TFword in Conversation With Viewfinder
The Brighton-based producer spoke about his latest release on WOWVE Records, his journey so far and his plans for 2024.
The Brighton-based producer spoke about his latest release on WOWVE Records, his journey so far and his plans for 2024.
Taking inspiration from pioneers such as RAM Trilogy and Krust and incorporating inspirations into his distinct style of production, Viewfinder is a name that has only witnessed an upward trajectory since his debut in June 2023, thanks to his music.
After releasing a series of singles, Viewfinder’s debut EP on WOWWE Records was the culmination of a lifelong passion for the genre that began at his formative age and continued to inspire him to compose music. Viewfinder’s self-titled EP landed on WOWWE Records at the tail end of last year in December 2023, and after a full listen, it feels like it’s an expedition into Viewfinder’s signature sound that he is steadily pushing to the world.
As he starts his new year with a single on WOWWE, we sat down for a chat with him about his debut EP, how he landed on his formative sound, plans for the year, and lots more.
TFword: You rounded off 2023 with a smashing EP. How have the past twelve months been for you?
VIEWFINDER: It’s been great, to be honest. Being supported by a label and a good friend of mine who is hugely supportive of my music really pushed me and has prevented me from procrastinating on tunes, which I have always been terrible at doing. Being able to have my music out there after years of producing feels good. I’m looking forward to what lies ahead.
TF: We’ve read about your sonic influences coming from the likes of Krust and RAM Trilogy, and they seem to be infused so beautifully into the EP. Talk us through your experience while writing the EP.
VIEWFINDER: I never wrote the EP with those artists I was particularly influenced by; however, I think as a producer, it’s a progression to naturally take inspiration from artists you love and have listened to in a natural way. I never tried to sound like them; I just did “me,” and its cool if people can hear those influences in my music.
TF: We love how the EP flows from the first kick to its final one. How would you like to describe the progression of the EP.
VIEWFINDER: The EP was actually a combination of projects I started a long time ago and fairly recent ones—gradually added here and there and changed them up a bit here and there—and then once I went back, I found the ones I was feeling the most. I wanted the ep to just be a sort of intro to Viewfinder, showcasing the variation and diversity in enjoying so much about drum and bass culminating all the styles and sounds I love. I never want to pigeonhole myself into one specific style of DnB. I like that door firmly open, as I appreciate the vastness of style in the music.
TF: How long was the EP in the works?
VIEWFINDER: I suppose around a year, with two of the tunes being built on across a year as I mentioned earlier. Need it and interpretation came together fairly quickly, and I felt they just fit the bill!
TF: For the ones who are not aware yet, how did the Viewfinder journey begin?
VIEWFINDER: It began when I was about 15! Although under different names. I’m a self-taught producer, and it’s been a passion for longer than I can remember. I was in a duo called far Sight, which for the time being is on ice. Viewfinder was the perfect name for myself as a professional photographer, and it pulled everything together that signifies who I am and what I’m about.
TF: Who would you regard as your dream collaborators?
VIEWFINDER: Tough one… I’d have to go with Tantrum Desire, Insideinfo, Enta, Pythius, Cylas Enei, Kasra and G Dub.
TF: What can we expect from Viewfinder in 2024?
VIEWFINDER: I don’t know—I think it’s good to be in the unknown. Certainly, I will be working on lots more music. I am taking a break currently in Vietnam, but I have taken a lot of inspiration from the sounds and the culture out here, which hopefully I can bring back to the table. A few more releases on WOWVE are coming, and then perhaps another EP, but for now I just want to focus on music. Really hope to collaborate with my label pals Cylas, Notch, and Ancesta.
TF: 5 tunes you are feeling at the moment?
VIEWFINDER: Insideinfo – Victory Over Death
Tantrum Desire – Deep
Pythius – Broken
Voltage – Love Is Calling
Guzi, Woolf – The Mob
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