‘Click Interview’ with Peter Rainman: ‘Vince Clarke is obviously the main influence’
Peter Rainman is a name you for sure will have noticed as producer from numerous bands and productions or you might have discovered one of his great and danceable remixes. This French artist is a man from many
talents who got involved in multiple projects. This interview clearly reveals a passionate and busy electronic artist.
(by Inferno Sound Diaries)
Q: When did you get contaminated by the ‘electronic-music’ virus and what are your main influences and criteria you try to put in your own work as composer/producer?
Peter: Threee questions, then…. mh let me see…
I’ve always been fascinated by strange sounds. In the seventies / early eighties, only synths impressed me. I often went at a friend’s basement, he had two or three of these new machines, and I immediately loved them. They ‘talked’ to me… I knew my life would be made around them!
The second time I had such strong feeling about music was when I heard “Just Can’t Get Enough”. The production (aaaaah that kick!) the melody, the leather, everything was perfect and I said ‘that’s what I want to do’!! that’s what I MUST do!’ Vince Clarke is obviously the main influence. He has four albums on my top ten list… Later came the Pet Shop Boys and New Order to name a few.
I guess what touch me, then and nowadays, is the fact that a sound can influence your feelings, touch your very life. That’s what I’m trying to do with my works: making people dance, think, love, laugh or sometimes cry… For me, if the music has a soul, it’s a good stuff… If it’s just to make money, if it’s soulless or a copy from a copy from a copy, it’s useless…
Q: You’ve been involved in numerous bands and projects (People Theatre, Adan & Ilse, Waiting For Words ao). How do you look back at the different projects and what have been the main elements you’ll keep in mind?
Peter: The thing is those productions are clearly very precise in my mind. People Theatre is a synth-pop / future-pop act with a bit of the eighties. Waiting For Words is a band, and I share a lot of my life with the happy couple, it’s more than music, we play what we really feel deep inside. Therefore, the production goes from real instruments, guitars, sometimes organs, to very synthetic softwares. It’s a kind of diary, you know…
Adan & Ilse is a rather old story now, but I still work with Ushersan with pleasure. We set up a kind of laboratory to create sounds and atmospheres and it’s quite fascinating. Right now we are working on distortion for instance. We combine very old devices and little softwares, it’s very impressive. The other bands I work in are all about synth-pop music (Royal Visionnaries and two others that are still secret… huhu!). It’s always cool to work with other people, whatever the style, the distance… I love to learn!
Q: How would you define the ‘job’ of producer and what kind of producer are you?
Peter: Oh I’m a very cool one… hmm, wait, no, it depends! Lol! My inspiration comes from Brian Eno: to me, a producer is a kind of guru: I propose tips, devices or books, records, philosophy, but the band decides. They bring ideas or songs and I show them what is, according to me, not good. That’s 80% of the production I make. The 20% remaining is probably the most interesting but it takes more time: we start from zero and build the whole album together, including the concept, the ideas, the messages. We need to go deep down our personality. Then, I both am a technician and a guide. It’s totally different from making a remix, obviously.
Q: You’ve produced a lot of bands and productions. What have been the biggest ‘challenges’ and productions you’ve been really proud of?
Peter: I love very professional people because they know what they want, we work quickly. !distain are like that. But I also like working with band or artists I discover and tell them ‘look, you have a strong potential but I think you help to start. Trust me, we’ll go higher!’ In a way, Original Band are in this situation, as Nun (my very first production!) were. Waiting For Words are a bit ‘hey let’s try this, if it works, great! If it fails, well never mind, at least we tried!’ I’m also proud of the work I make for myself, as People Theatre. I try something new on every song! You know, producing or remixing, it’s never easy, every time is a new BIG challenge!
Q: Less bands are actually working with a producer because they think to have the material and knowledge to do it on their own. How do you see this trend?
Peter: Well they are right and wrong; they know what kind of sound they want, but will they get it? It depends of the artist’s talent… and the material they have. On the other hand, we all need a look from outside, someone you can rely on and get rid of the big work like mixing or mastering. Even myself!
Q: What might we expect from you during the next few months?
Peter: Well I’m working on the second EP, to follow my very first, “Dare At Dawn”, surrounded by the love the people send me after a gig or via internet. I’m working on Original Band’s first album, and few other artists like Christopher Anton or Black Egg. Waiting For Words will release a new single soon, probably in May. I’m also working on covers of the French cult band, Indochine, both for WFW and for People Theatre to feature on a Tribute (also to be released in May). The same month, I’ll sing as People Theatre in Lille, a showcase, and Waiting For Words will play live at the ISYNTH festival. We also just reactivated Splendor Projekt with Matt and JM few months ago. I also have very secret projects so the best thing you can do is checking my page on FB of course. Busy, you said? 🙂
Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries
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