Creator Spotlight Series: Fourge
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
My name is Spencer (aka Fourge), I'm 20 and I live in Baltimore, Maryland. I've been producing just over 4 years at this point and I genuinely don't do anything else! I played piano for about 13 years and even though I don't actually play that much anymore, I certainly have an obsession with it in my songs.
What inspired you to start making music?
This is always a bit of a weird question. When I was in high school, my best friend at the time really, really wanted to show me this program called FL Studio. He knew I had a bit of a musical background, so he kept bugging me to try it out. He wouldn't stop bugging me day after day, week after week, even month after month. I kept using it (not really enjoying it at all) for about 3 months. It deeply annoyed me how I had no idea what I was doing. None of the knobs made sense in the synthesizers, I didn't understand what any of the effects did and it really just lead to never ending frustration...
Then one day, something just clicked. I was in the car staring out the window, and it’s like my interests completely changed. I stopped playing video games, stopped hanging out with friends as often, and I really just dove in head first and tried to learn (and understand) as much as I possibly could. I can't explain why that happened or why I suddenly wanted to do something I didn't enjoy at all from the start, but here I am doing the same thing 4+ years later.
Tell us about your approach to writing and production.
I tend to write a bunch of different styles of music, so it drastically changes depending on what I'm "feeling" in the moment. Not so much emotionally, but more how my mind is working in terms of musical ideas. Sometimes I'll only want to make ridiculous experimental tracks that are completely sound design and rhythm driven, and other times I'll want to make something that evokes emotion and has an immersive atmosphere. Usually, those more emotional songs involve little sound design (in comparison to the other style) and mostly work with the chords, harmonies, melodies, etc. I'll always start with a chord progression and develop the mood from the very beginning, and then try to create the main idea of the song. With any style, I tend to create the most active part of the song first and then build around it.
What programs, equipment and other tools do you use when producing?
I use Image-Line's FL Studio, though I also know how to use Ableton Live as well but I much prefer working in FL for its workflow. As for listening gear, I use Adam A77X studio monitors for speakers and I use Audeze's LCD-2 for headphones. Those are both really premium items, but I'm a bit obsessed with high end audio gear... RIP wallet.
I also have a fair amount of external equipment that I like to use in my songs or just to experiment with. I spend a lot of time just working sound design and experimenting, so these are really invaluable for that. I have a big analog/digital hybrid synthesizer called the Roland JD-XA, a very mini digital synth which is a Korg Microkorg XL, and a vintage piano synth (it was my dads) which is a Roland MKS-20. For pure sound design purposes, I have a Sherman Filterbank 2 which is a really nice distortion unit, as well as a modular synthesizer rig that I'm currently building. None of these things are necessary perhaps, but I greatly enjoy them and they are great tools when I'm in need of inspiration.
How has Clyp played a role in your production process?
Whenever I want to show a sound, a new song, or anything audio related to a friend, I use Clyp. Also, sometimes Clyp helps show what a song will sound like once played through a more compressed format. Oddly enough it's just the right amount of a difference to hear new things. A lot of the time when I upload songs to Clyp, I'll hear issues that I didn't hear while working on it in the project.
How does the feedback you get on Clyp influence your editing and creation process?
It certainly lets me know if I should be confident with my own ideas or not, especially if I'm doing something extra weird. A lot of the time I'll just experiment for my own curiosity's sake but it's always nice to get the approval of others too.
Who/what are your influences at the moment?
Surprisingly, I don't listen to music all that often! However, I really enjoy the ridiculous experimental tracks from Audeka, the retro and almost mourning tone of Lorn, and the ridiculous rhythms and sound design from the likes of Noisia, Emperor, Mefjus, and a bunch of other Drum & Bass artists. Even though I mostly listen to a bunch of intense songs, somehow mostly ambient and chill music comes out of my head... emphasis on mostly.
Can you share a Clyp you’re currently working on?
This is a song I made in a day with a local producer, it was actually our first time meeting in person! I think it needs some cleaning up but it's done for the most part.
Any tips or advice for other creators/producers/musicians?
Don’t be afraid to experiment! Learn the basics of your craft and then veer off from what you've learned. At least for me, this lead to me creating my own ways of doing things and making a bunch of sounds I literally haven't heard before. Even if you don't get a good result every time, you get more experience out of it and might learn what to do (or avoid) next time.
