Q: We can’t get enough of the glitchy beats and futuristic space synths in your song, “Space Star”. Walk us through your production process in making this track. What was it like collaborating with Monster Music?
PETER: Working with Monster Music was an awesome experience. Roy Shen Zoor – founder and head of Monster Music, is a tremendous music maker, composer, and amazing human.
Taking the train weekly to his studio located in a quiet place in northern Israel, out of the city, brought a special vibe to the sessions.
Monster Music – Award-winning boutique music agency that produces and composes original scores.
Collaboration always gives your creation a different perspective, and the synergy of working together empowers the end result…if on the practical perspective of working with different tools/gear/equipment, in a different area out of your studio, or in the conceptual perspective of sharing ideas, compositions, designing sounds together, and creating a collaborative creation.
After finishing the work and seeing/hearing the final product on the TV Screens, I feel like the soundtrack really succeeded to be what we aimed it to be.
The modern production of beats, bass, turntablism, synths. It represents the advancement, the technology, the future, with music that emphasizes aesthetics Shininess and Edge that characterize the composition, vision, world, and aesthetics of what we aimed for.
Q: How do you approach creating a new song? Do you usually wait until you’re feeling inspired or do you just sit down and see what comes out?
PETER: Inspiration is always there, you just need to tune in and channel it.
You need to work on your relationship with inspiration.
Connecting to inspiration is a must and I work and practice it daily.
The endlessness of inspiration is always surprising and I feel like every song is a present.
Q: What is the key to your sound and how do you make your music stand out?
PETER: My sound signature is a mixture of different unique flavours;
I started playing the keyboard at a young age, first with a traditional music education as a classical piano player, which later transitioned into jazz keyboard playing.
I started Djing at the age of 15, bought turntables, learned the art of scratch, and grew up listening to electronic music and experimenting with synthesizers and drum machines, sampling and beat-making.
These three elements are the main elements of my music-making – at the studio when creating and cooking my Spacey music, and on stage while performing.
Using these methods and the tools that surround me gives a solid framework for my creative process.
I have specific tools to work with; my signature tools and the instruments that I feel most comfortable with to express myself – musically, technically, and conceptually.
Over the years I have come to the conclusion that setting boundaries, ‘rules’ and being accurate & minimalist, are vital when it comes to music-making and the creative process.
Setting boundaries gives me a framework to peer into.
Nowadays, more than ever, when you create electronic music using a computer, you have endless possibilities and can get overwhelmed by all the options for sounds, plugins, tools…
When I started the ’Peter Spacey’ Project, I decided to limit myself to create music using only a few elements, which forced me to be creative and helped me craft a solid sound signature quickly.
With that concept in mind, I decided to create a special music-making/performing booth that would contain only three main tools/instruments/elements for music-making and performing.
With the help of my father, we built this special booth during the quarantine 🙂
I call this special booth – the Spacetagon – you can see it on my current release – Morning Haze Live Session or in my 30min Electro-Organic Live Session, also in the Mitsubishi advert commercial music-video Series.
The Spacetagon is the ultimate spaceship for me when it comes to music-making, to perform and make my Spacey music.
The Spacetagon is composed of three limbs, each containing one of the main elements that represent a key aspect of my music-making tools/musical environment:
Front – Main 49 keys Keyboard (lead sounds and main harmonies)
Left – Small Synthesiser (synth Space FX, arpeggios, and melodies)
Right – Turntable (scratch parts and Dj FX Flavours)
The collaboration with Mitsubishi was built around my skill set – Synthesizers, Beatmaking, Turntablism, and executed with the ‘Spacetagon’ Music Making Booth concept.
Q: What sparked your love of Electronic Dance Music?
PETER: First – The wide range spectrum of sounds – the very low end (808 bass, electronic kick sound, synth bass) to the very top glitches and sparkling electric particles, synth blips, and noises.
In electronic music, you can produce, synthesize, and manufacture every sound that pops into your imagination with super detailed twinning and designing possibilities.
The possibilities are endless and the accuracy is infinite.
Also, the groove in dance music, combining groove and dance rhythms and elements in electronic music. is my favorite.
Q: You were chosen to lead a campaign showcasing the new collection of Mitsubishi vehicles. What was that experience like and what did you learn from it?
PETER: The experience was terrific!
The collaboration started in August 2020 as a single video and after a positive success (commercial-wise and artistic-wise) grew into a series that at the moment contains three chapters and is leading the 2020-21 campaign.
The campaign reached a wide massive commercial exposure over the TV Primetime broadcast during 2020-21, as well as screened on the biggest screens over central public locations in Israel.
Before that experience, I used to do independent productions for my music/music-videos.
During the process of working on the commercial, I learned a lot about scaling up things, and working with teams (art direction, styling, cameramen, lightning team).
The experience really opened, expanded, and scaled up my perspective.
Q: What’s coming up next for you?
PETER: Oh, so much !!
I have like three collaborative ready release E.P.s that are almost finished (produced, mix-masters, and the album art is ready) that are going to be released during the following months, and a couple of super cool music videos for my ‘Spacetagon Sessions’ live sessions series.
I want to continue the ‘Spacey Video Beat Tape’ experience to Vol.2 – audio-visual Beat Tape & A.R. Exhibition / Experience that I first showcased in 2018, and am working on a bigger Audio-Visual / Technology based experience in the form of a digital experience and physical installation/A.R Exhibition.
Also am planning on continuing the ‘Spacey Beats 4 Scratch’ series to Vol.2, and really want to press it on vinyl as a scratch/Dj Tool for Turntablists and Creative DJs, and for worldwide Rappers Vocalists, Break-Dancers, and the Dj community to use. SB4S Vol. 1, made a tremendous impact since it was released, reaching hundreds of DJs, Vocalists, and Dancers, and I received a lot of positive ‘back-fire’ comments, and videos from creators using it.
There are some future plans for my Live shows (Spacetagon Tour), Physical/online Audio-Visual shows,
as well as collaborations and partnering with some big brands (can’t reveal names atm :))
And I’m currently working on my DEBUT ALBUM !
In addition to all of my already released discography (10+ E.P.s), Beat-Tapes & Singles, over the last 2-3 years, I can tell you a secret plan that I didn’t start yet and the first step of my vision is on its way.
I’m working on my debut album ‘Nebula’ that’s gonna feature vocalists, producers, animators, and graphic designers, and it’s gonna be freaking spacey !
It’s currently under construction for several years already. I’m already so proud of what’s going on. It’s super exciting for me, and I can’t wait to share it with the world !
Really grateful for everything that has happened so far but it’s just the pre-beginning.
I’m excited about the future and curious about the upcoming adventures that are up to come.
Interviewed by Brynn Hinnant
