Irish producer Sal Dulu, whose real name is Senan Magee, finds his moniker an inconsequential remnant of a spontaneous decision made in his youth, inspired by the Beat Generation. Drawing from Jack Kerouac’s semi-autobiographical characters, Dulu embodies a spirit of unplanned creativity, much like the dizzying flow of Kerouac’s prose. With his 2021 debut album, Xompulse, earning accolades from notable publications like The Guardian and Financial Times, Dulu’s soundscape is an expansive yet fragmented exploration of instrumental electronica. Now, he unveils Nafuchsia In Fantasy, named partly after his girlfriend, which signals a vibrant evolution in his artistry.
Nafuchsia In Fantasy is inherently introspective, capturing the tension of memory, moods, and desires. Tracks oscillate between turbulent reflections, like the frenetic ‘Trapped In Container Hell’, and serene moments captured through voice notes and nostalgic sample textures. Dulu’s approach, inspired by fine art, transcends conventional song structures, embracing creativity’s vast potential. With Nafuchsia In Fantasy, Sal Dulu invites listeners into his imaginative realm, redefining the boundaries of modern electronic music.
You mentioned sitting in the studio late into the night watching what happens. Could you describe your creative process in more detail?
I’m not totally sure really, I think my creative process is reliant on being hyper focused. When I’m hyper focused on music, I spend endless hours on it and I don’t sleep and then the music sort of makes itself, but if I’m not hyper focused I can’t make anything and if I become focused on the wrong thing it’s destructive.
How has the Beat Generation and authors like Jack Kerouac influenced your music and overall artistic perspective?
Reading Kerouac as a teenager probably influenced me to live a life devoted to pursuing my passion irrespective of trends or what people think.
You initially learned guitar to join your cousins in jam sessions. How did this transition from traditional instrumental music to electronic production shape your sound?
I think transitioning from the guitar music I made as a teenager to electronic music helped strengthen a foundational understanding of music and an ability to try new things and experiment out of my comfort zone. My 2nd album is a lot more ambitious than my first, and there was a big stylistic jump between the two. I never want to be in the same place with music, I always want to be developing and exploring.
How did your football injury and the subsequent need to slow down affect your creativity and music production?
I shattered my collar bone and surprisingly I really enjoyed the recovery. Life became really simple and structured which alleviated a lot of my anxiety. It was like a holiday. I got back to making music and I just felt a lot more calm and the ideas were flowing more freely.
What are the main themes you explore in your album, “Nafuchsia In Fantasy”?
There’s a vague theme of hell in the album. I was looking at a lot of landscape paintings of hell and the apocalypse before I made the album which acted as a sort of loose framework for it.
You mentioned it’s hard to pin down your style to one genre. How do you incorporate different musical influences into your work?
I don’t think I’m doing it consciously, I just make what I want to make in that particular moment. I think the stylistic switch up is just a natural impulse I have because my creativity dries up if I get bored and I start to get bored if I’m repeating the same patterns.
You mentioned that fine art has inspired your latest work. Can you elaborate on how visual art influences your music?
My life is very dominated by music and I was just getting a bit exhausted by it. I didn’t want to listen to music and I didn’t want to make music. The only stuff I enjoyed listening to for a while was Jazz. I was having a lot of creative blocks which was frustrating. I was looking at a lot of these apocalyptic hell paintings which suddenly made all my music ideas come together. The industry has set these really narrow parameters for what’s considered a valid song. I’ve had many people tell me that my songs aren’t songs but “experiments” which is funny because my music isn’t even that experimental. Looking at paintings reminded me that there are no parameters.
Can you share some specifics about the new techniques or tools you’ve experimented with while creating “Nafuchsia In Fantasy”?
When I was making the new album I had a lot of self-belief because I knew I was making something great. I felt a lot more free and confident with it whereas with my first album, I was learning on the go so I felt more rigid and I was in my head a lot. I got a few bits of new gear and stuff but the techniques used were mostly the same, it was more a mindset thing.
What do you hope listeners will take away from “Nafuchsia In Fantasy”?
To be honest, my main hope is that people stick with it and listen to the album properly. People are over stimulated because of social media etc (myself included) so it’s become a lot harder to get people’s attention. I hope that my album reaches people who still love listening to albums.
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Nafuchsia In Fantasy is out now: https://linktr.ee/saldulu
