Q Though you're probably better known for your role in Shapeshifter, Pacific Heights is clearly a project into which you also pour time and energy. How do you differentiate between projects? Is it easy or hard to select what material goes where?
A Well, I have been doing Pacific Heights for eight years now, so I have figured many ways to keep them coexisting while having their own identities. Obviously, the sound and style of both the projects are quite contrasting now, with Pacific Heights being more downbeat versus Shapeshifter's high-octane energy. I just write music and then listen to it and see where it belongs.
Q Do you enjoy the freedom a solo project provides?
A Oh hell yeah! Having an outlet which has no compromises means total freedom - something every artist should have. I don't think I would still be in Shapeshifter and be a musician if it wasn't for my own creative endeavours.
Q Still, your second album, In A Quiet Storm, is not exactly you and you alone is it? There are plenty of collaborations. What did those artists add to the mix?
A I have been blessed with some of New Zealand's finest vocalists. Working with all of them brought so many new levels and dimensions to the music. I'm so blown away by what all the guest artists gave to the album. I can't even imagine those tracks without vocals now.
Q In A Quiet Storm covers plenty of ground, including soul, hip-hop and break-beat. Did you start the project with a certain plan of attack? Or did it evolve and take on a life of its own as you went along?
A It was a very natural process. Nothing was over-thought or pre-programmed. However, once the album took shape, I definitely played around with the tracks and vocals to make it work as a journey of music. I've always liked albums that take you somewhere.
Q How long did the album take to produce?
A The album was started two years ago in Kaikoura, and was finished in Wellington over the past year.
Q Did you receive any funding for it?
A No, just my own back pocket, and whatever was left on my credit card.
Q There is also a wide range of instruments used, and a mix of electronic and more organic, traditional musical methods. Have you always enjoyed playing with textures and approaches? Can you explain some of your philosophies to music?
A Simply make music that warms your soul. Whatever and whichever way you get there is always the fun part. I don't feel too attached to methods, just what sounds good to me.
Q Are you a perfectionist? Do you spend hours tweaking a synth-bass sound or drum loop, or are you more interested in the overall feel of a song?
A Oh yes. I'm a struggling perfectionist to say the least. But it's always in search of the best song I can make, not so much in the time. Some songs take a few hours, and some take months. I still don't know how that works.
Q Explain the live format. Can audiences expect a full band, or will the guest vocalists be singing over samples, or a DJ?
A It's going to be myself on MPC and DJing alongside the fantastic Lisa Tomlins, from Rhombus, and my brother from Shapeshifter, Pdigsss, on vocals.
Q How excited are you at the prospect of taking the songs on the road, given the recent success of the single Peace?
A Well, very excited, but mostly nervous. As I always am.
