A new release from Emmanuel De La Paix is a musical journey through layers of soundscape and atmospheres that culminate natural and electronic instrumentation and come alive.
The Rescue Pack EP is immense and vast with a flurry of textures and sounds that fill the air and take you into another world all together.
Emmanuel is an innovative and deepening songwriter and performer and utilizes all kinds of outside the box thinking to build his songs.
Tracks come through cinematic and intense as pianos play and extended notes hang in the ether while you feel as though you are falling endlessly into a place you've never been.
The Ep is unlike much you've heard and can really engulf you in its emotional and melodic approach and when it's all over, you will need to stand up and shake it off for a few moments to come back to reality. That in itself is an amazing thing.
With a release like this one, we had to have a talk with the artist to fine out where this all comes from and what it all means.
RAG: Okay so let's being with Rescue Pack. This record has an ambient mix of natural and digital instrumentation. Where did this EP come from? EDP: The Rescue Pack EP is an emotional journey that accompanied me in a period of introspection. In such a period, you don't want to listen to too many words, but prefer listening to music as a natural background to your daily life. A soundtrack to accompany you with emotions and a powerful message. The message that Music is the only anchor of emotional salvation. Music - as any Art - is one of the best existential eschatological response to the human suffering condition. The song "Rescue Pack" is one of the first songs that I wrote (but the last one on the EP) and I wrote it shortly after my father unexpectedly died due to Coronavirus on April 2020. These were very special weeks, where I was isolated in the hospital waiting room on a virtual manner, and where my presence could only be materialized through a Zoom webcam. Meanwhile, I was receiving news of other acquaintances' deaths via WhatsApp, and eventually, photos of my father's "burial with no-funeral" via SMS. Sad and surreal moments, going beyond human imagination. In those isolated moments, I can say music and my instruments were always there. In joy and in pain, they have always been with me to help me metabolize and digest what I live everyday. The Music process, and this album in particular, is to me a pure washing machine to wash depression out. Writing sad, melancholic or relaxing cinematic ambient songs is my way to elaborate my internal mess, be fresh again and go out in a more peaceful way. It is nothing related to having suicidal tendencies or being somehow a dark person. It is all about a personal re-elaboration on a spiritual dimension. RAG: How did all of this start for you? EDP: I started to write the song "Clouds to Climb" after a ski-weekend. I was very inspired by the amazing blue iced-landscapes, and I created my recording folder session: "2020". After some weeks, the lockdown started and, time after time, I started to realize that during that ski-weekend I had actually started a musical journey that would later be part of a broader concept album and piece of my life: Rescue Pack. RAG: I'm hearing some different styles on this one. Who are your actual biggest musical influences? EDP: There are 3 different patterns of artists that inspired me in this release: 1) the post-rock bands: Sigur Ros, Godspeed You!Black Emperor, Explosions in the sky 2) the experimental Icelandic music: Bjork, Múm, Ólafur Arnalds 3) the alternative rock music: Radiohead, Anathema, Kaizers Orchestra RAG: What's next for you as an artist? EDP: I would like to collaborate with an independent label to valorize my music and looking for the next level in the publishing / promotion. I am currently in contact with some music labels and I hope I can reach out an agreement to release my album Rescue Pack in Q4 2021 under the best premises. RAG: Did you used to perform live? Will you be focusing on that at all when the time comes? EDP: Performing live is essential to me: I am looking forward to playing live at Openairs, where I am planning to perform my music within a combined set of acoustic instruments and synthetizer. I can actually also perform with other musicians (as a band) or under the form of an ambient live DJ-set. I think the choice will depend on the kind of concept the live is supposed to propose. Adapting the live set to the different contexts is definitely exciting and opens up to different scenarios. RAG: What are you doing when you/re NOT working on music? EDP: I think about the next free moment I'll have to work on my music. RAG: What kind of things inspire you to write? EDP: Nature is my biggest source of inspiration. Fortunately, I live in a country where Nature is still pure, predominant and accessible. I love to organize walks around in my free time, take short footages and combine them with my music. You will find some short-music-videos on my Instagram profile: https://www.instagram.com/emmanueldelapaix_official/ This combination of landscapes and music just makes me feel always more in love of what I do everyday with music. RAG: What sort of advice would you have for other up and coming artists trying to get heard? EDP: Music is an amazing, but also serious thing. Working hard with professionals from the sector is not an easy thing, but being professional is essential to get finally heard. It is not only the natural talent, but also on the effort, the constancy and the diligence to make the natural talent capable to have an impact on the people around you that makes the difference. RAG: Who are you listening to right now? EDP: At the moment, I listen to different artists (known and less known) from different genres. They however have in common great cinematic vibes, quiet dark chromatic scales and extensive use of reverbs, delays and experimental elements in their genre. For example, in the indie genre: Alex Somers, Soley, Ben Howard; in the electronic experimental music: Mum, Gardens of God, Apparat, Trentemøller, Attlas but also Rose Riebl who is a great pianist and modern composer. I also listen to some more rock-metal stuff just released, like Solstafir and Devin Townsend, who recently released a great guitar acoustic live album. RAG: Before we go, what would you like to say to fans of the music?
EDP: Thank you for your support and for remembering me that music is like happiness: it is only real when it's shared.