INTERVIEW: PBSR — Music Musings & Such

INTERVIEW:

PBSR

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IT has been cool speaking with PBSR…

about his upcoming E.P., …and dusky doors. It is released on 27th April and is crammed with wonderful songs and fascinating insights. He reveals the inspiration behind the song, Volcano, and what defines the E.P. as a whole.

PBSR talks about moving from Spain to London; how he got started in music; the albums and artists who mean a lot to him; what gigs he has lined up; what advice he would give to new musicians – he tells me about a particularly fond musical memory.

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Hi, PBSR. How are you? How has your week been?

It’s been great, thanks. Just arrived from my hometown, where I’ve been chilling for a week. Also, I'm doing a gig as the bass player of MAVICA.

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourself, please?

I am a 24-year-old composer and multi-instrumentalist from Murcia, Spain. I’ve got a Classical background and also write music for pictures - in addition to working with graphic designers, photographers and other artists in art exhibitions and performances.

...and dusky doors is your new E.P. How would you define it in terms of the themes it explores?

This E.P. represents a journey that starts when I left Spain to come to study in London - and all those ‘dusky doors’ that I’ve had to face since then. There is openness and embrace of the natural world throughout.

How important was it providing a lyrically and musically panoramic, scenic sensation?

I feel that music is intimately related to the image and, therefore, to the (visual) world we live in.

I am interested in the song, Volcano. Can you talk a bit about how it came together and the role it has in the E.P.?

It’s got a very important role in the E.P., at least for me, as it was the song that gave me the inspiration to shape the E.P. - and it kind of influenced the rest of the songs to have a similar aesthetic approach.

What do you hope people get from the E.P.? Is there a message you want the listener to take away?

The process of making this E.P. has taught me a lot of things: to be patient, to trust myself and to work consistently until something is done. Hopefully, people can read through that message and, through the music, find themselves their own meaning.

Murcia, in South East Spain, is where you were raised. Did your parents bring music into your life at an early age?

Yes. My mother played in a Folk band in Murcia and my father has been my source of music inspiration from an early age. I started to study classical guitar when I was seven with an old Admira Spanish guitar that my mother had.

Can you remember a time or artist who changed your world and set you on this path?

My father used to play a lot of Mike Oldfield. I think he was one of the first and most important musicians I’ve ever paid attention to - and I still think I have something that reminds me of him in my music. Later on, when I was sixteen, bands like Sigur Rós and Explosions in the Sky opened my mind to other territories I had never explored before.

Do you have any gigs lined up? Where are you heading?

I’ll be playing WAM Festival in Murcia on 5th May. It’s going to be great to present my new E.P. there - in front of all the people that have seen me grow, both as a person and as a musician.

I’m also supporting Telefon Tel Aviv on 24th June at Achspace, London.

If you had to select the three albums that mean the most to you; which would they be and why?

Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells III

It was the first album I probably listened to from a critical and musical perspective, still being a kid.

Sigur Rós - Takk

With this album, I matured my musical taste and it opened a whole new world of possibilities never heard before.

Bon Iver - 22, A Million

An album that’s had a massive impact on me, emotionally and inspirationally-speaking.

What do you hope to achieve in 2018?

To play in as many places I can. In a few months, I’ll have the band ready, so we’ll be able to expand the set and reach a larger audience, hopefully.

Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music - the one that sticks in the mind?

I used to play with my older brother, Guille, and my friend el Monfly in a sort of American Punk-Rock band and it was hilarious. A few weeks back, I watched a few videos and I can’t believe it’s been more than ten years already!