveshaper: F.O.O.L is a genius when it comes to mixing and achieving a very thick sound. I still don’t really know what’s behind his successful recipe here! Combining this very heavy mix with some pauses and captive chord progressions can result in a nice storytelling journey.
What role do cinematic soundscapes play in your music, and how do you aim to transport your listeners into futuristic and cyberpunk-inspired worlds?
F.O.O.L: It definitely plays a huge role for me. As I mentioned, I am always imagining my own type of cinematic scene from a dystopian and futuristic movie (or world) when I make music. The F.O.O.L character is the main protagonist, and my goal is usually for the listener to do the same (or imagining their own story). That is why I tend to do a lot of atmospheric intros, breaks, and outros with a dark-cyberpunk theme, and rarely use vocals in my music.
Waveshaper: A lot. Storytelling with music is a very rewarding creative process itself, and having a cinematic approach without the movie leaves it to the listener to picture their view. Both F.O.O.L and I are heavily inspired by soundtracks in general.
F.O.O.L, you have evolved from bass music, to progressive, to synthwave. How has this musical evolution shaped your identity as an artist, and what drew you to the synthwave genre?
F.O.O.L: Diversity has always been important to me when making music. Synthwave is a genre I have always loved. For years, it has been at the top of the list for me when it comes to my favorite genres (even before I started making music). I even made a synthwave EP called Visions early back in 2012. One of the tracks from the EP called “SaharA” gained some popularity and was featured in the movie The Guest.
I always tried including some of that synthwave sound in my earlier tracks. However, at one point in my career, I felt that most of my stuff sounded a little all over the place, and that I hadn’t figured out a real theme for the project yet, even though I have always had a pretty distinct sound. So back in 2018 I decided that I had to make a change and needed some sort of theme that is present in all my tracks while still keeping things diverse.
That is where the main focus of the synthwave and dark-synth sounds come in. Considering it has always been my favorite genre, it made sense for me to make that change. With a ton of experimentation by creating music from different kinds of genres in the electronic music world, it finally feels like I am producing the type of music I originally wanted to make when I created the project.
Your stage persona involves an iconic mask and a futuristic, cyberpunk aesthetic. How does this persona influence your music and live performances?
F.O.O.L: What I love about the mask is the ability to build a character that brings a whole new meaning to the music. I want the main focus to be on the music and the creative aspect of it, and not be too much about me as a person. I have never done music for fame, and it is nice to be sort of anonymous and be treated just as any other person would be treated when you are at events and such.
“Criminals” gained massive popularity in the gaming community. Could you tell us more about your personal thoughts on having your music featured in games like Rocket League?
F.O.O.L: It is really a dream come true for me. Gaming has always been a big interest in my life, and to hear your own music in such a globally-recognized game is hard to describe. Especially since one of my biggest goals was to be featured in games someday when I started to produce music. I just feel so grateful for the opportunity, and it’s still surreal whenever new sync requests like this come up. One day, I would love to create a video game soundtrack!
Having taken inspiration from film compilations and orchestral music. How do you weave these diverse influences into your synthwave productions?
F.O.O.L: In many of my tracks, I try to include an ambience with choirs, violins and orchestral percussion to build an orchestral atmosphere layered with my synth sound.
Waveshaper, you have been known to be a fan of retro video game soundtracks. How do you blend these into your music, and what role do nostalgia and gaming play in your creative process?
Waveshaper: I was very fascinated by video game music as a kid, and I used to just stand completely still in games like Mega Man II or any other game with fantastic music just to enjoy it. I remember even recording some mixtapes directly from the TV speakers to tape.
Nostalgia is of course a big identity factor, but being in this genre for 10 years, I am actually not really putting the nostalgic elements in the center. It is more like something that comes freely without over saturating it.
You have composed music for assorted media, including Netflix and Ubisoft. How does making music for different platforms differ from producing your original tracks? Are there any strategies you use for catering your music to fit a certain vibe or role?
Waveshaper: This varies quite a lot depending on the job but in these cases you mostly work with music directors and supervisors in order to produce based on the events needed. I require that steering as well, having more clear directives and directions can be necessary to not get too stuck in writer’s block.
