Fernando Molinari Unleashes Progressive Bass Firepower on “Numen”
Back in April, Fernando Molinari sent us a preview of his latest album, and now it’s finally here. Numen is a heavy-hitting progressive album that fuses metal, jazz, fusion, and flamenco.
Molinari composed, arranged, and produced the five tracks and got a murderer’s row of musicians to bring it to life, including Marco Minnemann, Andre Nieri, Chris Clark, Daniel Felix, and more. He hammers out odd-time syncopations that will break your neck, then gets the fretless out to double a face-melting melody. Seriously, if you like heavy, adventurous music with outrageous bass playing, go listen to it right now.
We caught up with Molinari to get the scoop on how the instrumental songs all tie together, how he got his killer tone, and how he doesn’t let technique affect his writing.
Numen is out now on Bandcamp, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and more.
Can you explain the album title and the song names? It seems like a concept album.
Yes! It is! I’m kind of a history buff, so I wanted to build this around Roman mythology and write songs that felt connected to the theme, at least in my head, haha.
Even though the record’s all instrumental.
“NUMEN” is a Latin term for “divine presence”, “divine will”, or “divinity” – not a specific god, but a manifestation of something divine.
This EP and these songs came out of one of the hardest moments of my life – and writing helps me clear my head and stay sane.
As an artist, turning my feelings into music is my safe place – a place where I find something bigger than I can describe, that makes me feel closer to something divine, a place where I find peace, joy, and a cure for my darkest moments. Music is a NUMEN in my life! Something where I can feel the Divine presence!
What is your writing process like? There are a lot of complex riffs that all seem to flow naturally, and I’m wondering how that all comes together?
I actually never compose with an instrument in hand. I record vocal ideas on my phone and transcribe them later on the computer.
I only pick up an instrument once the song is finished, so I don’t get boxed in by technique. My priority is writing something that genuinely excites me first.
That approach seems to help the ideas flow. I write for every instrument and don’t have a set starting point. Even though I’m a bass player, I see myself as a composer first. I want the tracks to stand as full band compositions, not just bass features.
I enjoy writing riffs, but honestly that’s the easiest part haha. I go deep on layers and harmony. I put a ton of work into the arrangements — simultaneous layers, changes, odd time signatures, recurring motifs — while I try to keep it musical and listenable.
Who are your current influences that can be heard on this album?
It’s funny, when I’m writing I avoid listening to anything else so I don’t accidentally copy stuff. But there are definitely players I’ve listened to so much that they’re in my DNA: Al Di Meola, Egberto Gismonti, Avishai Cohen, Matt Garrison, Alain Caron, John McLaughlin…
Please tell us about the guests on the album.
I have the honor of working with some of the most incredible musicians on the planet!
- Marco Minnemann – Drums (Minerva, Netuno and Gemina)
- Andre Nieri – Guitars (Minerva and Netuno)
- Mariko Muranaka – Cello (Gemina)
- Joao Hanysz – Acoustic and Electric guitars (Mitra and Marte)
- Luigi Paraventi – Drums (Marte)
- Chris Clark – Piano solo (Gemina)
- Arthur Rezende – Drums (Mitra)
- Daniel Felix – Electric piano, Keyboards and Effects (Netuno and Gemina)
- Herbert Medeiros – Keyboards (Minerva)
- Cristian Del Giorgio – Keyboards (Mitra)
- Pascoal Molinari, Rosemary Molinari & Juliana Chimenes – Rhythmic Claps (Mitra)
Numen was mixed and mastered by Paulo Anhaia.
These people are the reason this work has any good parts at all!
What basses and gear did you use to record?
I used my F Bass BN5 Custom fretted and my BNF5 Custom on the fretless tunes. I used DR Strings Dragon Skin + (Stainless Steel for the fretted and Quantum Nickel for the Fretless) with 0.45-125 gauges.
I also recorded using a Gallien-Krueger PLEX + Legacy 800 preamp, CTS Custom Bass cables, and a Focusrite interface.
Any plans to perform this live?
Definitely! Working with musicians of this caliber isn’t easy when it comes to scheduling a tour, but I’m trying to figure it out!
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
