What inspired you to first start making music? And how did you come to be in your current incarnation? Or if you prefer, a brief bio about you.
When I was a kid, I truly adored the computer game music. It was fully synthetic and simple, but it instantly took me somewhere else. Game music composers such as Martin Galway, Rob Hubbard and Ben Daglish blew my little mind in thousand pieces with their rich, melodic compositions. Those guys were so limited sound-wise and yet their compositions were out of this world. And part of that magic was this simple SID-synthesis, a sound which was created inside this little crappy computer. Of course back then, it was the best thing that the boy could ever dream.
My first touch in making electronic music was around ’86 when I got my hands on Commodore 64. It had a simple sound editor and I started hitting notes in. Back then I learnt my very minimalistic way of composing, which hasn’t changed much: What’s the dialogue and interaction between the bass and the lead melody, that is where I start. Then, how the chords alter the overall mood. Finally, how do the rhythmics carry and wrap it all up.
I haven’t been doing music all my life though. There has been long periods, when I haven’t done any music. Ferus Melek was born precisely two years ago, when I ended my musical silence which had lasted a decade. I took my modest gear to the countryside and isolated myself in the cabin for a week. I came back with three very strange songs, and that’s about it.
Provide us with some info about your latest release…
My latest release is ’Superstealth Rebellion’ which is turbocharged with the energy and the melody, the two main ingredients of my music. The obvious theme is the society of surveillance, how everyone of us is so meticulously under a constant measuring and monitoring for the sake of security and multinational economics. But there are some, who are not willing to play along.
Which ones would you consider your main influences both music-wise & non-music-wise?
My biggest musical influences are mainly game music and film soundtrack composers from the past decades. Non-musical sources of inspiration include such entities as people, nature, stars upon us, 80s horror movies (both italian and american), sci-fi and fantasy.
In what way does your sound differ from the rest genre-related artists/bands and why should we listen to your music? In other words, how would you describe your sound?
My genre is synthwave, which means that my music has some retro elements in it. How much, that varies from song to song. Besides that retro flavor, my production is rather modern compared to some iconic names of the genre. When it comes to actual songwriting, I think I have my own unique style of building melodies. My music isn’t happy, but its not that sad or dark either. I prefer all the feelings between those two. Some describe my music epic, and that ain’t wrong.
Please name your 3 desert islands albums, movies & books…
This is always tough…I wouldn’t take anything very recent, that’s for sure. Albums would be John Carpenter’s ’Anthology: Movie Themes 1974–1998’, Nik Kershaw’s ’The Riddle’ and Ultravox’s ’Vienna’. But that’s only today, ask tomorrow and you’ll get something different. Movies…Lets pack John Carpenter’s ’Halloween (1978)’, ’The Empire Strikes Back’ and Sergio Leone’s ’Once Upon a Time in the West’. I don’t read much fiction nowadays, but Tolkien’s ’The Lord of the Rings’, Orwell’s ’1984’ and ’The Post Office’ by Charles Bukowski.
Do you prefer studio or performing live and why?
Studio at the moment but I cannot do any comparison, because I haven’t done any gigs yet as Ferus Melek. I would love to, but putting up a live set feels too much at the moment when there is so much going on in my life. On the other hand, nobody has asked yet.
Is there any funny-unique story you would like to share with us, always in relation to your music ‘career’?
Sorry, but I don’t have any funny stories because this has been so serious from the day one. I am a serious man with a serious business. Well, there is one thing but it’s not that funny: a very few of my closest friends or even family members know, that I am doing music. Maybe I should tell them?
Which track of your own would you point out as the most unique and why?
Artists usually point out their latest release and for the good reason, but my most well-received and most played track is ’Octoparis’. I guess it has a unique feeling in it, not really sure how to describe it – check it out to find out! But they are all unique, there are only 2-3 songs in my backlog of which I cannot much listen today. Not that they are that bad as compositions, but production-wise they could’ve been so much better. I won’t tell you the titles, sorry. You just have to listen ’em all…
Would you like to share with our readers your future plans?
Sure, I have no (big) secrets. After three EPs I am now working on my first full-length album. I have about 5 songs almost ready to go and still looking for a 3-4 ideas to be developed into a song. I’m also looking for a record company to help me out with this, because things have to be done better than ever and I really need some help with the final steps of production and promotion. It would be also nice to have a physical release done. My personal schedule for the release is spring 2019. And maybe after that, who knows, I will take some time for a live-set planning.
Free question!!! (Ask yourself a question) you wish to answer and haven’t been given the opportunity…
How do you feel about remixes?
Multiple contradicting feelings really, but have to be honest with you: 99% of them are pointless to release. On the other hand, if someone would remix my music, I would be most flattered. It’s a good way to learn new things, to travel away from your comfort zone and if you are remixing someone more famous, to get noticed. So I totally get it why producers are doing them.
One guy once wanted to remix my music, but never did. I´ve done two remixes in my life and I did them not because I loved the original songs, but because I liked the original composers. Nowadays I just politely decline, if someone asks. Remixes, remakes, reboots…there are too much of them floating around. If anything starts with the prefix ’re’, I probably hate it without even giving it a chance. I know what you are thinking now, most narrow-minded indeed. But I value the original ideas so much. It’s like diving in the bottom of the sea and opening all those seashells and only few of them have pearls inside. It would be so much easier to find the pearls without all those empty shells. Yes, there is something seriously wrong with my programming.
Curated by: Christos Doukakis
Recommended listening:
Connect with Ferus Melek:
Spotify: https://play.spotify.com/artist/0lixXBzjyw24C4yrzzccGj
BandCamp: https://ferusmelek.bandcamp.com/
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/ferusmelek
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ferusmelek/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FerusMelek