Behind the Beats with centre: Melodies, Memories, and the Mechanics of Music
Pete opens up about his evolution as an artist, his approach to production, and his alignment with Electric Eden Records.
Hello Pete! How are you today, and what have you been up to lately?
Hey Dominique, You're good? Nice to talk with you today.
Lately I’ve been spending so much time in my home studio here in Wales.
In my life there have been periods of intense engagement and disengagement from music, and right now I'm in a place where writing every day feels good and productive.
Can you briefly share when you started producing music, your first piece of equipment or software?
I’ll start with the first piece of equipment I bought, then the one that impacted my life the most, then we can talk about some of the things I use to make music today.
Early 1980’s. I started with a Casio MT500 keyboard, and a wooden block in the garage of my parents house. It was apparently too annoying for the inside. It was the Technics 1210s that changed everything for me. I Loved the Xecutioners and Invisibl Skratch Piklz. As soon as I got a set in the mid 1990’s Learning to scratch was everything, I learned first at home then played further afield as time went on.
The lessons I took from learning to scratch, such as; how to build and break energy, or phrasing - the art of telling a story with cuts - and call and response patterns, all really help with writing melodies and hooks.
I was a bedroom producer making beats with a cracked copy of Fruity Loops 3 on a budget PC. I’d record them to a Sony Mindisc. which I would play out in the lounges and clubs in Cardiff.
It was the era of the internet forums, I met folks online and produced six albums before I got to work with Ninja Tune on a compilation of those tracks in 2010.
Now, my home studio is pretty overcrowded. I confess to having G.A.S. But really all I need is Abelton and a mouse, but that doesnt feel very musical without attached gear. The AKAI APC 64 is my newest Abelton controller, and it works a treat. Great for fast arrangements.
I use Native Instruments Traktor for DJing, and Komplete for soft synths, and mostly Korg & Roland hardware. Synths and drum machines.
Did you have a mentor or take any lessons, either offline or online, to enhance your skills?
I just watched everything around me. I never had a lesson in music really, only a small period in school with a beat up Cornet, again, way too loud to practice at home, so that was short lived around age 8.
I don't believe I'm a natural musician, in so much as it never came easily.. I didn’t ever pick anything up with ease, it took effort.
Music was the only thing I really was motivated by, and the one lifelong thing that stayed with me.
I had to find my own way because I could never read music and didn’t have anything to record onto or with. It wasn’t until the early 90’s Amiga and 8 bit tracker software, that IU was able to put anything down. And that was proto-jungle rave sounds.
I'm constantly trying to learn new stuff, all the time. I need constant movement, constant new sounds and new ways to mess with them.
What is the music scene like in your hometown/country, where you currently reside?
Closest cities are Cardiff and Bristol.. I am disconnected from club scenes these days, but I see that drum and bass still hits the hardest, at least on my social feed.
The club scene was peak for me, in 2000-2010. I had DJ residencies, known back then as DJ Kovas, so lucky enough to get myself on the bills with many of the heavy hitters who passed through.
My music scene now is much more personal. I stay in touch with a few people who I worked with in the past, lifetime friends who will never grow too old to make music.
Could you share some insights about your latest EP “Sentient Dream” on Electric Eden Records? When did you start working on these tracks, how long did you spend on it, and any interesting details about the creative process?
The EP sentient dreams was written in the hot part of the Summer of 2023. I spent a lot of late nights, definitely getting in that flow state, just exploring vibes and moods. Sometimes, tracks come easily. Like the music is just unrolling out in front of you, and for me, those are the best tracks.. Tracks that aren't forced, or banged out to just be another Genre track.
Having now released your first EP on the label and a few more upcoming releases, do you view Electric Eden Records as a new musical home for your work?
Absolutely yes. I am delighted to connect with Electric Eden. Music is such a personal expression, but it transmits. We feel music. And when you share your most intimate feelings, it’s only often with family.
Music has an ability to create families of people, even if they never meet IRL.
I am encouraged by the words of support I have heard, and that gives me, the classic fragile artist, a sense of acceptance, where I can be myself, and that's home, right?
