Name: Adam Pits
Occupation: Producer, composer, cellist
Nationality: British
Current release: Adam Pits's Synthetic Serenity is out June 9th 2023 via On Rotation.
Recommendations: ‘A Pine Tree’ 1905 by Georges Seurat; ‘LIVE at Munch Museum - Omformer

If you enjoyed this Adam Pits interview and would like to stay up to date with his music, visit him on Instagram, Facebook, twitter, and Soundcloud.

When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening? Do you listen with your eyes open or closed?

Eyes closed for sure - It enhances your hearing, allows you to really focus on the music. I'm not so synaesthetic, but do tend to have rather profound feelings inside that help detach myself from the harsh truths of reality.

I'm not someone who is running from anything, but I think we can all agree that escapism is an interesting part of most of our lives.

What were your very first steps in music like - and how do you rate gains made through experience versus the naiveté of those first steps?

Both of my parents have always been classical musicians so I’ve only ever known music growing up.

My early surroundings consisted of listening to my parents practice and going to music community groups to make noise out of pretty much anything we could find. I think this creative and spontaneous way of music was beneficial to my fascination of music and without a doubt impacted my later studies when I went on to become a Cellist at the age of 8.

To answer the question clinically, I have to say that both approaches are massively effective for a well rounded musical mind.

According to scientific studies, we make our deepest and most incisive musical experiences between the ages of 13-16. What did music meant to you at that age and what’s changed since then?

This was quite a difficult time for me in music. I was deep in my Cello studies and was somewhat battling my parents against their efforts to push me on to become a better musician.

In all honesty, this musical environment didn’t invite creativity or inspiration - but the aspects I learnt during this period were the arts of self discipline and determination, and I forever thank my parents for gently pushing me in the right direction.

Having now found my creative calling in music composition through production, I'm able to apply both discipline and creativity at the same time.

Over the course of your development, what have been your most I'mportant instruments and tools and how have they shaped your perspective on music?

Cello was my principle practice for many years and it shaped my overall understanding of feeling within music. Through practicing scales, arpeggios and various other musical sequences I'm now able to think of melodies, harmonies and rhythms without really thinking about it.

When I started learning guitar in my teens, I began to feel a bit more of the loose freedom in music and I think this really helped me be comfortable with the ideas of I'mprovisation and spontaneous music making.

When musical DAWs came into my life it was a HUGE feeling of belonging. I realised then that my musical purpose was not in performance, but in composition.

What, would you say, are the key ideas behind your approach to music and what motivates you to create?

I first want to make music that makes ME feel a certain way, and ideally the music acts as an extension of me as an entity.

What drives me on are the feelings gratitude and purpose.

Paul Simon said “the way that I listen to my own records is not for the chords or the lyrics - my first I'mpression is of the overall sound.” What's your own take on that and how would you define your personal sound?

I, too, listen for the overall aesthetic of my music. But the more I go on in production, the more I find myself being attracted to the smaller details in the production.

I generally try to portray my music in the shape of a journey and ideally I want to induce the feelings of being in a trance.

Sound, song, and rhythm are all around us, from anI'mal noises to the waves of the ocean. What, if any, are some of the most moving experiences you've had with these non-human-made sounds? In how far would you describe them as “musical”?

During university my friends and I would sometimes come back from a night out and in the early hours of the morning, when the sun is rising, we would put ear plugs in and walk down into the heart of the woods.

Once at the ideal spot we would simultaneously take out our earplugs and the influx of bird song would penetrate our souls. The variety of sounds was almost overwhelming and this is still to this day one of the most memorable sonic experiences I carry.

From very deep/high/loud/quiet sounds to very long/short/sI'mple/complex compositions - are there extremes in music you feel drawn to and what response do they elicit?

I'm currently drawn to music that is deep in texture. Even though it's quite far from my recent infatuation of trance music, it still has the same effect of putting me in a trance.

I'm also attracted to music that has a subtle balance of wet and dry sounds.

From symphonies and traditional verse/chorus-songs to linear techno tracks and free jazz, there are myriads ways to structure a piece of music. Which approaches work best for you – and why?

I love subtle changes over long periods of time that still grip your attention. So for me hypnotic techno and its repetition is at the forefront of this answer.

The music I’m making at the moment is structured through the acute randomisations that occur in many of the sounds that I make. Not only does this technique produce wonderful mistakes, but it also allows you more time to experiment in an improvised manner.

Could you describe your creative process on the basis of one of your pieces, live performances or albums that's particularly dear to you, please?

It changes quite often from track to track so its hard to answer this in short. But I guess A Recurring Nature was pretty consistent throughout in regards to the creative process.



I was interested at the time in making a large bulk of synthetic drums from scratch so I think that that aesthetic pushed each track in a similar direction.

I begin each project completely blank with no template at all so even though this makes things longer, it means I never start any track the same way.

Sometimes, science and art converge in unexpected ways. Do you conduct “experiments” or make use of scientific insights when you're making music?

Right now, sound design is the most exciting aspect of music production for me. I can spend hours on one sound and not get bored but I’m not actually very technically knowledgable.

I do love how many techniques there are for creating sound illusions such as the ‘Haas Effect’ which I use sometimes for high elements.



How does the way you make music reflect the way you live your life? Can we learn lessons about life by understanding music on a deeper level?

I'm lucky enough to have the studio in my house which means I can take quite a relaxed approach to making music when I want. Obviously this can impact people differently, but I think it stops me from feeling like I always need to finish a track and allows me to relax into just making music.

Come to think of it, I do think that I have quite a nonchalant perspective in music which does reflect me as a person. Occasionally, I worry that I depend on music for happiness a bit too much but I think it's natural to have queries about something that you love so dearly.

Do you feel as though writing or performing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

I actually love the comparison between making a coffee and building a track. There are different stages and layers depending on how you do things, but there is always a beginning, progression and result / consumption.

They both share acts of mindfulness and give me feelings of calmness and direction.

Every time I listen to "Albedo 0.39" by Vangelis, I choke up. But the lyrics are made up of nothing but numbers and values. Do you, too, have a song or piece of music that affects you in a way that you can't explain?

“Aqua Viva” by Robert Leiner makes my hairs stand almost every time I hear it.



I go on a journey in my mind and it hits my core with emotions between crying and screaming with joy.

If you could make a wish for the future – what are developments in music you would like to see and hear?

For dance floors to have more patience and less need for suggestive music.

There is a time and a place for everything, but I believe the art of ‘getting lost in the music’ has been somewhat lost since I started going out to parties.