Paji, the multi-talented artist and composer with 16 million views on YouTube, has just released his new self-titled album. It is a masterpiece of what is possible when an artist does not set limits and embraces Electronic and Classical instruments. In an incredibly spiritual and soul-wrenching approach, Paji’s self-titled Deep House album is both thrilling and dramatic in its delivery. I had the opportunity to interview Paji this month and here’s how it went down.
Hello, this is RiMo from Fresh Music Freaks. I’m here with Paji who just released his self-titled debut album that took my breath away. How are you doing today?
Hey RiMo, thanks for having me. I’m doing good 🙂
Can you please tell me how the concept for this album came about?
I did many EPs or singles before and always had to think for the dance floors. The tracks were all in between 118 and 124 bpm and somehow produced for the dance floor. I wanted to break out to be musically free and just create music that I like. So the idea of an album came up. The concept was to combine classical and traditional instruments with Electronic Music as well as the combination of Western and Eastern-influenced music.
How would you describe your music?
Melancholic, deep, energetic.
You have some collaborations with other artists on this album. How did these collaborations come about?
I’m really happy about the collaborations. When I started my Electronic Music career, I spent a lot of time in the studio of my good friends Tube & Berger. I had my first releases on their imprint. We still work together, so it was clear that there will be a collaboration on my album.
I met Namito when I moved to Berlin in 2018, but of course, I knew his name before. We were introduced by a friend and planned a studio session. There was immediately a good vibe and we produced the track “Intoku“.
The collaboration with Thomasiom was a real pleasure. He is such a talented guy. He’s a composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer. I think you can hear his musicality in ‘Seaside’.
Last but not least, Wonderful Bones. Coming from a different genre makes working together interesting. I really like his voice so we spent hours and hours in the studio together. It’s no coincidence that he is on two tracks of my album.
I love the way you have combined classical instruments with electronic instruments. When did you first start to do this and how did you decide which instruments would work well with one another?
Thank you!! It was a lot of trial and error in the beginning. I think it’s almost 10 years ago when I started to experiment with classical instruments on electronic music. At some point it worked very well. I think it’s about the space you give the instruments. You don’t have to overload it.
How much time do you spend each week working in your studio?
It really depends on how much time I am in Berlin or I am on tour. When I’m at home, I usually go every day to the studio and spend around ten hours in there. Sometimes more, sometimes less. Sometimes I just go there and play an instrument without recording something.
What electronic instruments do you use regularly, and do you build your own?
I don’t build my own instruments, but I have some ideas for my new live equipment which will be custom made. Regularly I use the Prophet, Juno, and Sub37. There are too many 🙂
How do you stay healthy while on tour and during performances?
I try to eat healthily and move a lot. Sometimes you don’t have time to go into the hotel gym when you arrive, or you are just too tired to do exercises. I think the key is to stay healthy when you are not touring, so you have the energy to go on tour.
Explain your songwriting process, ex: do you write the melody first then lyrics?
There is no rule that I follow. Sometimes I have a nice melody in my mind and I just want to build something around it. But it can also be just a beat in the beginning, then the harmonies and in the end, I find the right melody.
What kinds of music do you like? What are your influences?
I would say I like good music. The genre doesn’t matter if it’s good, it’s good! At the moment, I listen to a lot of traditional music and a lot of Classical music. But of course, I also a lot of Electronic Music.
What are you most excited about for 2020?
Firstly, all the reactions to my album. I already received a lot of feedback, and this is really nice. But for sure, I’m looking forward to all the great live gigs in 2020.
Do you think the number of live electronic music performers will increase in the coming year and why?
Hopefully! We have so many nice stages at all the festivals. It would be nice to fill them with more musicians who play live. I’m a big fan of the DJ thing. But when I see the big crowds it would just be nice to see great musicians playing live and giving their emotions to the audience.
What is your greatest challenge while playing live?
The sound is the greatest challenge. Every place sounds different has different sound systems and different surroundings. I have to hear my music very well and take care how I mix all the stems and instruments together. I think this is one of the greatest challenges while playing live.
Why was this year the right time for you to come out with your album?
I felt ready to come out with my new album in 2018. But it took me almost one year to finish the album, so it came in 2019.
Thank you so much Paji!
Check out Paji: Facebook | Spotify | Twitter.
Paji Buy link: https://www.beatport.com/release/paji/2741444
*Featured Image of Paji Via Artist FB*
