Norwegian music producer FAKETHIAS unveiled his anticipated debut album, “Core Echo” – a sonic journey that blends sweet vocal melodies, driving guitars, and industrial textures. Known for his roots in noise, ambient, and experimental club music, with this album FAKETHIAS embarks on a new direction, crafting simple, warm songs enveloped in thick sonic weather.

In this interview, FAKETHIAS, also known as Mathias Humlen, reflects on his journey from hip-hop and metal to the experimental club scene. “Core Echo,” a fusion of signature production techniques and traditional songwriting, unfolds a world of contrasts. As FAKETHIAS explores alternative soundscapes, he shares insights into his creative process, embracing accidents and the emotional landscapes within “Core Echo.” Dive into the intriguing soundscape of FAKETHIAS, where beauty thrives amidst clashes of opposing ideas.

How did it all start for you, how did you find your love for electronic music and what inspired you to delve into the experimental club scene? 

I grew up listening to hip-hop and started making beats as a young teenager. I also played bass in a metal band for some time and made some bedroom indie tracks that I never shared with anyone. I feel like I’ve always been interested in electronic music, but the interest in club sounds came after I discovered the wave of producers and DJs experimenting with blending styles in the early 2010s. Arca’s mixtape “&&&&&” completely changed my understanding of sound in music, and sucked me into that whole world. 

How has your diverse musical background and experiences across different scenes influenced the evolution of your sound? 

I think feeling a need to connect a lot of different ideas naturally have led me to experimenting, and also developing my own sonic language that allows me to work with different forms and still have it sound very much like me.  

“Core Echo” is a combination of your signature production techniques and traditional songwriting. What did your creative process for the album look like, especially in finding the balance between these two elements? 

“Designing sounds is a big part of my process. I’m trying to make sounds that feel convincing – kind of like hyper-realistic CGI in film.”

The songs kind of wrote themselves, I spent a lot more time working out the sound. I was trying to find alternative ways of creating the walls of sound that I associate with rock music. Sometimes I would start with recording guitar parts and resampling them, other times I would play around with sampling noise and emulating distorted guitars. Designing sounds is a big part of my process. I’m trying to make sounds that feel convincing – kind of like hyper-realistic CGI in film.

Vetle Junker, who’s a producer and multi-instrumentalist, helped me finish up the tracks in his studio in Bergen. I wanted the songs to feel kind of as if they were played by a band, so we worked a lot on finding the right balance between the recorded instruments and the  designed sounds.

Whenever I approach some genre, I want to do it from my own perspective, which also reflects where I’m at. I’m not interested in making grunge like they did in the 90’s or whatever. I don’t see the point in that.

“Core Echo” is described as a world-building album with stark contrasts. Was there a specific narrative or emotion you aimed to convey? 

Yes and no. I had a lot of images in mind. I think it’s emotional music. The mood changes a lot. It should make you feel something. 

You mentioned being more inspired by accidents than anything else. How did that come into play in the making of “Core Echo”? 

“I generally like when the process of making music is exploratory. It’s more fun when you’re not fully in control and get surprised yourself.”

I make most of my sounds through sampling non-musical material that’s full of information, so I often get a lot of unexpected results. I generally like when the process of making music is exploratory. It’s more fun when you’re not fully in control and get surprised yourself.  

Looking beyond the release of your debut album, what other projects are you working on? 

The live shows!

Music video for “Navel”

photography SAM CLARKE