HomeCookingShare: To begin, who are you?

TSF: I am Toma from TomA Sound Factory, composer and music producer in his thirties, based in Montreal for 6 years and originally from Toulouse (France).

HCS: How would you define your music?

TSF: My music is slow electro(nica) based on acoustic instruments, samples, digital programming, sound recording and analog sounds.Sometimes drawing on trip-hop, new wave or IDM, it's a generally adventurous, engaging and evolving music tinged with hip-hop, soul, progressive and afrobeat, mostly instrumental and that goes well with to the video. I also collaborate with singers (Dominique Fils-Aimée, IRI, Soggy Beard) and rappers (Colfer, ELMNT, Cxxbra)

HCS: What made you decide one day to embark on this musical adventure?

TSF: I think it's the desire to devote myself full time and therefore to be able to create as often as possible that decided me to try the musical adventure. And most importantly, important meetings at different times of my career, which have at some point I really asked the question, whether I wanted to try the music thoroughly, the galley thoroughly too, and I was ready! No regrets since even though it's not easy every day.

HCS: Your influences?

TSF: Apart from the hip-hop of the late 90s French or US, I listen to a lot of music called ethnic or traditional, film music a little experimental, primitive electro 70/80 or recent but marginal. I have a great affection for progressive rock and the German Krautrock of the early 70s, I think it's really the ultimate mix and analog sound. Obviously I listen a lot to Abstract Hip-hop and Trip-hop, even in their modern evolutions like Vapor Wave and Chill-hop. And groove side I lean clearly towards funk, soul, Afrobeat and music of the West Indies (Biguine, Tumbele ...). In short I have a very versatile listening, depending on the mood of the moment, there for example I listen to Royksopp answering questions, but it could be Jazz ^^ I think the sampling really pushed me to listen to everything. I feel you want names so here are some of them: K. Frimpong, Anglagard, Casino Clams, kaytranada, KNLO, YMO, Francois de Roubaix, Centipede, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Ebo Taylor, Bobby BBQ ... Apart from music, travel, literature and history have a lot of influences on my creation.

HCS: If you had to leave on a desert island with 3 discs: which ones?

TSF: : If you put the question back in 5 minutes it will surely have changed but let's say

- Mike Oldfield - Ommadawn

- Aphex Twin - Druqs

- Moondog - Moondog 1

HCS: The perfect track to cook?

TSF: Luke Abbott - Brazil

HCS: Small technical point: with what material do you work?

TSF: I'm working on PC with Ableton Live and a RME Fireface UC sound card. A ribbon microphone and a Neumman TLM103 as a recording source. A pair of Focal speakers for mixing. I am fortunate to have a studio that I share with two other acolytes UNLOG label (https://unlog.info/), and in common we start having gear. For the synth I use a lot my Korg Minilogue and MicroKorg and my Yamaha Reface CS which are jewelry modulations sound. I also sometimes use small electronic tools such as distortion or delay pedals, a monotron or pocket operator.

HCS: Not easy to break into the musical jungle, even with talent ... what do you think about it?

TSF: No it's not easy to break into music and it certainly has never been. What is different today is that we are on transient economic models that evolve very quickly: who can say that Spotify will be there in 10 years? You have to be on the lookout for new tools, offer content on a regular basis, make video ... What is new is also that the revenues related to the music have enormously diversified in recent years: sound banks for example have become a real business. In short we are in an exciting period where standards change and we see a certain diversification of the profession of musician or composer. It does not make the jungle more welcoming but at least it is less formatted.

HCS: And finally, if you have something to add (pretty much what you want ...), here we go!

TSF: I find your initiative with HomeCooking Share excellent, I can tell you that it is very popular with artists, especially in electro. A big thank you to you! Finally, I take care of a collective that organizes improvised beef in electro (Silicon Beats), and defends the fact that the electonic music is performed and performed in concert and not only via DJ sets. We also try to create links between beatmakers so that there is knowledge sharing, we organize workshops, sample contests (as in Toulouse with Space Sample Sessions) and sound design (Kick Fight) ...

To continue in music the discovery of the artist, here is his last track uploaded : "Chrysalide"

To be continued... next month!