PREMIERE: P!lot – Midnight

P!lot is a 19-year-old electronic music producer from UK. His music sounds huge and intimate at the same time. Imagine you are at a rave with thousands of people all singing and dancing as one. The music is banging. But even that feeling of unity can't kill the ever-present sting of loneliness and longing inside you.

To evoke these complex feelings P!lot often uses atmospheric pads and haunting vocal samples together with hard-hitting kicks and breakbeats. We are premiering his excellent new track Midnight. Ollie Smith, the man behind P!lot, has kindly agreed to answer a few questions of ours.

— Can you please talk about your influences and how they bring different colours to your track? Maybe about some moments in life that were soundtracked by your favourite tunes and how those impressions influenced the emotional palette in your music and Midnight in particular?

— In terms of my influence I've taken inspiration from a wide range of genres ranging from classical pieces by the likes of Nick Cave, Warren Ellis and Ryuchi Sakamoto to contemporary electronic artists such as Daft Punk, Bicep and The Chemical Brothers. What I try and strive to do is create emotion within a track which is perhaps why I am so inspired by classical music and film scores. These pieces of music create an emotional reaction from the listener which I admire and connect with.

When I was creating midnight I started with the breakbeat which I am a massive fan of. I think Breakbeats give off an underground sound which I think is really cool. Another thing I look for in music is a contradiction of sound; the upbeat style of the breakbeat combined with dreamy vocal chops combined well and made me feel good listening to the track. When I'm producing I want to feel excited by the track and Midnight gave me so many creative ideas.

When I produce music I like to visualise the sound I'm creating. I want people to be able to make their own minds up as to where it takes them.

— It feels your music often has a lonely quality. Why do you think is that?

— I think some of the vocal chops in the track can come across in a haunting way. They are melancholic and the pitch means that they hit you in a spot which brings out an emotion in the listener. The fact that it is an instrumental is also perhaps a contributing factor.

— You mention Nick Cave as an influence. Where exactly in your tunes can we hear him?

— I think the influence of Nick Cave comes from the feeling I get as a listener when listening to his film scores, in particular with Warren Ellis. Soundtracks for films such as The Assassination of Jesse James and the Proposition really create a journey in which you are able to get lost in the music as a listener. I think if I'm able to create a feeling similar to this, albeit within my own genre, then I'm happy.

I also admire the way in which his compositions have a distinct personality to them. Even without visuals you are able to pick up on a storyline which he manages to create through audio.

— Thank you for the interview!