Biography

Junglist.
Samplist.
Passionate DJ.
Bassline-o-holic.
Avid music lover.
A breakbeat fanatic.
An artist whose breaks are “full of texture and character“ (Amon Tobin).

While living in the rather dark and cold North of Finland, Fanu got into breakbeat music in the mid-nineties when he was around 15 years old – soon after hearing some electronic music during the earlier years of the decade. Around that time, he also started experimenting with electronic music and sampling for the first time.

“I lived in a small countryside town, where I didn’t really have anything better to do. I was around 15 years old, and my friends exposed me to some early electronic stuff and I was blown away immediately. I recorded on cassette tape everything electronic I could hear on the radio. Soon I found myself trying to emulate the tracks I heard, sampling, layering and combining all kinds of different sounds.”

“Hearing breakbeats was so different. The flow of the rhythm was so different from all other types of music I had heard. Every time I heard a breakbeat, I felt blown away.
It always sounded so much better than the average four-to-the-floor beat I had been hearing until then. Today, I’m creating modern breakbeat music with aesthetics that come from those days,” he says. “More often than not, in the music that I write, there has to be some of that same breakbeat action that I used to hear because what blew me away when I was young was the breaks. The drums are the backbone for sure.”

“My biggest influences back in the day must’ve been all the experimental acts the nineties. In terms of ideas and soundscapes, I owe a great deal to Future Sound of London, Underworld, Source Direct, Photek, old Metalheaz crew, Dj Shadow, Dj Krust, Amon Tobin, to mention a few.”

“I know for sure that my surrounding environment – the dark, cold Finnish climate – had a huge impact on forming my musical creativity.
I always found a lot of inspiration in the dark and cold. I wouldn’t sound how I sound today if I hadn’t lived there.”

Fanu developed his own style of breakbeat music, which has definitely made an impact on drumbeat lovers worldwide.
His beats were even heard on Nine Inch Nails‘ “Year Zero Remixed” album, and Amon Tobin wanted some of Fanu’s rhythm magic on a Ninja Tune box set, calling it “full of texture and character”.
Fanu released music on several indie labels, after which he started his own label, Lightless Recordings to release the kind of breakbeat-driven music he’s passionate about: deep, dark atmospheres and strong rhythms.
You can check all past and future Fanu audio on the discography section of this site.

To close the circle, Fanu DJs and plays live to represent his love for the breakbeat to the fullest, bringing together breakbeat music of various genres and tempos.

“My main preference in old and modern day electronic music is the breaksy stuff, but style-wise I’ve never placed myself in any mould as a drum&bass DJ and I never will, as that’s one of the biggest mistakes a DJ can make in the long run. I like to keep the set varied: I play different styles and switch between the moods.
As for playing live, I love the freedom of being able to play whatever I want. And it’s 100% me, 100% Fanu, 100% breakbeat music. It’s a journey with different tempos and rhythms.
Whether I’m DJing or playing live, I think it’s important to keep the set lively. I’ve always found the unexpectable artists the best.”

Promoters can send a request for a live set mp3 by email, and lots of mixes can be found on the mixtape section of Fanu’s site.

Fanu had many 12″ releases, after which the first Fanu album, “DAYLIGHTLESS“, a heavy package of breakbeat music was released in July 2007 on Lightless in the form of a 2CD and a 3*12″ LP.

Early 2008 saw “LODGE“, a collaboration album: the result of the teamwork of Fanu, Bill Laswell, and a group of legendary jazz musicians, which was released all over Japan, Europe and USA.
July 2009 witnessed the release of Fanu’s second artist album, “HOMEFREE”, a 3*12” package of nine tracks of the trademark Fanu style breakbeat music.

The third album, “SERENDIPITY“, came out on October 31, 2011. It was soon after called by many as the most advanced Fanu album yet, and Resident Advisor’s review – which gave the album a generous 4/5 – agreed with the fans’ views.

Fanu just finished remixing Amon Tobin’s “Journeyman” for a special box set to be released on Ninja Tune in 2012.
He also recently remixed world-renowned artists such as Public Enemy, Ane Brun, and Animation, much to the fans’ surprise.
All-Fanu Mix Volume 7 just came out much to the great pleasure of many.
Fanu’s remix of DJ Shadow’s “Scale It Back”, as a part of remix competition, shot to the top position as soon as it was submitted and it was among the top remixes in terms of statistics.

Currently Fanu is working on a new dnb vinyl release that will see the light of the day on Lightless in 2012.
And, as if making music and playing gigs wasn’t enough, Fanu is starting his radioshow on January 20.

Programming breaks, sampling things, spreading the sound, playing shows, spreading the love for the breakbeat – that’s what’s happening!

 

In addition to the official site, you can also find Fanu on Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud, and Youtube.

Fanu is supported by Serato Scratch LIVE, Ableton Live, Ohm Force, Sonalksis, and Waldorf.