035. fana

June 2021 | fana' is a musician, DJ, and multimedia artist born in NYC and currently based in Cleveland, Ohio. Their DJ performances and mixes bridge genres, scenes, and cultures, and they aren't afraid to bring experimental and unexpected sounds to dancefloors such as Gays Hate Techno and Honcho. They have released 3 EPs (most recently, Karantina) as well as tracks on several compilations. Here, they take a nostalgic and emotional dive into Japanese singers, musicians, and composers through the lens of learning how to be alone.

About the mix:

This mix is probably the most nostalgic one I've done in a long time. It's also the most tied to a very specific time in my life; the first time I learned how to be alone. At the beginning of and throughout the pandemic I've released mixes that were less about pining for the club and more about the anxiety, tension and disconnection of the present and the future.

This in particular is an ode to 11 year old me, isolated and estranged from the world, watching Spirited Away and Battle Royale on repeat, as well as my eternal gratitude for my Popo without whom I wouldn't have had...well, a lot.

What was the first dance music experience that really stuck with you?

The first In Training I ever went to, hands down. I can't even remember who played that night; it was either July or August 2015 but it stuck with me in ways I can't put into words.

What is the story behind your alias?

Fana' (Fana, Fanaa) means “annihilation” in Arabic; it's the Sufi practice of dying before death. Calling it ego-death doesn't really do it justice but essentially it's the dismantlement of the self to become one with Tawhid; the oneness of Allah.

By no means do I think I'm a beacon of any kind of worldwide change or even a person who has achieved Fana'. It's a life-long process and it isn't about any individual human. That being said, shout out to Fanaa, the very talented performance artist and founder of Discostan in CA.

Share a track that you never completed or shared.

I wrote this in 2016 and started using it in live performances in 2017 but it's not on any releases and I don't even know what I'd call it at this point. The clip at the end is from an Italian horror movie called Antropophagus and it's a scene where one of the main characters is trying to warn her friend of some kind of impending doom using tarot cards. I have no idea why I haven't released it yet or re-recorded it but I'm sure it'll find a home at some point.

Tracklist:

Midori Takada – Crossing
Mkwaju Ensamble – Wood Dance
Joe Hisaishi – Cicada Night
Mariah - Shisen
Mkwaju Ensamble – Zindo Zindo
Shenmue Soundtrack – To Fly Vacantly, Like an Eagle
Taeko Ohnuki – Tokai
Yuji Ohno – Epilogue -Sunrise-
Masahiko Satoh – The Notice is Noticed
Haruomo Hosono – Sequential Opera Circuit
Yoshihiro Kanno – Memories of Water
Electro Keyboard Orchestra – The African Dawn
Mariah – Shinzo no Tobira
Masahiro Ikumi – Virtual Mima (Voice Version)
Masahiro Ikumi – Virtual Mima
Tetsuro Kashibuchi & Keiichi Suzuki – Shinon
World Famous – Xaviera
Susumu Yokota – Tobiume
Dir en grey – Gauze -Mode of Eve-
Masamichi Amano – Teacher and Students (Final Battle)

Follow fana':

Published June 2021.

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