The Real Patrick Baker

Patrick Baker, a Nashville, TN based producer and vocalist first gained his popularity roughly a year ago, through his numerous collaborations with many renowned artists including; Russian producer, 5 Reasons, and German electro-disco producer, Satin Jackets. Since then, he has built a name for himself amongst fans of many different genres, and continues to craft quality lyrics and vocals, as well as produce his own music. 

Was there a turning point in your life when you discovered you wanted to be a musician? Or was it more of a gradual process? Describe for your fans, briefly, why you decided to go into the music business.

"I think for me there have been some turning points for sure, but it's been more of a gradual process.  Music definitely runs in my family.  My father played saxophone in a band and both my uncles played guitar in bands and also wrote and recorded songs in their home studios."  

"But actually hip-hop was what initially inspired to create my own music.  I remember writing my first rap one night and shortly after that I begged my parents to buy me a Yamaha keyboard for Christmas.  It had a built in sequencer so I immediately started making beats and recording rhymes over them.  A few years later I discovered rock music and became obsessed with learning to play guitar.  Eventually those two passions intersected when I put together my studio started producing.  It's taken me a while to get decent at producing though.  I've found that you really have to work at it just like learning an instrument.  "

Where do your inspirations lie? Name a few artists who inspired your music.

In terms of overall artistry Jeff Buckley is one of my all time favorite artists along with The Beatles, Prince, Beck, U2, Maxwell, and Ryan Adams.  But I'm also very inspired by newer artists like Haim, Shy Girls, FKJ, Disclosure, Mitch Murder, RAC and Oliver.

Heres an easy one; what is your favorite pizza topping? 

"Onions."

What is your favorite pastime? Apart from making music, what do you do to keep yourself entertained?

"I love finding new music.  Also, traveling, video games, reading, and Twilight Zone re-runs."

Any plans for the near future? Do you have any projects coming up? 

"I have a several collaborations that are finished and waiting for release.  At the moment I'm focusing on my own songs though.  I probably have 50+ tracks in progress and from that hopefully I'll get 5 finished songs ha ha.  I'm working on a classic new jack swing track that I may release as my next single and hoping to follow with an EP soon."

What is your favorite television show or movie? 

"Well, at the moment I'm binge watching "How I Met Your Mother".  But as far as all time favorite I'd say Twilight Zone."

Favorite alcoholic drink? 

"I'm a sucker for a good sangria.  Barring that, it's hard to beat a Corona with lime."

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Check out some of his music on SoundCloud!! 

OR 

Like Patrick Baker on Facebook!

PS: Here's my favorite.

Who is BronSon?

BronSon, a Nu Disco/ Synth Wave artist from Paris, France, recently came up on our music radar. His music features an array of sounds ranging from funk to outrun. Our favorite track, Vengeance, features pristine vocal samples and a beat that could keep your head bobbing for days. Be sure to check of Vengeance and many others like it on SoundCloud.

A few questions for the artist

Who are the artists who you would consider most influential to yourself?

“I think we have all been influenced unwittingly by Daft punk, Kraftwerk, Giorgio Moroder more recently Kavinsky.

I listen to a lot of music (80's funk, metal, hip hop, electro, G-funk, rock and more). So I think all these styles influenced me, involuntarily.

Currently artists like: Bestrack, Starcadian, Daze, Besnine, to go even farther. I have tremendous respect for their work.”

 Is being a musician a full time thing for you, or do you make music on the side of having a full time job?

“I make music with pure passion, that's why I do not have a Bandcamp. Warning, I do not mean to offend any artists who possess a Bandcamp page. Instead, I try to share my music with all the people who like my music and I regularly send my songs to people who ask for it!”

 When did you become interested in becoming a musician?

“I have always been more than interested in music since I was young, but I got into it seriously 5 years ago. I used to play sports at a high level so I used trained a lot, but I hurt myself so I had to take time off and that’s when music became evident to me. “

Do you have a favorite scary movie, if so what is it?

“"He is back!” I believe the English title is "It" This movie traumatized my whole generation!!!”

Any new work on the way? EPs, singles etc.

“I am working on several projects at the moment but I will not say too much, as I would like to keep the suspense. ;-)”

 What do you do for fun, besides make music?

“Nothing.”

Saturday Sit-down with Futurecop!

Disco Unchained recently got in touch with our friends over at Futurecop! and decided it was time for a Saturday Sit-down. So here it is, Disco Unchained's exclusive interview with one of the synthwave community's most acclaimed duos; Futurecop! 

1) How did it all start? What are the origins of Futurecop!?

Pete: It started with a love of nostalgic music, movies, and retro culture.

Manzur: I think it was actually after a Mylo and Cut Copy show in Liverpool, that really influenced us to pick up a synthesizer and create 80s and 90s nostalgia. 

