A Chat with FAVNA (23.06.26)
Danish producer FAVNA continues to refine his signature blend of dreamy progressive house, atmospheric sound design, and emotional storytelling on the release of ‘Not A Dream’. Inspired by the warmth of late summer evenings and shaped by a deep connection to nature, the track transforms ethereal vocals into an immersive instrument, creating a listening experience that feels both introspective and uplifting. We chat with FAVNA about the inspiration behind ‘Not A Dream’, his evolving production approach, the importance of visual identity, and what lies ahead for his distinctive brand of ‘dreamy introspective dance music’.
OSR: ‘Not A Dream’ carries a strong sense of atmosphere and emotional depth. Can you take us back to the moment the initial idea first came to life?
FAVNA: The idea for ‘Not A Dream’ started on a warm late summer evening after a short walk along the northern coast of Zeeland, where I have a small house. I’ve spent the day mostly listening to a lot of different music and had the underlying idea that I wanted something to encompass this feeling of a lush, warm evening and that I wanted the track to be somewhat chill and not carried by some sort of lead vocal, but more of a feeling. So the track actually began with the vocals that I heavily modified to make it more into an instrument than a lead vocal, from there the track slowly built.
OSR: You’ve described the track as being inspired by warm summer nights. How did that environment and mood shape the final sound of the record?
FAVNA: I already talked about a bit in the answer, it’s kind of abstract, because nature in general just has such an inspiration, giving a certain kind of mood, and especially the warm summer night (which is somewhat rare, where I live, in Denmark). It inspired me to try and recreate that lush feeling of an embracing summer night.
OSR: One of the most distinctive aspects of ‘Not A Dream’ is the way the vocals are treated as an instrument rather than a traditional topline. What inspired that creative decision?
FAVNA: I always use vocals in all my productions, sometimes as dedicated lead vocals, but just as often it’s manipulated vocals where I see them more as an instrument at the same level as some synth. I even sing on several of my releases myself, and even on those, I don’t have any problem shapeshifting them to fit the mood I’m after. It’s not the first time either. I’ve done this vocal style; I also did it on another track, ‘Solace’, a while ago. I just like this formant style vocals that gets almost androgynous, so the original vocal is a female vocal in a completely different pitch, manipulated to what you hear now in the track. It’s not a new thing at all; several other artists do this, and I remember Tinlicker has been doing something similar before, and I just kind of like it.
OSR: Your music often sits between introspective listening and subtle dancefloor energy. How do you strike that balance when you’re producing?
FAVNA: I have a love for dreamy music, ambient music, chill music, and I always gravitate towards minor keys, which gives this somewhat introspective mood to my tracks. I do really enjoy consuming music in solitude, but also at big events, so I just prefer music that can be used both places. The balance comes in when I make the drums for my tracks, this is where I want that more clubby feel to it and tend to produce it with a lot of punch so it gets the track driving. An anecdote here is that, when I started producing, I had this idea of making ambient music but with a beat. And this just evolved to what I am making today.
OSR: The melodic and progressive house scene has evolved considerably in recent years. Where do you feel your sound fits within the current landscape?
FAVNA: I think my music fits really good within that dreamy progressive house scene that has been emerging for quite a while. Kind of really got going with Ben Böhmer, and then just more and more artists have embraced this dreamy style. Acts like Fejka, Natascha Polka, Polaroid, Klur, Christian Löffler and many, many more, it’s quite a scene actually, so many nice acts out there.
OSR: Warm analog textures, melancholic undertones, and immersive sound design have become hallmarks of your work. How has your production style developed since your earliest releases?
FAVNA: I think they have become more simple, really trying to focus on getting that “one” melody right and build everything around that. Where my first releases really had many layers, I now tend to make distinct layers, each with a purpose that can be felt and heard. I will likely always have slight melancholic undertone, but also like this track ‘Not A Dream’ has some uplifting stuff.
OSR: Your releases are accompanied by a very cohesive visual identity inspired by nature and nighttime atmospheres. How important is the visual side of the FAVNA project?
FAVNA: The visual side is everything. This is my main inspiration, nature and nighttime atmosphere, this is where it’s all driven from, also a reason why I film most of the visuals I use myself, and I expect to do this even more. It kind of goes hand in hand. I immerse myself in these nature scenes, so it feels natural to have it as a clear part of my identity.
OSR: You’ve earned support from respected DJs, radio shows, and streaming audiences around the world. Was there a particular milestone that made you realise your music was reaching a wider audience?
FAVNA: Especially the two times my track was featured on Nora En Pure’s Purified radio was really moving the needle. I am quite a fan of Nora, so having my releases on her radio was obviously quite an accomplishment for me, and especially my track ‘Raindrifing’ got so much exposure on this, that it’s now kind of the flagship of my sound. A perfect example of that introspective, slightly melancholic but very danceable style that I like to make.
OSR: As the curator of the Dream Circuit playlist series, you’re also helping spotlight other artists within the melodic electronic scene. What qualities do you look for when discovering new music?
FAVNA: I have a really broad taste in music and listen to a lot of different styles of music, not only electronic music, but of course, a lot of electronic music, so even if I really like a release, it might just not be a fit for my playlists because I want them to be somewhat cohesive towards the specific vibe I’m trying to set. So I have two playlists (actually more, but those 2 are main). Dream Circuit – Progressive House and Beyond, that features mostly what I would call dreamy progressive house music, but the “Beyond” suggests that I do take music in that might be more melodic techno, more deep house, more chill. And then I have my other playlists: Dream Circuit: Afterhours, which gravitates more towards the darker progressive house. There’s some overlap, but the darker one is for the more melancholic tunes. I don’t care if an artist is completely new or if it’s an established artist; if I resonate with the music, it will be added, but I change it a lot. I want the playlists to be something you can come back to and get inspired. So, for the music to get added, first and foremost, it should have an overall vibe that I instantly connect with, but next, and this is just as important, there needs to be some sort of melodic motif that I also connect with, then comes the rest. If there are vocals, do I resonate with those and so on? It’s really nice to do these playlists because it gives a lot of inspiration to myself and also connects with similar artists that just fit this scene so good.
OSR: Looking ahead, does ‘Not A Dream’ offer any clues about the direction of your future releases, and what can fans expect from FAVNA over the coming months?
FAVNA: I never know what I am ending up with when I start a new track, and I have a lot of new tracks in the making, some of them signed, some of them not signed, some remixes and some collabs as well. They have commonalities with ‘Not A Dream’, but they also have commonalities with my earlier releases, so it’s hard to say, but they will indeed fit the term “Dreamy Introspective Dance Music”, a sort of mediation in motion.
Many thanks to FAVNA for speaking with us. Find out more about FAVNA on his Instagram, SoundCloud, Spotify, and YouTube.
