1.Growing Up

I was absolutely blessed with more than enough music with my parents. They had an exceptional record collection – everything from early baroque to the pop music of the time. They had jazz, soul, blues, world music and plenty of it. I remember taking a liking to the jazz and pop stuff, especially stuff with strong instrumentation and beautiful chords. I feel very privileged to have had such an abundance and variety in musical influence at such a young age.

2.Inspirations

My inspirations have always been too holistic to single out. I find myself influenced by all sorts of things – in the past it would have been just music, but these days it’s music, film, landscapes, people, loved ones, art, wine, food, travel, stories, memories and life. I feel my emotions drive my music and those are built on all of the above.

3.Your Crew

I love collaborating, especially with producers/vocalists and musicians that come from very different backgrounds or styles. I worked with several different vocalists on my new album, ranging from folk and jazz singers to techno producers.

4.The Music You Make And Play

I think the only confident descriptor I can provide on genre is ‘electronic’. I think there are elements of many preceding genres in the mix, such as folk, ambient, jungle, pop and techno. I think the core or glue of it is the emotive nature of it as a whole.

5.Music, Right Here, Right Now

Music right now in my opinion is in a space that has no reference. We have the largest amount of music being distributed in our recorded history, we have software that makes it easy and accessible for people to create and capture musical talent, and we have a world of people that are connected and communicating with each other. I think it is relatively healthy as far as content goes – although you have to sift through much more content to find things that resonate these days – but unhealthy as far as total money within the industry. On a positive note though, just a few weeks ago I managed to get a James Blake and Radiohead album within days of each other, so I’m happy for now.

The Stillness by Pacific Heightsisout now through Create/Control.

Get unlimited access to the coverage that shapes our culture.
to Rolling Stone magazine
to Rolling Stone magazine