 2) What do you guys do for fun, other than produce music?

Pete: Read, play sport, cinema, usual stuff!

Manzur: I like to read, watch lost retro movies. I like comics and just made one recently, which i will release soon, stay tuned!. We also own a record label called We Are The future Records, we have loads of cool bands on there plus i am opening a new restaurant soon called Tomfoolery at 34, so very busy with that.

3) Alright, this is tough and we're notorious for asking this, but what are your all time favorite tracks?

 Pete: MGMT Time To Pretend, Mr Brightside remix, NERD Lapdance.

Manzur: thats hard.... well depends on the day really, i think last week would be a totally different list... okay so right now i'm loving: 

hearts - these dreams

enigma - return to innocence

bruce hornsby - mandolin rain

donna lewis - i love you always forever

rem - nightswimming

polaris - hey sandy

weezer - undone sweater song

boy meets girl - waiting for a star to fall

youth lagoon - bobby

angels and airwaves - the adventure

The racoons theme song - run with us

4) Do you have any new EPs, Albums or demos in the pipe line?

Peter: yeah a new album coming soon called "Fairy Tales" very excited about it, we made lots of cool visuals for it, cant wait to release it.

5) Where do you see Futurecop! 10 years from now?

 Manzur: no idea, that's probably why its so fun.  

6) If there's one thing you could change about the music industry, what would it be?

Manzur: This is a bit vague but i think music should be less about money, business / marketing plans etc. I would like to see music about making people discover something new about themselves or something they forgot about themselves. Something that speaks to the heart I guess and makes them uplifted. 

7) Is there anything you'd like to shout out to your fans? 

Manzur: Thanks for your support and for following Futurecop!'s adventure, I hope you will like the next album

Pete: and have a great summer!

Be sure to check out the duo here! 

Monarchy.

We recently got in touch with one of our favorite bands/duos, Monarchy. Monarchy has been behind some of our all time favorite tracks, namely "Love for Sale" and "I won't let go". In a Disco Unchained exclusive, Andrew Armstrong of Monarchy, answers some of our questions about the group's origins and future direction. 

1) How did Monarchy form? What are the origins of the duo?'

 We met in London, though we're both from Australia. We started making music together. Then when we wrote Gold In      The Fire, we decided it was a new project, and we named it Monarchy. After that, it has been our focus for the last four years.

 2) Where Monarchy take its musical influence from? What particular songs. artists, and genres have inspired you?

Our influences change overtime, but always a mix of dance and song writing. We love Daft Punk, and Stevie Wonder, Arcade Fire, Talking Heads, but also new stuff, like Sohn, James Blake, Disclosure. We listen to a broad range of music, always getting new inspiration and learning about song writing.

 3) Aside music, what else does the front man of Monarchy do? Do you have any other hobbies or passions?

I do loads actually. I'm mildly gym obsessed and health obsessed, so that means cooking at home. I'm trying to learn Spanish, but not doing terribly well at it. I'm also doing a side project with a friend called Horixon, we released on Kitsune, and are getting new tracks together now. And collect a bit of art, and visit galleries and travel. Travel is absolutely the best thing you can do with your money. And then every year I also go hiking with my brother in the mountains of Northern Italy. It's incredible.

4) This is a tough one, and we're known for asking this, but list your top 3 favorite tracks of all time (any genre, any time period)

That is a tough one. Stevie Wonder- I Wish. Aphex Twin - Window Licker. Whatever the last track on my iTunes shuffle was…

5) Are there any particular back stories for some of your tracks, like "I won't let go" for example, or "Love for sale"?

Often when we finish a song it feels like it’s 100% factual and 100% fiction. Which we realise is bad math, but that’s how it feels. Love for sale, is about the loss of identity within a relationship. How in the struggle to love and be loved in return, it can be easy to compromise who you are. It’s based on a real relationship, but viewed in hindsight. Hindsight is always a fiction.

6) Any thing you'd like to say/shout out to your fans?

Don't dumb it down, always shout for your individuality.

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Take a listen to their brand new track "Living Without You":

You guys can follow Monarchy here

Saturday Sitdown With Anoraak

It's like a dream come true! We here at Disco Unchained had the pleasure of meeting one of our all time favorite artists; Anoraak. In anticipation of his new work, we decided it was only right that we got him over for a Saturday Sitdown Session. 

1) How did Anoraak start? How on Earth did it all begin?

It started in my student room, at a time i didn't have a band anymore because i'd moved to another city for my studies. I had never tried to use a computer to make music before, so it took a little time to start to create something decent. No one really knew about my music, even my roommate, and at some point i decided to upload a couple of tracks on Myspace in 2007 or 2008, and it genuinely took off from my room thanks to that.

2) Is there any special meaning attached to the name "Anoraak"? What does it mean?

