We are happy to have the opportunity to interview the creator of Vidar, Fuimadane from Denmark.
SoM: Please introduce Fuimadane: Who are you, where do you come from and since when does Fuimadane exist ?
Jon: Hiii Björn and thank you so much for this opportunity!
My name is Jon Skarin, I live on a beautiful island called Amager, right next to Copenhagen in Denmark.
The “Fuimadane”-Project came to life in 2018 after several different attempts on finding my own sound and style. I started off as a Producer of electronic dance/trance music, but I always felt the need to add or combine them with medieval elements, sounds or themes. I really liked creating things this way, and Fuimadane was the result of those experiments. 😁
SoM: You have described your music in the past as Neo Folk, Folktronica & Medieval inspired Do you have strict rules, which elements from which genre are allowed in your music ?
Jon: While I use the genres Neo Folk & Folktronica to describe my style, I feel like the term folktronica describes a much more electronic style than what I am producing as Fuimadane. But since I blend Neo Folk, medieval and electronic elements, it still somewhat describes the style I make.
As for the rules, I do have my own rules or guidelines for the elements I will and will not use in my music. For example, the main instruments, percussions or choir must be as natural-sounding as possible, or carry the feel of being from the medieval era. But I also use electronic elements and draw inspiration from very basic arrangements common in electronic music. Nothing too complex, however. My last rule is to try and aim for tracks to be at least 3 minutes long, though I have broken my own rule with tracks that are shorter than that.
SoM: Is there a musical crossover you would like to do / or have thought about but not yet done ?
Jon: It might not be entirely Fuimadane-material, but I actually really love danish psychedelic rock from the 60’s and I often think about combining it with electronic style, with Lyrics and everything. I have some crazy ideas about it 😁 Maybe something to play with in the future.
SoM: What are your TOP 3 favorite instruments or effects (incl. virtual instruments)? and why?
Jon: For most of my instruments, I really love using Engine 2 and the Era collections by Eduardo Tarilonte. For my percussions I prefer to use the Danheim Instrument for Kontakt.
And my favorite EQ-Tool is Trackspacer from Wavesfactory. Those are the tools I tend to use the most in my tracks.
SoM: Which bands – today- influence your music the most?
Jon: Danheim, Munkörr, Rúnfell
SoM: I have seen that you have done collaborations with other artists, which artists would you like to work with if you could choose?
Jon: Same as above: Danheim, Munkörr, Rúnfell 😁
SoM: There are a lot of new upcoming musicians – especially in the “Dark Folk” / “Neo Folk” scene – Tagelharpa manufacturers are incredibly busy. What advice would you give an upcoming artist these days?
Jon: Keep doing what you do and believe in yourself. Nothing comes out “perfect” if you try it only once – persistence is the key. The Dark Folk, Neo Folk audience is growing bigger every day, it is amazing. Even now I keep getting comments on YouTube from people who only just stumbled across this genre of music, got pulled in and are here to stay. The old ways are coming back to life, so be sure to share your creations with like-minded groups of people on the different platforms.
Let the sound of your soul be heard.
Never give up.
SoM: In advance, we discussed that we want to talk also about something that is very important for you. If people follow you on social media, they know that you talk openly about your mental illness and how it affects you. In terms of music production and songwriting – how does your mental illness affect it?
Jon: While my Mental-Illness has always been a huge stone in my pocket, there is no denying that it has also got me to where I am now in life. Living with it every day can be challenging, but the love I get from my little family and the sound of music in my ears is better than any medicine to me. I could not live without my family, nor could I live without music. In the darkest times of my life, those things are what have kept me going. That is why I want to share my experiences with both on my social media. They made me cry, they made me smile. But making music gives me a unique way of expressing myself and working through my issues with my mental illnesses. 😁
Love, hate, anger, confusion, laughter – when words fail to communicate these emotions with my family, I express it through my music. Music is magic. Just like the love I get from my family. And the love and support from people who listen to my music.
SoM: With all this, including the accident you have talked about in the interview at ravenz craft arts – which from my point of view could be challenging for a musician – how do you keep yourself going? (And just let me add, this is very inspiring.)
Jon: I have learned to live with my hearing problem – though being deaf on the right ear and having a tinnitus can be challenging as a musician. In the first couple of years after the accident I could not enjoy music or too much noise at all. But I have gotten so used to it now that I don’t think about it too much anymore, and when I work on my PC with headphones, I just switch the sound of my headphones around to hear the right track on my left ear to get a sense for the stereo 😁 It has caused trouble before, when I forgot to change sides and some element were panned too hard to one side. Luckily I have a few people proofing the tracks for me before I release them! So now I have made it a rule to keep switching sides when I listen
SoM: This is the opportunity to share something with the world:
Jon: Trust in yourself and your ability, and keep on fighting. Never give up doing what you love.
We live in crazy times, and it can sometimes seem like things are hopeless. But there is always a light in the darkness, it might just manifest in a way we can’t immediately recognize as “light”. Keep on smiling and believe that the situation will change for the better. And remember to tell those people that hold your hand in those dark times that you love them. ❤️ I am very grateful for everyone who enjoys the music of Fuimadane, your love and support is what keeps me going.
And a special thank you too Kessi, who was one of the first to pushed me to keep on going with the Fuimadane project, and helped me grow it into what it is today.
Check out Fuimadane on: Bandcamp , Facebook and Instragram
And of course Spotify: