INTERVIEW: The Uncompromising Sound Of Patrice Bäumel
Patrice BÄumel found some time during his recent Australian tour to sit down for chat…
The work of Amsterdam-based artist Patrice Bäumel is thoughtful, brilliantly executed, and entirely evocative. While he can first and foremost be described as a techno producer, Bäumel’s music infuses elements of electronic, melodic, and progressive genres, tapping into a niche that not many other artists have conquered. From his Essential Mixes on BBCs Radio 1, to his original productions released on record labels Trouw, Kompakt, Systematic and Afterlife, Bäumel has remained in the big leagues since his inception into the industry in 2002.
Priding himself on producing music that is intended to evoke an emotional and spiritual experience, Bäumel’s philosophy of never compromising your sound in an attempt to follow the mainstream, can surely be credit to his success. We had a chat to Patrice Bäumel during his recent upcoming Australian tour, about all things growing up around music, his production style, and working within the industry.
You grew up in a musical household, your father being a music journalist. Do you think growing up listening to a wide range of musical genres – like free jazz as you’ve stated in the past - gave you a good foundation for the genre of music you now work within?
It made me comfortable thinking of music not so much in genres but simply as sound. I think it also helped me being able to combine different, superficially opposing styles into something that somehow works on the dancefloor.
How did your long term residency at the iconic Trouw help shape your creative sound?
A long residency is like dj school. You get to explore all aspects of a night, from warm-up to peak-time, and since you are playing to the same crowd week after week you constantly need to find new music. All of this has broadened my musical vocabulary immensely.
You’ve remixed for some incredibly talented artists, Depeche Mode, Sasha, and Cubicolor to name a few, do you tackle your remix projects any differently to producing original works? How do you strike the balance between keeping key elements of a track and how much of your own style to inject into it?
Remixes are much easier because the core idea and starting point are already there. It is critical to only remix source material that I like and that is expressive in itself. I do not enjoy turning an anonymous tech house track into a Baumel track.
I rigorously delete every source sound that does not inspire me. Then I go to town with the remaining parts and try to work swiftly. As always, the music writes itself and I do not feel that I have control over the creative direction.
What do you think is the most common misconception about the industry you are in?
That sounding like the most popular artists of the moment will get you far. Best case scenario is that you will end up a moderately successful but utterly replaceable me-too artist.
It seems at times that you have quite a spiritual and philosophical view to both your live sets and also to your production style – stating in the past that most of your best songs write themselves quite quickly based purely off a feeling. What advice do you have for up and coming artists and producers who are having trouble finding their own “sound”?
There are no shortcuts. Unless you are rich and can manufacture a career around clever and omnipresent marketing, or you have the entrepreneurial savvy to utilize other people’s talent, the 10 000 hour rule to mastery applies here as well. In my opinion, persistence mixed with courage and the ability to do a honest self-assessment, and will to constantly improve and learn, is the most viable path towards a successful music career. Always make sure there is actual demand for what you are trying to do. Avoid competition by creating your own niche.
You’re about to return to Australia playing at many of our nations most prestigious festivals. Does playing to Australian fans feel any different to playing anywhere else in the world?
Crowd interaction is amongst the most rewarding anywhere on the planet. Plus the country is extremely pleasant to spend time in. I could easily live here.