Belgian synthwave producer Blastfighter recently released his latest album "Lethal Vengeance" via Bandcamp. An excellent album if you ask me and a new addition to an already beautiful track record. So time for an interview, to find out more about this southern neighbor.
Blastfighter, can you please introduce yourself?
I’m a fan of electronic music since I was about twelve years old. Listening to Jarre, Vangelis, Kraftwerk etc. In my later teens I discovered John Carpenter and Tangerine Dream. I had a band for a couple of years, but stopped after 2 years . After that it became very quiet for making music. I kept listening to electronic music, but also to jazz and soundtracks. And I watch too many movies sometimes.
When did you start making electronic music and how did you heard about synthwave?
I started to make music again about 5 years ago. I didn’t had a sound yet at that time. That changed after I started listening to some old records and after buying some cool reissues on vinyl from my favorite bands and discovering new bands. I started watching ´80s classic movies again and also slasher horrors (the best there is). I was paying attention to the music and sounds from that decade. That’s when I realized , this is it. So I started experimenting with these sounds. So I never heard of synthwave, until I was creating it.
The first song I did was Pink Nightmare. But I really enjoyed making Wasteland Escape. I remember watching the Bronx Warriors trilogy at that time.
Congratulations on your last album ¨Lethal Vengeance¨. Can you share with us your idea for this album?
Thank you. An idea is something that grows. You start with one song, two songs, etc...
Until there is a pattern. There must be a match between the songs. I made more songs than appear on the album, but they didn’t fit. So the idea for the album started to grow as a soundtrack in the end. It wasn’t my first intention, but after 4 songs, there it was.
I think the cover of this album is very cool. What can you tell us about this?
I met the Stemo Art on a filmfestival in Breda. I fell immediately in love with his style. The colors he uses, his ideas, he is a great guy. He knows what he’s doing. So one thing lead to an another. The titel of the album was actually inspired on the drawing.
What is your favorite song on ¨Lethal Vengeance¨?
That must be The Return Of Blastfighter. It’s something completely different in a way. It has that Philip Glass feel.
What equipment do you use in your studio?
I work with Ableton. I used some Arturia synths and my Waldorf Blofeld. I know it’s not analogue, but it sounds superb.
What other musicians do inspire you?
It depends. Sometimes it’s new wave or minimal synth. Giorgio Moroder of course, or Gary Numan. But it’s not always music that inspires me. Mostly it’s images and movies. Especially the Italian Exploitation films. Bad, but good.
How is the synthwave scene in Belgium?
I am not familiar with the scene in Belgium. But we have Neoslave and The NightStalker.
What are you further plans for this year, though life is not normal nowadays due to COVID-19?
Already working on the next album. Trying to avoid the news. But that is not easy.
What do you like most about the ´80s?
Everything :). Damn good movies. They don’t make em like that anymore. Watching those classics again, they’re still fun.
And finally, any last words to the synthwave community?
Keep listening to those vibes. Synthwave is not dead.
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Dank voor je bericht!