With nine LPs under your belt, what keeps you motivated to continually create and explore new sonic territories within the synthwave genre?
Waveshaper: The important thing is to have different purposes or missions with your music. Maybe you work with a certain theme or with some certain synthesizers or equipment. Variation is critical to maintain creativity. Fun fact is that my most streamed track “66 MHz” just originated from a very niche idea about early 90s PC audio card sounds, and I did not think that so many listeners would enjoy that but myself. Fortunately, I was wrong.
What does your home studio setups look like, and do you have any favorite hardware or software that you rely on for your productions?
F.O.O.L: My home studio is honestly pretty basic. I have two pairs of Adam A7X monitors, a Komplete Audio 6 Audio Interface, and Audio-Technica ATH-M50x headphones. I do have two analog synthesizers though, which is the Prophet REV2-16 and Minilogue-xd that I use. For software, I have been using Sylenth1, u-he Diva, Serum, and Omnisphere for years now.
Waveshaper: To be honest, I have too much stuff, but I have collected vintage synthesizers for 20 years now. Go-to units include my Linndrum, ARP 2600, and Roland Jupiter-4. I probably mix around 50/50, hardware/software. As for software, I like NI FM8, U-he Repro-1, and Repro 5. Lately, I have also started to use Omnisphere and NI Arkhis which are great.
As artists deeply rooted in the synthwave genre, what are your opinions on this decade’s growth of synthwave so far, and its place in contemporary electronic music?
F.O.O.L: I remember when I heard Kavinsky’s “Nightcall” in the intro of one of my favorite movies, Drive, back in 2011. I immediately felt excited because I knew how much it would change that such a small genre (at the time), which I loved, got such a huge feature in a movie like that.
I did not expect that it would become as big as it is today, and how much it has changed the popularity of the genre. New movies and games are constantly coming out with a synthwave soundtrack. Even mainstream artists are taking a lot of inspiration from it. But it is only a positive thing in my opinion.
Waveshaper: For me, I am quite surprised how a niche genre has made such a big impact on pop-culture. We have seen a quite big 80s revival wave throughout various media. Another reflection is also that the underground genres like this have a strong presence on the Internet rather than mainstream music, which allows it to continue to be relevant. On the other side we also have acts like The Weekend that broke several streaming records with “Blinding Lights” which basically is a synthwave song.
In the realm of gaming music, what do you believe makes music truly immersive and impactful for gamers and game enthusiasts?
F.O.O.L: It is important that the music make sense with the overall theme for the game and that the producer has a good feel for what the game is about. Music is a major part of the overall experience while playing a game. A good example is Mick Gordon’s soundtrack for DOOM (2016). The heavy metal sound combined with distorted electronic elements just makes the game that much more immersive and brutal than what the game already is. Yet, if you are playing Skyrim battle music while watching DOOM gameplay, everything suddenly feels out of place and so much less interesting. No offense to Skyrim’s music of course, it is one of my favorite soundtracks from a game, but it would not work in a game like that.
Waveshaper: Instrumental electronic music has always been great for gaming. It is the dynamic phases and sounds that make it impactful.
F.O.O.L, “Encounter” marks the lead-up to your debut album, MACHINE. Can you give us a sneak peek into what listeners can expect from the album in terms of its sonic atmosphere, narrative, and visual themes?
F.O.O.L: There is going to be even more diversity genre-wise while still staying true to my new sound. I have worked super hard with trying to bring people into the F.O.O.L character’s futuristic-cyberpunk world by building a cinematic atmosphere into the tracks that takes you on a journey together with him.
There are some more exciting collabs in the album and I am really happy with how everything turned out. I cannot wait for you to hear it!
How do you see the fusion of cyberpunk themes and music evolving in the future, and what excites you about the direction this genre is taking?
F.O.O.L: What I love about the current increasing popularity of the cyberpunk theme and taking inspiration from it is that it brings such a new level of production into the synthwave genre and the ability to make it more unique. I feel like it is opening doors and taking steps into the future evolution of synthwave, and that is super exciting.
Waveshaper: It is great that people take different approaches to the genre. This makes it broad and long-lasting. In today’s music environment, you also need to be a bit unique in order to make an impact on others.
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