The positive feedback from my last interview with Fredrik Larsson (over 1000 reads!) inspired me to continue. At Superbooth I attended Tom Finster’s workshop on drum processing in Bitwig Studio. His deep production knowledge and his dedication to Bitwig convinced me he would be the perfect next guest. I reached out to Tom, and he kindly agreed. Here is our interview.
https://open.spotify.com/artist/0jA09tU838A2JRveNgDSGa?si=Uz5RgrTSSr-__HoAoQxtZw
Me: Hey Tom! Thanks for agreeing to this interview. I'm Nik, a producer with the projects Aural Flow and KRNK, and also one of the administrators for a large Bitwig community on Telegram. My interest in your work comes from a fellow producer's perspective, so I'm excited to dive in. But first, for our readers who might be new to your music, could you briefly introduce yourself? Who is Tom Finster, and what kind of music do you create?
Tom: Mostly I make drum and bass, but I’m influenced a lot by electronica, ambient, and neo-classical things. It depends on the song, of course, but overall my music is much more driven by melodies and vibes than by having the craziest bass drop. Before I was doing Tom Finster, I was producing for other artists—mainly rap, but also pop artists. Much of my stuff is more melancholic, and I usually talk about my personal life in the songs. I don’t see music or art as a thing you do to have a career; it’s what I need to create in order to get through time. Which doesn’t mean you can’t have a career with it, though.
Me: What does a typical day look like for you? Is it all music, all the time, or do you balance it with other things? And are you more of a homebody or a traveler?
Tom: My day is structured by my family. I usually find myself at the computer at 8:30 and do whatever is on the plate that day. Today, it’s answering these questions. If there’s not much of an agenda, I open my DAW and work on music. I don’t travel for the sake of it—usually just when I go to gigs. I enjoy having friends all over Europe, and I’m happy to meet them there. That happens maybe twice a month, and I’m very grateful for that!
Me: I attended your drum production workshop at Superbooth, and it was great! I was impressed by your attention to detail. I remember time was a bit tight, so was there anything important you didn't get a chance to share that you'd like to add now?
Tom: The overall take aways should be, that by learning to synthesize your own sounds you also learn how to bend recordings in a way that brings them closer to your vision. If you know how to make a transient, you also then know how you have to mix a transient in order to be audible as well.
Me: Preparing for this, I was struck by the production quality of your first releases as Tom Finster. Your bio says the project started in 2018, but it sounds like there are years of experience behind it. Could you share your story before that point? Did you have other musical projects, any formal training, and what was your path into electronic music?
Tom: So, I guess I've already answered this to an extent. When I started Tom Finster, I had already been making computer music for about 15 years and learned how to mix and master stuff by myself. I also did that for other people, mostly from Germany, so it’s likely things you've never heard of. One of the more notable records I worked on is the Casper - “XOXO” LP , which has Platinum status. Also, Clueso x Deichkind - “Auch im Bentley Wird geweint,” which is a collab between some of the biggest German artists. [Editor’s Note: As Tom pointed out, the entire music video for this song was impressively filmed using only the rearview cameras of a Bentley.] I also worked on multiple things with Kraftklub, who are from the town I lived in before.