Basically it's the sound of the word that interested me. Also, an anorak was the jacket i used to put on when skiing when i was a kid, and at this time it felt like a cool reference to my childhood.

3) Tell us a bit about your new album! Whats it about? the "Night Drive With You" era was about summer love and heartache. What is your new work about?

The new album "Chronotropic" has more of a urban, nocturnal feeling. I'd say a little darker. I guess there will always be a summery touch in my work anyways, but this one has something deeper in the sound, in the composition, in the graphic design. It's more sharply contrasted, and it's a sum of the experiences of "Nightdrive With You", "Wherever The Sun Sets", and a lot from the tour with my band.

4) Where did Anoraak draw inspiration from musically? Any artists or bands in particular?

It's always hard to answer such a question. My musical background is extremely wide, and it would be too restrictive to pick just a few names. I think the most influencing musical currents to my music are: the 70's disco and funk scene, the mainstream pop music from the 80's, and the alternative rock ad electronic scenes from the 90's and early 2000's.

5) Tell us a bit about touring! Where will you be in the future in regards to performances?

The album release is planned for October 21st, and i'll be back on the road with my band on October 22nd Apart from a few gigs programmed in France and some djsets in the USA, i can't give a schedule so far, it's in the making. But i'm pretty excited, we've just finished a residency to put every single detail of the show together, and it's looking and sounding really great.

6) Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?

To be honest, i absolutely don't think about that! Thinking about tomorrow is already way enough to me, i certainly consider that life is too short and too unpredictable to think like that.

7) All time favorite food and drink?

I love food in general, that's as hard as picking one favorite band! Maybe even harder... I'm really about fish and seafood, let's say the smoked haddock, i love it. And i'll definitely have a preference for a good red wine or a good whisky. By the way, red wine with fish is totally underrated


9) All time favorite song (this is a tough one, but try your best)

For sure it's a tough one! I'd say Antonin Dvorak's "Slavonic Dance Op.72" n°2, especially the orchestral version, it brings you to tears.

10) If you could change one thing about the world, absolutely anything, what would it be? anything at all?

The size of planet Earth!

11) Believe me when I say there are a lot of people that look up to you. What advice you have for newer artists?

It's a lot of responsibility to give advice about such an unpredictable activity. To my opinion, just keeping doing what you love and what you need to do is the only way. It's all about passion, all the rest has little importance.

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And there you have it folks! You can follow Anoraak here

Saturday Sitdown With Carpenter Brut

Disco Unchained was given the opportunity to have a rather brief chat with a rather interesting artist. Carpenter Brut has perhaps one of the most unique sounds we have heard in quite a while. Imagine Justice  on LSD. Yeah, that type of band.

Warning : Heavy Satire

How did Carpenter Brut Start?
Pretty well, thanks.

What inspirations do you have regarding your music?
I'm not really inspired.
 
 All time favorite song?
Hey You - Pink Floyd
 
 All time favorite flavor of ice cream?
Vanilla Ice
 
 What is one thing you would change about the music industry if you could?
Kavinsky
 
 All time favorite movie?
The Thing
 
 Do you have other interests aside music?
Kitchen knife
 
Advice for newer synth artists?
Don't try to copy Kavinsky.
















 

Sunday Interview with Luke Cuerel (Pigeon)

Disco Unchained managed to get an interview with Pigeon front-man Luke Cuerel.  Pigeon, an Australian electronic dance band, has been making jams since 2011. Their music is fresh, and their beats are phat. 

Shazeb: Alright, let's start with the basics. What got you into music?

Luke: We all got into music in different ways, some of us dabble in jazz and roots stuff while some of the other guys are DJs and into rock and pop. Now we're a mish-mash of different styles under the umbrella of electronic indie dance.We all have been to a life changing gig early on that sparked interest in music making. Probably would be some embarrassing gigs in there too.

Shazeb:  Life changing experiences you say? Hm, I think i get what you mean. Anyways, what would your top 5 favorite bands/groups of all time be?

Luke: As a band, I'd have to say we draw so much influence from Royksopp, Friendly Fires and Delphic. Of all time, we might add in The Beatles and Daft Punk. I'd love to through the wildcard in there of Eminem, he has the nostalgia factor.

Shazeb: All hail Daft Punk! I personally am a fan of Friendly Fires as well, and enjoy their music. I guess i could see some of their influence on Pigeon. Now, if you could change one thing about the music industry as a whole, what would it be?

Luke: I would love to see more help for artists to develop their craft/product, however it's pretty lucky to be able to make music for a living. We're all pretty stoked. We're starting careers in the music industry.

Shazeb: Speaking of careers, what advice would you have for upcoming independent synth artists?

Luke: Do what you want! Go crazy with synths, the possibilities are endless with electronic music.

You guys can follow them here!