FMV FIT Radio
Producer and DJ. He traded his guitar for the dance floor, left four earlier names behind along the way, and still has one song that hits him every time he hears it.
He grew up where people sing in the street and dance in the market. He later ended up in a province where winter keeps you indoors for months. Between the life he had then and the one he has now came a studio, a job, a family — and “Purple Mindy”, a song born in a dark time that, in the end, finds its way to the light.
THISSAL is from Cape Town, South Africa. Ask him what shaped him and he does not start with a record or a producer — he starts with culture and family. South Africa has a very vibrant culture when it comes to music and dance, he says, along with a more laid-back kind of lifestyle.
Music and dance are simply part of daily life there. People sing and dance in the streets, in markets, in schools, in churches, in every ordinary place. Growing up inside that became part of who he is. Looking back, he thinks it shaped his connection to music far more than he realised at the time.
He started out on rock. He played in different musical projects and bands, electric guitar in hand. Then dance took over — hip-hop and breakdancing — and at one point he had to choose between the band and the floor. Dance was taking off. He chose the floor.
Emotion is the fuel that drives the engine.
I've written songs just staring out my window and enjoying a beautiful sunny day, a sunrise or a sunset. I've also had inspiration come from something as simple as an evening drive up the mountain and looking down at the beautiful city lights of Cape Town. […] Sometimes it's simply the energy of a song that makes me want to go create something fun of my own.
THISSAL — for FMV FIT RadioTHISSAL was not a moment. It was a process — and a few identities he had to try on and retire along the way.
After the bands — and after some experiences with bandmates — he decided that if he was going to keep making music, he would do it on his own. The first releases went out under his real name.
Going solo gave him the freedom to work out what he actually wanted to create.
Another identity, another direction. Each project stood for something different creatively.
Started around the same time as RÆVYK and run in parallel with it. Both were eventually retired.
The point where everything came together under one identity. He closed the other projects down. Now he is only THISSAL — producer, and a DJ on and off for more than a decade who, in the last two or three years, decided to take that seriously too.
Outside THISSAL, he works as a CNC machinist and he has a family. After work, by his own account, he does not do a whole lot — except that he is very good at disappearing into his studio and spending hours in there on music or something music-related. Once he is in, he loses track of time.
Winters in Alberta get properly cold, so he “hibernates” a little and watches his NHL team. Summers mean CFL football — Canada's version of the American game — and a barbecue. He used to be very active in sports; less so now.
So there is an ordinary working and family life around all of this. Music still finds a way to take up most of the hours in between.
What starts most of his songs is an emotion — a sunny day through the window, a sunrise, a sunset, the lights of Cape Town seen from up the mountain. This one started from something he went through. “Purple Mindy” came out of his own experience during a dark time in his life, and hope became the main character in the end.
He says it is the one song that still hits him emotionally to this day. He has always felt there is something special about it and about its lyrics, and what he hopes for is simple: that someone who takes the time to really listen finds some hope in it. If it reaches a person who needs exactly that, at exactly that moment, that would mean a lot to him.
Music also hits me in a lot of different ways emotionally. Depending on the moment, it can bring healing, comfort, energy, or something completely different. […] There's always something there that can meet you wherever you happen to be.
THISSALClick any image to view it at full resolution.
All materials on this page — photographs, artwork, audio and interview — were provided by the artist and are published with THISSAL’s express permission.
Success would be great, but I wouldn't want to lose the humility, authenticity or willingness to keep learning that got me there.THISSAL — from the interview for FMV FIT Radio
Seven questions about Cape Town, the moments that shaped his music, choosing between a guitar and a dance floor, and what he hopes will still feel the same five years from now.
I'm originally from Cape Town, South Africa. I would say culture and family have shaped me the most. South Africa has a very vibrant culture when it comes to music and dance, along with a more laid-back kind of lifestyle. Music and dance are just a big part of life there. You'll find people singing and dancing everywhere — in the streets, markets, schools, churches and all kinds of everyday places. Growing up around that definitely became part of who I am and, looking back, probably influenced my connection to music more than I realized at the time.
THISSAL was actually a process to get to. I started out listening to rock music back in the day and played in different musical projects and bands, including playing electric guitar. Then I started getting heavily into dance, particularly hip-hop and breakdancing. At one point I actually had to make a choice. I could continue playing guitar in the band I was with, or I could follow dancing. Dance was starting to take off for me, so I chose that path.
I never really lost the desire to make music, though. Eventually I decided that if I was going to continue with music, I wanted to do it on my own. Some of that decision also came from experiences I had with bands and bandmates. Going solo gave me the freedom to figure out what I actually wanted to create.
I believe I first started releasing or creating music under my real name. From there it became the SANDMAN PROJECT, then RÆVYK, and around the same time I also created Blackline Mirror. Each project represented something different creatively, but eventually I reached the point where I wanted everything to come together under one identity. I retired the other projects, and now I am only THISSAL.
DJing has also been part of that journey. I've been DJing on and off for more than a decade, but over the last two or three years I've made the decision to pursue it more seriously. So THISSAL wasn't really one particular moment. It was the result of years of music, bands, dancing, DJing, experimenting with different identities and eventually finding the project that felt right to move forward with.
The first word that comes to mind is accomplishment. There's a really good feeling that comes from getting right what you set out to accomplish when writing or creating a song — especially when you manage to capture the mood or feeling that was driving you in the first place.
Music also hits me in a lot of different ways emotionally. Depending on the moment, it can bring healing, comfort, energy, or something completely different. That's probably part of what keeps me connected to it. There's always something there that can meet you wherever you happen to be.
Outside of THISSAL, I work as a CNC machinist and I have a family. After work I honestly don't do a whole lot, but I can be really good at disappearing into my studio and spending hours there working on music or doing something music-related. It's pretty easy for me to lose track of time once I'm in there.
The winters here in Alberta can get pretty chilly, so I tend to hibernate a bit during the winter and watch my favourite NHL hockey team. In the summer I enjoy watching CFL football — basically Canada's version of American football — and I like to barbecue. I used to be very active in sports as well, although not nearly as much nowadays. So there's definitely an everyday working and family side of my life outside of THISSAL, but somehow music still finds a way to take up a lot of the hours in between.
Emotion is the fuel that drives the engine for me. I've written songs just staring out my window and enjoying a beautiful sunny day, a sunrise or a sunset. I've also had inspiration come from something as simple as an evening drive up the mountain and looking down at the beautiful city lights of Cape Town.
Other times it comes from somewhere much more personal. “Purple Mindy” came from my own experience during a dark time in my life, but hope became the main character in the end. That's one song that still hits me emotionally to this day.
Certain artists inspire me too, but in different ways. Sometimes it's simply the energy of a song that makes me want to go create something fun of my own. So the inspiration can come from a lot of different places, but there's usually an emotion behind it somewhere. That's what gets everything moving.
I would hope THISSAL has grown leaps and bounds. There's no doubt that I would love to be doing this full time and making a living doing something I genuinely love. At the same time, I want to stay humble and authentic, and I never want to stop growing and learning.
I think the person behind THISSAL has already changed a lot through my journey in music. Different projects, different experiences and the people I've met along the way — the good and the bad — have all taught me something and helped shape the person I am today.
So five years from now, I hope THISSAL has grown tremendously as a music project, but I also hope the person behind it has continued to grow and mature right alongside it. Success would be great, but I wouldn't want to lose the humility, authenticity or willingness to keep learning that got me there.
“Purple Mindy” is a big one for me personally. I've always felt like there is something special about that song and its lyrics, and I hope that someone who takes the time to really listen to it can find some hope in it. If it connects with someone who might need that at that particular moment, that would mean a lot to me.
Beyond that, I hope someone discovering THISSAL becomes curious to hear more. I want people to connect emotionally with the music, but I also want them to come along on the journey with me because I don't necessarily know exactly where the next release will take me. That's part of what I enjoy about creating. Whatever I decide to release next becomes another part of that journey, and I hope listeners want to experience it with me.
At the end of the day, I simply hope people genuinely love what they're hearing and feel something from it.
He does not know exactly where the next release will take him — and he says that is part of what he enjoys about creating. Whatever comes next becomes another part of the same journey.
You can hear THISSAL here, in the FMV FIT Radio rotation, and follow him wherever you listen.