FEVER is an Amsterdam based live techno collective, centered around connection and human experience. In a genre-defying live act, FEVER fuses electronic music with jazz improvisation, creating kinetic and deeply human performances in an increasingly human-less world. From intimate ambient sets to hard techno and DnB, FEVER’s adaptable, “pop-up” philosophy turns every show into a unique and immersive experience. Led by Agus Fulka, a composer and guitarist with roots in Spain and Argentina, FEVER features a core trio of exceptional musicians, joined by a rotating collaborator. This flexible setup allows the group to push the boundaries of dance music and improvisation, blending the precision of electronic soundscapes with the spontaneity of live performance. The goal is to transform venues into spaces for connection, creativity, and to reclaim club culture as a relevant place for peaceful coexistence. We had a brief chat with Agus before FEVER's live performance at Hidden Gem. Read on to learn more!
Hi, my name is Agus. I'm a guitar player and I come from Spain, but I was born in Argentina. And basically since I've been here, I've been trying to explore the different sides of my music. Today I bring the electronic side of my music, which would be FEVER. I think FEVER is... The first thing is the division of my musicality in the acoustic side and the electric side. FEVER would be the electric side. In the end, I think the direction is the same, like just these opposites that go to a middle. And FEVER would be the electronic side.
It's kind of the band where I try to understand how to make music for the people that are around me. Because I've spent a lot of time with a background in jazz, playing other styles, and I've realized that the audience is not in sync with me sometimes. So FEVER is the way of reaching more people, ideally with the same amount of artistic integrity. And it all kind of comes down to simply techno.
FEVER is a techno band made of jazz musicians. It's a pop-up band, which means that every chance that we get to play, perform, record, we adapt to the venue.
I've created a lot of different repertoire, going from drum and bass to hard techno, to what we're doing tonight, which is more of an ambient set. So it's also a way for me to call different musicians and generate a band that is not fixed and depending on a lot of rehearsals with the same people, and coordinating too many schedules.
The types of musicians that I usually play with are just very busy. So it's also a good solution to being able to, in each opportunity, manage around different people and showcase what we have here in Amsterdam, which is pretty insane. And also, there's so many techno clubs nowadays and not that many jazz venues, so it's also a way to kind of open up new stages and spaces to play in.
How do you feel in this current chapter of your life, in your music, in your art?
I think it's definitely the beginning. And it's a very fun beginning, I have to say, because it's also something that I've started this year and I just went directly into this new field. Managing all the electronic stuff and trying to apply the concepts of jazz improvisation to a different language like electronic music. And also focused on people dancing most of the time. So it's definitely the first steps. But it's very cool because it's really easy to connect with people through performing with this type of music.
I've already had a lot of opportunities to try very different things. Right now I'm basically just going around touching different genres and seeing what I can do with each of them, seeing where I have fun the most or what's better, and what's possible more or less. Just trying to get together, solidify in the same way that I felt that I did as a guitar player, exploring different ideas, sounds, and styles. In the end, there's this kind of core that starts to get very strong, and you can just perform and be very comfortable.
The people that are playing with me are so fun to play with and they're always up for trying whatever I have in mind. Wearing pyjamas and trying to do an ambient set. So right now I feel super happy also because these processes take time and I'm pretty impatient sometimes. It's cool that I do see things coming back from all the work that I'm putting. So I'm also just very motivated by it.
How did today's constellation of FEVER come together?
Today it's going to be a techno ambient set. But it's definitely not on the dancing side, more on the listening side and hopefully eye-opening. The reason for it is a mix of how I'm feeling lately, the space, and the people that I called this time. I've played with them in different situations. For instance, we have Sara playing cello and singing. I was excited to try to mix FEVER with what she does, because she has a very open way of thinking about improvisation, and also very musical and very efficient in what it is. It's very strong with her ideas. I wanted to try that out with Anjol and Euan that I've been playing with for a longer time. And then Oliver is one of my best friends from Spain. He's like my brother and he does live sound design, which is insane for this project. So it's just a kind of setting up a playground for us to experiment a bit today and hopefully get some good sounds out of it.
FEVER is a pop-up band and I can substitute anyone, but Euan is the one that is harder to substitute sometimes. Even though I know so many amazing drummers, but there's just something with him that I feel I really don't need to think about the drums when he's playing. And I try to think about every instrument, because I like to also play different things. We started together, same with Anjol, the bass player, we started together playing our first year in conservatory, just experimenting with whatever. Each of us went into different directions, and now we're kind of coming back through this project, so that's very cool.
Tijmen de Nooy Photography
Is there a message you’d like to convey in your music?
I'm not very good at simplifying these messages but there's definitely a philosophy which is... There's the contrast between something natural and something artificial, and the interaction between them with acoustic, electronic, improvisational.. Things that are composed, things that are programmed, live electronics, but also in contrast in the way we are used to listen to music around us, or the way that we interact with each other.
There's just something about this project that I think has the potential to communicate some of the values that I like which are patience, and honesty. Hopefully the music speaks for itself.
Playing techno, you get to build a narrative sometimes with the light, with how you dress, the way you talk, so then it's cool to suddenly experience this kind of more theatrical part of it.
What's in store for FEVER in the near future?
A lot of repertoire development with different people, so expect different genres within electronic music and different musicians, different collaborations. There's a sextet or septet version that is forming along with two sax players, and an extra drummer as well which is more for bigger clubs, hard techno, dancing situations. A bunch of EPs. And recently we won a competition so suddenly I have some money to reinvest in the project as well. If I manage to get the right funding, and the right resources, then there's a lot more coming.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
I just hope if people watch this, the little things that we're going to record now, that they enjoy it and check out the music that we put out, or come to experience it live. That would be the best. And also keep in mind that the people in the band do a bunch of other things, so always check what they're up to. I think FEVER is also a portal for the people that I play with, and for myself. Hopefully I'm already getting to know people that like what I'm doing with FEVER and then they discover that most of the things I do also are not like that at all. There's something about how we're paying attention to music, or to entertainment that's not super open. It's nice to dig deeper in what you already are curious about.
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