Fono Puts His Debut ‘Kinetic’ EP in Motion for Insomniac Records

Expecting us to contain our excitement for Fono’s debut EP has been a ridiculously tall order, and one that we’ve fallen short on throughout the entire rollout for the release in the last couple of months. But we no longer need to conceal our silly, gleeful facial expressions, as Kinetic today hits shelves by way of Insomniac Records and Polydor. Across the five tracks, the buzzing UK producer validates every single breath of hype that has escaped the mouths of tastemakers whose word is treated as irrefutable fact.

The two lead singles—“Feet on the Ground” and the Durante-assisted “NRG”—should already be burned into your memory, seeing as how the visuals for those took command over this space when Fono pushed them out into the public eye. Now, the EP’s remaining three cuts are ready for the rinse cycle. “Cloud 9” calls on Aussie singer E^ST, whose hazy vocals are lifted skyward by warm, bright melodies and lulling keys. Showing off his instrumental skills on “Levitate,” Fono’s signature upbeat synthwork and vibrant tones float with tremendous ease. D/C powers on the charm with his raspy singing on “Light Up,” a slow-burning jam centered on body-rolling drums and a laid-back lean.

Fono demonstrates an incredibly wide range of motion on his big debut, without any of his offerings coming off as disconnected from the rest. Before you get your stream on strong below, here’s what Fono wanted you to know about Kinetic:

The main thing for me was to showcase my sound—get across what I’m about as an artist and that it’s not all about sticking to one tempo. I guess I kinda approached it the same as writing an album, but on a smaller scale. I had quite a strong vision for the EP going back to the beginning of the year, and I knew when I started writing it roughly what I wanted it to sound like as a body of work. Everything came together so naturally with the features and vocalists, and it was awesome working with some amazing artists who are all from very different backgrounds and styles. Obviously, the other big part of my sound is the synths and getting the sounds huge. To achieve that, all the synth sounds on the EP were physical hardware and analog. For me, it makes everything sound a lot more organic and authentic, which is equally as important as nailing the beats and the vocal.