palence is a super underrated producer. His reverb soaked guitars and ambient plucks take you to a far away land where your problems drift into the smoke of a fiery blaze. We got to ask palence a few questions.

What got you into creating music?

It was a mixture of generally needing a new hobby & also feeling particularly inspired by what I’d been listening to online on sites like soundcloud. The more I learned about how a lot of these underground artists worked, the more accessible making music seemed. I remember one day just thinking I’ll have a crack at making something myself & it all sort of gradually grew from there.

Can you explain your setup? (DAW, computer, headphones, etc.)

It’s fairly stripped back/minimal as I don’t normally have very much space for equipment etc. I usually run my guitars directly into my laptop via an audio interface (unless I’m using pedals) and that really does the bulk of the work. I also record samples for percs/ambience using an old Tascam field recorder from time to time & use an Audio Technica XLR mic for recording vocals. Speaker-wise I’ve always used a nice solid Bose 2.1 – I find it’s high enough quality where I don’t really need to use headphones, and that’s about it.

Who is your dream collab?

I find myself most inspired by my peer musicians, who I’m able to talk to and learn more about their processes. Currently the two artists I’d be keen to work with are gooch (https://soundcloud.com/goochwills) and derrick boo (https://soundcloud.com/derrick-boo). Both are very talented artists & I’d recommend checking their stuff out!

How do you make your guitars sound so ambient and dreamy?

In terms of equipment I use 2 different guitars: A Gibson ES-335 & a Fender Jazzmaster. They give very different tones so I guess it’s important to know what sort of sound you’re aiming for and pick the appropriate instrument for the job (choice of strings can make a huge difference too). I have a couple of pedals that I use occasionally too: A Danelectro Milkshake Chorus & a Fairfield Circuitry Shallow Water, which can both help with adding to a ‘dreamy’ tone. I use a number of reverb plugins on Ableton – I really think personal preference/taste is key here. In terms of software/hardware that’s about all I really use, but I’d say the final and most important component is playing style, which is something that really develops over time and usually helps showcase a player’s individual sound.

What is your favorite movie of all time?

I have 2 that I can never decide between: There Will Be Blood and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Both have incredible soundtracks & really demonstrate how creatively sound can be used alongside moving image. The acting in There Will Be Blood is amazing & I don’t think I’ve ever seen better performances, whereas the sheer scale & ambition of 2001, coupled with the fact it was made all the way back in 1968 with comparatively major technical constraints always leaves me awestruck. So both are great for different reasons I suppose

Who has inspired you the most in life?

At the risk of sounding clichéd I’m going to have to say for me personally, it’s my parents. They’ve worked collaboratively together as artists for decades now & I have huge admiration and respect for how over the course of their careers they’ve managed to defy and even flourish amidst harsh social and economic circumstances all whilst staying true to a humble and public-oriented ethos without ever compromising the quality of the work they create.

What is the Lethe soundcloud channel?

Lethe was an online collective formed in late 2014 – it’s been inactive for a few years now, but it’s left behind some great collaborations that are still available to stream, and of course lasting friendships between the members. The roster included myself, gℓo, haven, v a s s h, Øfdream (who sadly passed away last year), Craset, Ajgor & Vacant.

Do you have any upcoming projects we should know about?

Recently I’ve been working closely with WORSTWORLDPROBLEMS (https://soundcloud.com/worstworldproblems), a really talented rap group based in London. I’ve started playing gigs with them & will hopefully have some new stuff coming out with them in the next few months. In terms of solo stuff, no plans for any big releases soon but I plan on continuing to release the odd single every month or so etc.

You art style is very good, how did you find a contrast between your music and the fiery art base of your cover art?

It all stemmed from a music video I made a while back using found footage – there was a shot of a burning palm tree over a cloudy grey sky that really resonated with me & before I knew it, it had sort of become a signature aesthetic. I’m a bit hesitant on posting things like that at the moment though, given the situation in Australia. In fact the other day I decided that for my next release I’ll be donating all the profits to an appropriate charity.

Any advice for aspiring artists?

I’m not really sure I’ve reached a point in my career where I can offer legitimate meaningful advice, but one thing I’ve found to be pretty essential is reaching out to your peers. If you like someone’s music then let them know and show your support – they’re likely to return the favour. Collaborate as much as you can and build up a strong network of peers, supporters and fans. It usually doesn’t happen overnight but the majority of good things are hard earned.

Check out palence. Also if you want to hear more stuff like this we have a live stream radio on Youtube. Also subscribe to our newsletter to know when we publish new interview!

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