Below the Surface: Meduso’s Dive into Inspiration’s Abyss

It’s difficult to pin down exactly what drives inspiration and fuels a creative mind. There’s no right answer, either. Some artists seclude themselves in a vast forest to tap into their muse. Others prefer the sounds of a packed nightclub or a bustling city. Christian Fuda, better known as the experimental, metal-infused bass artist, Meduso, prefers the ocean.

👁️‍🗨️ ¿Where will i be seeing you? 👁️‍🗨️ pic.twitter.com/CvOUlbazz6

— Meduso🪼 (@Meduso_bass) September 12, 2023

Since a young age, Fuda has always been drawn to the ocean. In fact, some of his earliest memories take place on East Coast beaches, just a few blocks from his childhood home South of Boston. It was here, on the oceanside cliffs, that Fuda first discovered his imaginative spirit, which manifested as playful reenactments of his favorite scenes from Lord of the Rings and staged “sword fights” with his neighborhood friends. But, perhaps more importantly, it was also here that Fuda first discovered the creature that would go on to define his creative career: the jellyfish.

“The duality of jellyfish is awesome,” Fuda said in an exclusive interview with MP3 MAG ahead of his upcoming Imagine Music Festival performance next month. “On one hand, jellyfish are associated with peaceful energy, like the calming jellyfish videos you see on computer screens or idol TVs. But in real life, if someone sees a jellyfish at the beach, they’ll probably run away because they’re scared of getting stung. That dichotomy is so interesting to me.”

Jellyfish don’t have ulterior motives. They aren’t even capable of deception. They simply float along, and maintain their beauty without any concern for how they are perceived. Their alarming capacity for damage and equally compelling beauty coexist with compelling harmony that’s inspired Fuda throughout his artistic career. So much so that these creatures inspired the Meduso name: Meduso is actually short for the scientific name for a jellyfish, “subphylum Medusozoa.” Much like the Medusozoa, Fuda hopes to exist in harmony with the art he creates, whatever it is.

“I want to create from a place with no expectations — just pure creation for love of creating, and knowing that because my intentions are pure, everything will work out.”

The best art is uninhibited, existing in a deep void unconcerned with its surroundings, illuminating entirely by itself like a lone jellyfish surrounded by an endless ocean that’s equal parts lively and mysteriously empty. This is the expansive world Meduso’s art exists in: a glowing manifestation surrounded by an endless abyss of inspiration.“Inspiration is like the tides,” Fuda, said. “You never know what’s going to wash up on shore. You never know what ideas are going to pop into your head.”

If the moon controls the tides, then awareness dictates inspiration. That’s why Fuda is always realigning his perception with the present moment — sometimes, the biggest ideas come from the smallest details. “There are these seemingly arbitrary, miscellaneous details that pass through our lives that can have a huge impact with no obvious explanation,” Fuda said. “Tapping into that energy whenever it presents itself, however it presents itself, is so important.”

The way a sunset paints the corner of Fuda’s LA apartment at dusk, or some casual insight during a spirited conversation with a new friend, can inspire an idea so grand that it leaps out of his mind into the real world in the blink of an eye. But these subtle revelations are fleeting, and designed to be captured in real time. 

If Fuda waits too long, or loses touch with the present moment, that genius idea might lose its shape, lost in the abyss of missed opportunities plagued by worldly distractions. As you can probably imagine, this “strike while the iron is hot” mentality hasn’t always been in alignment with his full-time job as a designer with the acclaimed fashion brand, Adidas. As much as he loved that job, he knew it was ultimately holding him back from his solo artistic endeavors. So, last month he finally made the tough decision: Meduso is now a full time project.

“I’m so excited to give the Meduso project the time and energy I’ve always hoped to give it. I couldn’t really do that before when I had another full-time job, even though that was a creative career in itself,” Fuda said. This newfound devotion to the Meduso project means we can expect tons of new music in the coming months.

But “music” should not be confused with “content,” which has become the primary focus for many aspiring artists in the last few years. “I want to make art, not content. Content is disposable. People spend years working on a masterpiece of a painting just to go viral for 24 hours, then practically disappear. On to the next. That’s not what I’m after.”

What Fuda is after is something more concrete — a stable expression of mindfulness and innovation through acute intuition, expressed across multiple mediums including, art, design, and the live experience. That’s why his latest music, and upcoming EPs, are the most grand, cinematic material he’s released to date.

Take his latest track, “Drive You Mad.” It’s an aggressive, metal-inspired bass odyssey that explores deep rock influences with contorted guitar riffs and monstrous drums that power the heartbeat of bass heads and metal fanatics alike. “Drive You Mad” isn’t the first time Meduso has explored the crossroads of metal music and dubstep (“Turn Up the Bass”is another great example), but it is his most fluid attempt yet. This clarity represents a sort of imposing renaissance for the Meduso project, one that sees a “red thread” tying his many musical and artistic influences together for a refurbished lucidity that’s becoming increasingly coherent.

“At times, some of these bits and pieces of the Meduso project have felt sort of disconnected. But recently, they’ve all been coming together beautifully. I’ve been looking at things more closely, with deeper intention. That’s what Meduso has always represented, and it’s finally taking shape.”

But this “shape” is less concerned with structure, more interested in presentation. That’s the next phase of the Meduso project — presenting puzzle pieces for the listener to put together through expansive mediums ranging from recorded music and live sets to merchandise and cover art. Each element has its place, but only when they’re put together does the true intention behind Fuda’s creative vision become fully realized. The end result? A comprehensive exploration of experimental design across the artistic stratosphere. Fuda is aiming for the stars, and his eyes are on the constellations.

That’s because, much like the constellations, Fuda’s art tells a story; it’s an animated tale of self expression, entirely consumed by the pure act of creation. When Fuda creates, he often finds his head in the clouds, but his spirit remains firmly tethered to earth. Or, more accurately, the ocean.

You can catch Meduso on the Periphery tour with Ravenscoon this Fall, or at 2024’s Imagine Music Festival on September 14-17. Tickets for GA, VIP, and PLATINUM tiers, as well as various camping options and add-ons, are available for purchase on the Imagine Music Festival website.

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