We spoke with the Berlin-based Swiss artist Pyrame for the release of his new EP, “Electronica Melancholia”. The former physicist turned music and film producer released the EP via his own label, Thisbe Recordings. In this interview, Pyrame tells us more about his artistic journey and how his newborn son became a creative inspiration.
To begin with, we asked him to introduce himself…
My name is David and I am from Lausanne in Switzerland. After my studies in physics in Lausanne and Zurich, I spent 15 years working in a quantitative role in investment banks in different cities – Paris, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, New York, Singapore – before pressing the reset button in 2014 and settling down in Berlin. At that time, I got back to studies, and completed a degree in the field of renewable energies. That was without counting on the appeal of the city for different arts, among which, music. I quickly started a band here, before launching my own projects. Among which, my record label Thisbe Recordings, where I now release my own tracks under my alias Pyrame.
Click for Pyrames music
We love your new EP Electronica Melancholia, please go through each track and talk to us about the release, the choice of remixers etc.
My EP is dedicated to my newly-born son and I composed each of those tracks with a purpose in mind.
I got thrown into something totally new in my life, fatherhood, something that will stick with me for the rest of my life. A bit like a “before” and an “after”. For some reason, it induced some kind of melancholia about a past that is now gone and a new reality that is developing every day a little more. This background thinking was my main source of inspiration for Electronica Melancholia.
Flashback represents what went through my mind when I became a dad, a kind of retrospective about my own youth, about all the love, and time, and care I got from my parents and family. I am now walking in their shoes, going through the same process of parenthood. Big flashback, when I thought about it the day of the birth of our son.
So Sprach Psychedelia is a message to my son about allowing himself to be….himself, to be free, to be who he wants to be. In each of my EPs, I´d like to have one track about this very important aspect of our life, the only one we have : freedom.
Thisbe label (click for facebook page)
Oettam is Born is a progressive track that could be seen as a timeline, from the idea to having a child with my partner, to “executing” on the idea, to the pregnancy and the birth, and to all the joy that followed.
When it comes to remixes, I have been a huge fan of Inigo Vontier for years and it was a great surprise when he found some time in his busy schedule to remix “Oettam is Born”.
The mother of our son being a fan of Arnaud Rebotini, we asked him whether he was keen to remix one of the four tracks of the EP, and funny enough, he picked up the same track as Inigo. That’s the background story of having two remixes of “Oettam is Born”.
How is artist life with your newborn son? What are the challenges parents are facing?
Time..! I realized we used to have all the time in the world before our son’s birth. Now, time is a luxury. But it is surely manageable, and we always find ways. It is also about his presence, and our minds being constantly switched on because this very young human being is 100% dependent on us. That has changed our priorities, and increased our sense of responsibility, for sure.
How is life in Berlin at the moment? Any changes in comparison to life pre pandemic / pre war?
It surely is different. I believe Corona will leave a mark for a very long time, if not, forever. That was (and is, still) quite something, isn´t? The whole world paralysed by a global pandemic. And now a war which – among many other things – evidences how dependable we are on primary resources such as food and energy. That´s without mentioning the heat waves we went through during the summer. It is unclear to me where all this is going. To be honest, right now, I don´t feel especially optimistic about the future.
Pyrame daddy / Facebook
What are your favorite tunes and artists at the moment?
At the risk of being cheesy and too obvious, artists that release via Thisbe Recordings are great musicians. Radial Gaze, Semodi, Local Suicide, Skelesys, Acid Washed, Volta Cab, to name just a few, are great acts.
If I had to mention a few tunes I am into at the moment, I would say Dina Summer – Mars, and Who Am I, Vongold – Pleasure Cinema, PVA – Hero Man..
And a secret dancefloor weapon that never misses from your dj sets?
The Skelesys Remix of my track “Drifting off the Grid”.
What inspires you? What do you find appalling?
The waves of emotions that life brings to me.
What can we expect on Thisbe next?
Expect a busy 2023. Our calendar is already full, and there are many exciting releases around the corner. For instance, Volta Cab, Nomenklatür, or Radial Gaze will release EPs via Thisbe next year. That is without talking about the remixers. But for that, I will leave it as a surprise.
What are your plans for the next months?
My main focus at the moment is the composition of the soundtrack of a film I am producing. After having worked for more than two years with Christian Krüger on music videos, we thought it was time for a change and to make a film together. The movie will be ready within 12 months, so. .watch this space.
Apart from that, the label keeps me busy everyday. I am also always on the hook to find out new exciting music. Finally, there are also a few gigs already planned until the end of the year, here in Berlin. (Text by Dark Simone)
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