Fonaatio

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Music
Interview : Hex from Fonaatio

When and how was your band created?
It was 3.9.2001 when we created our band. That was a dream that I wanted to make true since I was born. Rap was the thing that felt most real for me so we started simply with my, Heikki mäntylä´s, rap, Mikko Lahtinen´s bass and Mikko Koskela`s drumm´s. Layter we got Jukka Nisula to play the bass and Tatu Henttonen to play synths. at the same time Lahtinen moved to guitar.

Were is the name of the band coming from?
From dictionary... how ironic! We got the band working allright and we needed a name.
Fonaatio (=making sound) was a good name and we took it.

What musicians or artists did have a major influence in your work / life?
First rap that I owned was Hedpe and I still love the band. They have their own sound and that is someting I´m trying to atcieve in my music, my own sound. So I would have to say hedpe has the gratest influence to my work.

How could you qualify your style of music?
Music from the utmost limit of rap. There is a litle rapture influence in some of the songs and others are spiced with reggae or funk. Few of our song are slow and peacefully while some are fast and ruf.

What are stories/topics you tell/treat in your songs?
My lyrics has allways somekind of connection to my life. Some are easy to connect, others are not. When I´m writing a song I allways try to make it so that everyone can adapt oneself whit it.

What is your favorite song in your repertoire and why?
It depend´s of the day and the feeling. Our new song called "Hyvä Paha" (Good Bad) is now the first on my list cos it rocks!

Do you tour regularly? Do you actually prefer performing your music live or in a studio?
We make a gig now and then but nothing regual. Ofcourse studio recorded music sounds usualy little betre, but Playing music live beats everything.

During the process of making an album, what is the moment that you prefer?
Having my own great album in my own hands and thinking everything that it took to make the album. And the feeling you have when you get a great idea to a new song and you get it working.

A stupid question but... what is among all the songs you've been listening in your life the BEST song?
oh no... impossible to say just one best song. But to name a few:
Busta Rhymes, Method Man, Redman - Simon says (Remix)
Metallica - Master of puppets
Cypress Hill - Tequila sunrice
Hedpe - Tired of sleeping
2pac - california love
Wyclef Jean - Gone Till November

Internet is something interesting for musicians because it gives them the opportunity to touch a larger audience but it is also a threat for them (regarding the copyrights). What is your opinion regarding this medium?
Well, We have our own webpages at http:\\www.fonaatio.cjb.net and I like the idea that anyone can get to know to us from there. But at that point when someone sells our record downloaded from internet to his own proffits I´m beginning to be mad. That is why we have few song´s in our webpages that can be downloaded for free.

What are your actual and future projects?
We just recorded few song´s in a local studio and now we are trying to organisize a music-video to one of our new song´s. And gigs will be playd as allways, propably even more.
Interview by Vincent Lefrançois - 2003