The concept of "flow" in music production refers to a state of deep focus and creativity. Can you describe a moment when you felt completely in the flow while creating music, and what was the end result of that session?
This is something I am fascinated by.. Sometimes, in a session, I'll look up and be like. ‘Shit, I made a fresh beat, and now it exists in the World…forever.” Something can come from nothing, I guess.
That for me, is why using different technologies to make music is so fun, because, there will be a path where you think. 1.. I know nothing, what’s happening. 2 I know something, what’s happening. 3 Listen to what just happened.
When I'm in Flow State, I can almost feel the neurons fizzing around my brain, creating new pathways & connections.
Then there is the ride where you’ll immediately love or hate an instrument, or be awed into inaction by the possibilities of the gizmo you just got. Learning something is often just as rewarding as an experience. Just messing around until something pops out, and then I explore that idea until the song feels complete.
Flow state tho, counter intuitively, is often more about completing actions without thinking..and that comes for me, through repetition. First it was with scratching, then with drumming, I’d obsessively practice until I could reach that Flow State., where nothing else matters other than being in that moment.
Muscle memory is important in Flow State, but magic can come from missteps.
And for that, you gotta know how to use your tools really well. And for me, that tool is Ableton. I can play with a lot of toys, but for work, Ableton is the one.
What advice would you offer to your younger self, considering all the knowledge and experience you've gained in your career so far?
Just keep going. But faster. Don’t let perfection be the enemy of the good.
Additionally, what advice would you give to aspiring artists who may be reading this interview
My first piece of advice is from Rick Rubin. Please no one but you. Your taste is what makes you, you. Don’t dilute your sound for the wishes of an imaginary audience.
Secondly, get really good at one skill. Watch people who are the best in their field. Find your niche and become World Class at that one thing.
Here’s a couple of memorable quotes I use all the time.
“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Design is knowing which ones to keep
“Perfection is not when everything has been added, but when everything has been taken away
Besides music, do you have any other passions or hobbies?
When I was 18, I was told by my cousin’s husband that music would become less and less important as I grew up. In fact, it’s become the opposite, and my chief time-spending strategy. I do my duties looking after my children, dogs and family, recognizing i am blessed to have these
Are there any books, documentaries, podcasts, or TV shows that you'd like to recommend to your fans and fellow artists?
For AI you want to watch Matt Woolf on You Tube.
Matt Wolfe - YouTube
For Neuroscience check out Huberman Labs
Andrew Huberman - YouTube
For laughs: No Such thing as a Fish podcast
No Such Thing As A Fish - YouTube
For the most amazing Tiny Desk Concert St. Paul And The Broken Bones: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert
Could you share some of your all-time favorite tracks or songs that have had a significant impact on your musical journey?
In the 80’s, albums from EPMD (Strictly Business), JURU (Jazzmatazz vol1), and ICE T - (Power), found their way to my ears from my cousins from Boston, who would visit me in the UK.
In the 90’s I continued to love Hip hop, keeping it Jazzy wherever I could find it. Then raves happened. Life-changing for a generation. Tracks such as ‘The Dark Stranger’ and ‘We I E’ come to mind.
Then I learnt of a label called Ninja Tune., thanks to DJ Food and the Herbablizer, which sat neatly alongside UK Hip Hop at the turn of the century. Low Life records dropped moods that matched mine, and this was a huge part of the sound of my DJ sets in the early noughties. I coupled that with lots of drum and bass, broken beats from Domu, tons of dopeness from Compost Records, and other tweaked out modern Jazz vibes.
Links to 3 tracks
Boogie Times Tribe - Dark Stranger ( Origin Unknown Remix )
Guru Featuring Donald Byrd - Loungin'
Arrest the President: Task Force
What can we look forward to from you in the near future?
I want to explore more of the same themes that I have so far with Electric Eden. Namely, wonky lo fi electronica without limits.
I have chillhop and experimental lofi songs coming on DREAMWRLD Lofi, and will be releasing melodic electronica regularly with Regroup Records, Botanica Beats and others.
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