Interviews

In the deep blue sea of dance music, it is refreshing when you receive some music that is challenging to categorize. That is the beauty of this release. Headed up by Sacred Cycles legend, Pete Lazonby aka Padre, who works with Italian producer Bar.ba and vocalist OE on the simply stunning ‘Alterity’.

Where do you think the impulse to create music comes from in you Pete?

Trying to find a role that only I can fulfil. Artists need to please themselves, safe in the knowledge that we're all fundamentally alike.

What roles do stuff like art, relationships, and the current state of the world play in your ideas process?

This is a romantic release. 'Holding Hands We're Feeling Power' celebrates the ignition moment at the start of a relationship. It was easy to hold hands as a child, yet it becomes really charged as an adult when you do it for the first time with someone; a type of consent.

‘She Dances Like A Painting' was something the Marquis De Sade said of a favourite of his. The Maurice Lever Sade biography is a great read. I found it via John Malkovich's recommendation right at the end of German 60s band CAN’s biography.

For you to get started, does there need to be concrete ideas for you to make a track?

No, I’m a believer in following pieces to their destinations.

What is the balance between planning and improvisation for you?

Deciding what part of the music making process is within my powers at any given time and then finding a tune that requires that type of input is my most effective work method.

For your latest release, what did you start with? Were there conceptual considerations, what were they?

No, just trying to make discoveries and share wonder.

Tell us about the way Alterity developed and gradually took its final form.

The name Alterity was the final statement. It means otherness. Almost everyone is copying each other or repeating themselves as if music was subject to those defined boundaries. Making things which are different and new but somehow still make sense is what drives me, both in terms of the process and the results.

Once a piece is finished, how important is it for you to let it lie and evaluate it later?

If I thought something was both finished and required evaluation I would be in trouble. But I know that’s not what you meant. Of course, you can’t work on something if you’re too close to it or not in the right headspace for any reason.

How much tweaking do you allow until you're satisfied with a track?

It’s often unhelpful to consider things finished. I just do my best and never stop trying. I’m currently considering replacing my last All Day I Dream track with a superior new version I discovered playing live…

After finishing an Ep or an album and then putting out there, there can often be a sense of emptiness. Can you relate to this?

Hopefully I’ll be working on something else.

There can be moments of doubt and horror at any time when you work beyond your comfort zone.

Do you find that the feedback of others is important to you?

Constructive criticism is the best type. Praise is more useful socially than artistically.

Only the act of creation is indispensable for personal growth.

What was most important for you to express with this release?

Qualities more often found in roots dance music from West Africa and Latin America than the 21st century electronic music scene. A sense of peace within the energy. Working with Bar.ba means a great sense of humour will be in there too.

Who do you think is currently changing the world for the better?

Semyon Bychkov, the Russian chief conductor of the Czech Philharmonic. A true global citizen. If he conducts Mahler in your city don’t miss it. He’s also a great talker and thinker. I sample his voice a lot in my tracks. It’s like music already.

Check out the latest release from Padre & Bar.ba.