While a lot of lo-fi hip hop beats borrow their inspiration from the past, the music of frumhere seems teleported straight from the future. Blending R&B and jazz influences, the producer’s tracks make you feel nostalgia for present vibes, they make you yearn for the maelstrom of feels and romance to come. By design, his tracks make life better. At the end of what has been a fruitful year for him, I had a chat with frumhere to talk about music, but of course, we ended up talking about emotions.

Where are you living currently? How does this place influence your creativity?

I live on the west side of Los Angeles. I actually just moved here and it's a whole new energy. At the end of the day, I'm still making music in my bedroom with the blinds closed, mostly in the middle of the night - but it's nice to have a new place to call home when you record.

Your latest album was made with oxela. How did this collaboration come about?

fall in crete is the 3rd installment of our joint efforts. We've made 2 projects together and it's all just flowed like butter. I've been friends with Alex for a few years now, we met on SoundCloud in 2016. When making music with him, I'm mostly doing the melodies and harmonies and then he'll get crazy with the drum sampling. It's a back and forth though, we don't really have any set rules for making music together. It's always just been one of us getting excited about a sample or loop, sending it back and forth, then before we know it it's a track.

A lot of your work manages to be both experimental and very emotional. Can you take us through your creative process?

I like to say "you can't control someone you can experience them." When I'm writing, I'm recalling experiences that I want to remember with my music. Usually, I start with start by finding vocal samples or clips from movies even before I record anything. Then I'll create a melody and finally program drums. I feel like my tracks are never done, I could spend 3 hours finicking with a kick but I try and not drive myself crazy. When I feel like the track tells a story, I try to leave it be. I write a lot about my relationship with my mom and past women in my life. If your exes aren't unforgettable, you've been dating the wrong people.

From your album covers to your merch lookbook, you have a very well defined visual aesthetic. What has influenced your visuals?

I think it's important to tell a story with whatever you're putting out. If it's a true story, that's even better. Overall, I'm desperately inspired by the thrill of young love and how fleeting that magic feeling is. Most of my visuals dance around that same theme and kind of explore it through different lenses. Other than that I've always been influenced by 1960's print advertising and the photography of Helmut Newton and Irving Penn.

A lot of people have discovered frumhere through your hit she only likes me when i’m drunk. Can you talk a little bit about the circumstances surrounding the creation of that beat and its release?

At the time I was in a super dysfunctional relationship with a girl that was showing me all of these new places and things around Los Angeles. Being born and raised in LA, I didn't think that was possible so it was really exciting to me. But at the same time, the girl only really liked the idea of me and wasn't in love with who I was as a person. I had a come to jesus moment one night after half a bottle of wine that things were the best with her when we were both drunk. I had no idea how well the song would do but it makes me so happy that people dig it.

Can you name some musical artists and/or tracks you’ve discovered recently that truly inspires you? What inspires you about them?

I listen to a lot of shoegaze and post-punk. Porches is easily the most inspiring artist I've heard in a while. His music is the perfect mix of melancholy and hopeful. I'm drawn to music where the emotion oozes out, regardless of the genre. I always say the chords change when you fall in love. That's the kind of music I'm inspired by.

What’s coming up for frumhere?

I'm flying to New York this month to record a bunch of music so I'm excited about that. Going to work with some of the most talented producers in the industry that I'm privileged enough to call friends (G Mills, Goosetaf, Dylan Sitts). Besides that, I've been writing an album that I'm really happy about. Lots of new sounds with lots of classic nostalgia. Huge thank you to my incredible visual team (Luis Vidal, Erik Lund, Tyler Boss) for helping me turn my feelings into ideas. Other than that, shoutout to self-care. Make sure you're taking care of yourself before you take care of someone else.

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