A thoroughly immersive, dystopian, even nightmarish exploration, Fionnlagh’s ‘What Came Before’ drops the listener into an unfolding flashback of another reality.

Soaring synths over dark, brooding sub tones crescendo in a style that already seems a unique hallmark of the artist, with an immediacy that is as transfixing as it is unsettling. A uniquely enthralling experience.

Born of previous shared experience as a guiding light in dark times, ‘What Came Before’ aims to go further than nostalgia, placing emphasis on the acknowledgement of history’s true nature. Accepting that for one to reminisce and truly reflect on the past, it will serve only to accentuate the present.

Akin to dystopian film scores such as ‘Blade Runner’, ‘Arrival’ and ‘Dune’, ‘What Came Before’ is visually represented by bleak, remote landscapes. Videos using vast, rugged rural footage have been produced by James Tyson (Tundra Tides), using live modular video manipulation. One will be minted as an NFT on Hic Et Nunc, and copies of a full length visual set will be recorded to VHS. 2022 will see remixes from the likes of Warmth, Logic Moon, Hilyard, Lauge, Austin Rockman and Seabuckthorn.

Would you like to talk a bit about your background?

Having a passion for electronic music as a kid – with my first love being (driven by growing up in London) drum and bass – I’ve had periods of producing electronic music since late teens. While also DJing, I released a small selection of techno/tech house/dance remixes and originals across a couple of aliases on labels including Ministry of Sound, Yoshitoshi Recordings, Embassy One, B1 Sony, Blaufield Music from 2011 onwards.

For a day job, I’ve worked in the music industry on the label/recordings side for around a decade in both London and Amsterdam.

The Fionnlagh project came about at the start of Corona where I’ve tried to combine various elements of ambient/drone, drum and bass/techno and cinematic soundtracks to create dark, emotive soundscapes with the hope that anyone who listens can connect to it in a meaningful way.

“To create a recorded representation of an intertwined past”

I spent endless mornings listening to ‘What Came Before’. It’s such an immersive experience. What did you have in mind when starting this project and to what degree are you satisfied with the result?

Haha, well thanks for all the early morning spins, pleased you enjoyed it! While writing there were many things in mind but the overarching theme being simply, as the title states, a focus on ‘What Came Before’; to try to create a recorded representation of an intertwined past. Satisfied knowing people are touched in some-way by the music absolutely, but I’ll let others judge if it’s any good and satisfied with the result.

<a href="https://ambientologist.bandcamp.com/album/what-came-before">What Came Before by Fionnlagh</a>

What’s the creative process for you?

I first search for one sound that feels right with the image in my head. From then on, I try not to think about anything but that and just follow the music so that what comes out is quite natural and not “looked for”. I tend to complete broad sections i.e. bass, textures/drones, melodies et cetera then add effects before moving onto automation and mixing. Everything’s then heavily processed in-particular with distortions, reverbs and delays in an effort to create depth, layers and a dystopian-like expansiveness. I wanted to try and create a strong sense of continuity throughout (especially for those listening to the full LP) so minor sections like textures and effects are re-introduced in slightly different ways across the album to sow it together. Where I felt it worked was to integrate a couple of the many samples and recordings I’ve collected over the years in subtle ways so most tracks have organic and unique elements.

The cover artwork perfectly captures the music. Did you spend a lot of time thinking what to use for the cover or was it spontaneously done?

It was the natural image to use for me. A photo of myself and a mate took years ago, I always loved the beautiful but desolate and naturally ominous scene it portrays. With a little editing it became what the album represented and fell into place with the music.

What can you tell us about your audio gear?

My external equipment list is minimalistic – Mac Pro, Adam monitors, Novation sound-card and Novation midi keyboard. In the box, Cubase/Ableton and I’m lucky to have an array of stunning synths, emulations and effects and they come with a million ways of tweaking them to create something bespoke. Few of my favourites being; Absynth, Trillion, CMI V, Prophet V3 and Waves H-Series.

If you would have to name a few records that inspired ‘What Came Before’, what would you say?

I couldn’t identify records specifically but incredible producers/composers, and elements of their music, from across the music spectrum have provided inspiration for the LP, from: Hans Zimmer, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Ludwig Goransson, Powlos and Warmth to Moderat, Stephan Bodzin, Kolsch, Tim Hecker, Robert Koch, Bad Company (UK), Stakka & Skynet, Ram Trilogy, Dillinja and plenty more.

With big thanks to label boss (Sam, at the pioneering Ambientologist Records), music wizard Alex Bitzke for mix pointer and Ian Hawgood at the mastering end.

Klemen Breznikar

Fionnlagh Instagram / Bandcamp
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