F.O.O.L. (the alter-ego of Swedish musician Rasmus Hermansen) may not be a superhero, but when he wears a mask he becomes the protagonist of his own epic, electronic adventure.
Active in the European electro craze since late 2009, this bass music powerhouse started out under the alias ”Hermansen” producing progressive house until showing his true colors in Heavy Electronic Club & Synthwave Music. With a wide array of musical influence and experience ranging from melodic metal, hip-hop to even film soundtracks and orchestral music akin to Hans Zimmer, F.O.O.L. proves himself to unload an arsenal of hard hitting yet smooth bass and musical abilities among unsuspecting ears.
The ability for Hermansen to change into F.O.O.L. symbolizes a crossover from our ordinary world into a futuristic, cinematic soundscape where the bass rules, and the pressures of real life slip away. With his new alter-ego in charge, F.O.O.L. makes his audience have more than just a listening experience, but a journey with him into another universe.
We chatted with F.O.O.L. on how he uses the Prophet Rev2 in his music:
What made you choose the Prophet Rev2?
For years, I have been looking for an analog synthesizer which has the ability to create beautiful pads, leads, plucks but also a really strong bass sound. The Prophet REV2 is just perfect for all of that, and it is the most versatile analog synth I know of. I just love the visual aesthetic of it and even though it looks like a classic vintage synth, it is very capable of creating modern sounds. I was very impressed with the patches that come along with it, everything sounded so rich and beautiful, and the possibilities are what got me sold on it.
How are you using it?
I am mostly using it through MIDI from my audio interface into my DAW. Since I am not so experienced with playing the keyboard live, this allows me to write melodies from the sounds on the REV2 using the piano roll in my DAW. Then, I record what I make into the DAW as an audio file. It is a super fun process since I can make changes in a specific sound quickly and mess around with it physically right in front of me while I am recording. There are a lot of different options to choose from once recorded. It is also convenient to have it in my DAW for the ability to play around with the Digital FX Plugins I use when making music, though the built-in FX’s in the REV2 is great and I use that sometimes as well.
What is one of your favorite things about it?
It is a bit challenging to pick favorite aspects of it, as I genuinely appreciate every little thing of the Prophet REV2. But I have found myself using the Polyphonic Sequencer to make arpeggio sounds a lot, also playing around with the Noise OSC and Cutoff filter to create some lush sounds.
What does it give you that other synths might not?
Compared to the Digital VSTs that I normally use, the REV2 makes for a whole different process of producing music, which is so much more fun by having the hardware physically in front of you. Not only that, it is extremely versatile and you can create many different sounds from it by just using the synthesizer itself. There are some really rich and lush layering options that I almost cannot replicate digitally unless I add several different instances of VSTs.
Any interesting (DSI/Sequential Product) tricks or techniques you would like to share?
If you are creating music digitally through a DAW, I would recommend to constantly record your ideas and sounds made on your REV2 into your DAW. Do this even if you are just casually jamming, and then save the project file. That way, you can look back at what you have made, eventually sampling something from it for a new song. And as I mentioned previously, combining the synth digitally with a DAW and digital FX is perfect for extensive experimentation. I would also strongly recommend looking at YouTube tutorials about it, there is a bunch of cool things you can make with this synth, and I am learning new things every day! Lastly, read the manual; it is great to get a real sense of how the synthesizer works.
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