2018 is a WRAP!
Dang, what a year!

Audio engineering kept me busy all year long. I’ve handled hundreds of songs this year.
Some mastered, some both mixed and mastered.
I can’t lie – it does feel good to have reached a position you’ve always wanted: to be a trusted engineer.
Client base is wide, ranging from literally all over Europe and US to Asia. Gaining ground in Finland, too.
This year was my top year business-wise and I worked with a lot of styles and genres ranging from bass music and hip hop to indie rock.
The only downside of this is that when you also want to be a very active music-maker, a job of this nature with all the constant customer service it brings (it’s def not just about messing with music) can sometimes make a dent on your own musical energy when all you do all day long is discuss and hone others’ music (note to self: need to finally establish a small revision fee to control the amount of revisions producers want, as that takes some serious time, and that’s often free time…may very slightly raise the rates, too, in order not to drown in work).
Still, can’t say I’m unhappy about the music done and released in 2018, because…

…as a musicmaker, 2018 was nothing short of BUSY.
There were 2 albums and 4 EPs released from myself in 2018 (is that enough?!).
Probably a personal record.
Kept it varied, too: hip hop, DNB, house, electronic stuff.
I’m very grateful for the worldwide support my music is getting.
And very happy to see that so many are still paying for it.
According to Spotify stats, the biggest listener age group for my bass music is 35–44-years olds, which explains a lot: this is the generation that learned to pay for music. For my hiphop, there’s a bit more more younger listeners for it than for bass music.
I see a lot of artists post their Spotify numbers (mine were great, too) but no-one talks about music or actual record sales. Lemme act differently and say I kicked off 2018 by selling 200 vinyl copies of my FatGyver LP. I’m still getting paid for music, and that’s dope. Think carefully about what arenas you want to promote.
Hitting a lifegoal of getting on Metalheadz and getting a phone call (and some all caps big ups emails) from Goldie was definitely one of the top musical moments of the year I won’t forget. Massive thanks to Ant TC1 and Tom at Headz for all their time and help, too.

Last but not least, I was real stoked to teach making electronic music to several people.
Half of them were private students, and the other half was assigned to me by two music colleges in Helsinki.
I also arranged several weekend workshops in my area.
Even had one student fly here all the way from Asia – twice! – just for my teachings. He’s since became a good friend.
Already getting intl. enquiries for 2019 (e.g., from Turkey).
(I *may* offer intl. tuition via apps such as Skype next year if time allows…I was supposed to do it this year, but had no time for that at all)

All in all…probably the busiest year ever. Probably worked on 300 days this year, or so, as an entrepreneur’s home office is always open, which works both for you and against you(r freetime).
Will now have 3 full weeks off – longest I’ve had for years! Notifications off, email holiday responder on.
100% not touching *any* work-related matters during that time.
(You can still contact me about work at fanusamurai@gmail.com during that time as always. Please DO NOT msg me asking for free services of any nature via Messenger or IG)

Time to chill and reflect – and work on some new music – for a while.

One thought is, I could do with way, way less notifications and online noise in 2019 to better focus on what matters.
I wish modern messaging apps had a “Are you requesting a free service?” dialog where clicking on “Yes” would cancel the message.
Could do with way, way, way less of people asking me constantly to help them with whatever music-related things – for free. It’s almost daily, literally.
That’s the downside of being nice and helpful: a LOT of people wanting a piece of your skills without offering anything in return. Of course no-one thinks their message is a biggie, but when I’m getting them all the time via channels where my potential clients hit you up, too, it’s heavy at times.
Think about this…when you ask for a pro to help you with something, it shouldn’t be a one-way street. A little beer money can help (or his actual full rate, if that is what you’re requesting).

Anyways, time to mellow down and get quiet for a sec and recharge and set visions for 2019.
Upwards and onwards! Thanks to each and every person who worked with me this year or supported my work and business.