Formula Indie Sessions – Interview with Fukushima Dolphin
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
Josh: One of my earliest musical memories is hearing ‘The Beatles’ playing in my dad’s car. Those songs stayed with me and sparked my curiosity about music from a young age.
Alex: One of my first strong musical memories was watching the famous Italian band 883 performing on TV. Seeing their energy and the way they connected with people made a big impression on me and helped shape my relationship with music.
How did your passion for creating music begin?
Josh: My cousin had a guitar, and seeing him play made me want to have one of my own. I started learning, experimenting, and slowly discovering my own relationship with the instrument. From there, it naturally developed into a deeper passion for creating and playing music.
Alex: My cousin used to play guitar too, and his brother was a drummer and had a drum kit in his bedroom. One day, we were bored, so I sat down at the drum kit and started playing a basic beat, and it happened naturally. My cousin joined in on the guitar, and we ended up jamming together. After that moment, my parents bought me a drum kit, and that’s where everything started.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
Josh:Fukushima Dolphin began as a 5 piece indie rock project, morphed into just me with loop station, guitar and keyboard, then the loops, guitar and keyboard stayed and the awesome Alex Marino joined on drums to create the current line up. Alex: I met Josh at an open mic in Brighton, where the idea was to have an open jam. We played a couple of Josh’s songs together, and it was a lot of fun. A few days later, we bumped into each other on the street and ended up busking together on the beach. One day, we were unexpectedly offered a gig at a pub without any expectations, but the place ended up being packed. After that, we decided to start working together on the project.
However, Fukushima Dolphin was Josh’s idea and a project that already existed before I joined. I simply adapted my drumming to his style, and from there we developed the band together.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
Melodic, psychedelic, driving, atmospheric, playful……especially playful! What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
Josh: Learning how important rhythm is completely changed the way I make music. It’s easy to focus on chords or melodies, but rhythm is what gives a song its energy, movement, and emotion. Once I started paying more attention to groove and timing, everything I wrote felt more natural and connected.
Alex: Definitely be open-minded when it comes to artistic choices, whether it’s a sound, a musical part, or a melody. Don’t be afraid to experiment or to sound different. We’ve chosen a more challenging artistic path, and sometimes that makes it harder for us to fit into certain line-ups or events with other bands. But in the end, it’s more important to create music that feels authentic to who we are.
Be open-minded, think outside the box, and don’t feel pressured to chase numbers or trends. Stay true to your vision, and let your music speak for itself.
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
Josh: The guitar is still the main tool in my creative process, as it’s where most of my ideas begin. I also like experimenting with Loopy Pro on my iPad to quickly capture ideas, build loops, and explore different directions. When it comes to production, I always come back to Cubase because it gives me the flexibility to develop those ideas into complete songs. I also like having a synth nearby, as it helps me add new textures and discover sounds that I wouldn’t find with guitar alone.
Alex: Josh is the creative mind behind the project, and I usually step in on the production side once he has the vision and direction for a song. Fortunately, we’re very much on the same page creatively, which makes the process feel natural and collaborative.
I’m more of a Logic Pro person when it comes to production. For me, having a great set of microphones for recording drums and a good-sounding room makes a huge difference. Capturing the right energy and character at the source is an essential part of our creative process.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
Josh: I’m not really listening to many indie artists at the moment. I’ve actually been exploring a lot of Ravi Shankar and Bach. I think inspiration can come from anywhere, and sometimes looking beyond helps you discover new ideas for your own music.
Alex: I don’t have one particular indie artist, song, or band that I’m obsessed with. I’m drawn to anything that feels thoughtful, creative, and full of strong melodies. Nowadays, so much music is produced and released so quickly that it can sometimes be difficult to find a band that truly catches my attention.
I went through a period where I was listening to punk-electronic indie bands like Romes, AK/DK, and Adult DVD, before moving into a completely different world of R&B and soul with artists like Hiatus Kaiyote.
One indie band that really caught my attention over the last year is PAINTING from Berlin. Their song “Memento” really stood out to me because of its creativity and production. Another artist that impressed me is An Alien Called Harmony, especially the song “Fighting the Atom”. I love the originality and the interesting production choices in their music.
But one artist in particular that I always listen to and love whatever he does is ‘Caparezza’. Not indie, but he is a genius!
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
Josh: Travelling and playing guitar with different people in different situations has helped me develop a stronger intuition for how music can affect people in the moment. Busking especially taught me a lot about connecting with an audience and understanding the energy of a space.
Of course, every life experience, from love and connection to loneliness and alienation, leaves a mark on creativity.
Alex: Josh is the artist! I just play drums and do marketing 😉
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
Josh: Creativity is a very instinctive and organic process for me. I see it as something that comes from the ground up, so I’m often discovering the music at the same time as someone hearing it for the first time. I’m not always trying to deliver a specific message; instead, I’m exploring ideas, and sounds and allowing the listener to find their own meaning.
Ultimately, I hope my music can connect with people in some way, whether it inspires them, provides a sense of release, creates a moment of reflection, or simply makes them feel something.
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
Josh: Freedom can be commitment to a process. By trusting the process and allowing myself the time and space to explore ideas.
Alex: I completely agree with Josh. I often think about the two different ways music teaches us: as a listener and as a creator.
As listeners, music can give us hope, inspiration, or a sense of connection. It can communicate a message, tell a story, or even teach us something about life, history, or different perspectives.
As creators, the lessons are different. We learn about the deeper, often metaphorical meanings behind songwriting, the choices behind production, and the importance of accepting that there is no such thing as perfect music. At some point, you have to create a healthy distance between yourself and the emotional attachment you have to a song, so you can let it go and share it with others.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
Josh: Performing at Glastonbury
Alex: Making a living as a musician is both a dream and a challenge at the same time. It’s incredibly rewarding, but the reality of staying afloat in the industry can be difficult. Being able to perform regularly in front of a wider audience, build a connection with people through our music, and find success with a project we truly believe in would be a dream come true and a huge achievement.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
Josh: I’d love to work with someone like Escher. He could create incredible visual artwork, maybe even some surreal dolphin-inspired pieces to accompany my music. Another dream collaboration would be producing an album with Brian Eno, because of the way he approaches the aesthetics and atmosphere of music. His ability to think beyond just the sound and create a complete artistic world is something I really admire.
Alex: maybe collaborate with this band called ‘Henge’ and work on a very quirky song
(Website,Spotify, IG, links)
Spotify
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
Josh: Becoming a billionaire and controlling everyone’s minds with satellites �� Or maybe just playing some cool gigs and getting some more lovely fans. Alex: Apart from becoming a billionaire and controlling everyone’s minds with satellites… The next step is simply finding the right opportunities to take the project to the next level.
We’re currently reaching out to booking agencies, labels, and promoters who can help us connect with bigger audiences and new possibilities. The music industry is incredibly competitive, and we know that progress takes time, but we believe that if the right people discover what we’re doing, opportunities will naturally come.
Finding people who truly believe in your project can be challenging, especially when you’re trying to create something different from the usual indie formula. Our goal is not just growth for the sake of it, but to keep developing our sound, reach more people, and continue creating music we genuinely believe in. Hopefully, that journey will lead us towards producing more songs and, one day, a full album.
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
Josh: That my eyes are blue!
Alex: That I’m wearing a hat because I’m bold! Also, understand the meaning behind ‘FISH SONG’
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