Name: PTHGN
Occupation: Producer, DJ
Nationality: American
Current release: PTHGN's Binary Operation EP is out via Fides.
Recommendations: I’ve been listening to Takako Minekawa and Burning Spear a lot lately. You should check out some of their albums. Why, you ask? Because they’re good!

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



When did you start writing/producing/playing music and what or who were your early passions and influences? What was it about music and/or sound that drew you to it?

I started first writing and learning about music production and sound during my second year in college in 2013. However, I personally think I didn’t consider myself serious about strictly pursuing music as a creative practice until many years later.

What drew me to it initially were some formative experiences I had attending music festivals, venue/club nights, as well as DIY parties.

When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening and how does it influence your approach to creativity?

Well, with dance music specifically I always imagine myself listening in an open and crowded space. I also like to take this approach when writing music.

I’ve been trying lately not to ask “How does this sound?” or “Am I using enough kit?” and instead ask things like “How does this feel?” or “Would I want to hear this when I’m the one dancing?” etc. I find thinking of a track in its final context, in this case as part of a wider mix in front of a crowd, helps better inform the choices I make sonically. Much more so than getting stuck on the technical aspects of any particular production.

How would you describe your development as an artist in terms of interests and challenges, searching for a personal voice, as well as breakthroughs?

I found that most of the visual art work I made during my education was always made with music in mind. One day, I decided given this was the case, that I’d probably get more satisfaction out of fully committing to music rather than continuing to only create work adjacent to it.

This idea coupled with the notion that I’d never get far enough if I kept trying to be an expert in everything I was interested in instead of choosing something to focus on led me to just choose to hone my capabilities in what I was most interested in.

I haven’t looked back since, and I can honestly say the choice to really focus was one of the best decisions I’ve made regarding my creative practice.

Tell me a bit about your sense of identity and how it influences both your preferences as a listener and your creativity as an artist, please.

I believe growing up in such an information saturated era had way more influence on what I make and enjoy than any aspects of my identity. Meaning the ability to see content from places in the world I had never even heard of before and socialize with people based solely on shared interests rather than locality had more impact than my surroundings or upbringing ever could.

40 years ago it would have been next to impossible for someone where I’m from to stumble upon the music I did in my youth just by way of having an internet connection.

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

In all honesty I’d say my music isn’t really ideologically or conceptually driven at all. My approach, especially with music, has been to ask myself: What do I enjoy the most? What makes me feel good? Am I letting my own voice shine through?

I think of art and music as some of the highest forms of self expression and don’t find as much use for trying to ground it in any language or particular idea because it’s my belief it transcends those types of communication entirely.

Of course everyone finds inspiration in some cause or from some other external influence. Lots of artists can say “I want to make art about…” But as far as approaches, personally that isn’t my focus when I go into creating work. Although I’ll admit it’s a lot easier to take that approach when dealing with music specifically rather than, say, a performance or visual representation.

How would you describe your views on topics like originality and innovation versus perfection and timelessness in music? Are you interested in “music of the future” or “continuing a tradition”?

It took me a while to really embrace my own creativity and vision. I spent a while, especially when I first started learning, trying to make my work fit the mold of my influences. This left me with what felt like hollow results and profound disappointment which had a big impact on my motivation to continue.

I felt this way until I realized I’d never find my copy of something as satisfying as the piece I was emulating. This realization led me to scrap that habit in favor of what essentially boils down to “being myself”.

And so, my advice to both myself and other artists would be to do just that. It may not feel like you measure up to those you compare yourself to at first, however in the end you’ll find that you enjoy the work much more when you allow yourself to shine through.

Over the course of your development, what have been your most important instruments and tools - and what are the most promising strategies for working with them?

I worked mainly with DAWs like Ableton in combination with VST plugins for the first 6 or 7 years of music making. However, a few years ago I bought my first hardware synthesizers(drum machines from Elektron and Korg to be precise) and a year after that took a pretty deep dive into modular synthesis.

I’d say for me personally, that was the best decision I’ve made in terms of amplifying my creativity. But more importantly, taking a more “hands-on” approach to music-making brought a sense of fun and wonder that I felt I had lost for a really long time.

Although the learning curve was very steep at first, once I got used to this totally different way of thinking about production I believe the quality of my work as well as my desire to create multiplied exponentially.

Take us through a day in your life, from a possible morning routine through to your work, please.

I wake up, clean, eat, then spend the first portion of the day bouncing back between working on music, reading, and staying up to date with world events. I try to incorporate cooking and practicing foreign languages when time allows in an effort to take a break from other creative tasks while still keeping myself sharp.

Oh and of course make sure to find reasons to get out into the sun for a few hours, whether to run errands or to just to be out.

Could you describe your creative process on the basis of a piece, live performance or album that's particularly dear to you, please?

Not really. My approach is pretty dynamic in that I don’t usually end up doing the same two things twice. More specifically, given the nature of modular and hardware synth work creating and following a template is pretty much impossible. There’s no piece I’ve made with this approach that I could create twice.

And so, once a particular work is done I just say that’s that. I believe this not only keeps work original but also encourages continual learning.

Listening can be both a solitary and a communal activity. Likewise, creating music can be private or collaborative. Can you talk about your preferences in this regard and how these constellations influence creative results?

I haven’t had many opportunities for musical collaboration as of yet, although that’s slowly starting to change. Personally I think of each part as its own piece.

Take for example, an original track and a remix. For me at least, once all the bits are shipped off to whoever I’m working with, whatever comes back is a separate piece entirely.

As for preferences I love seeing what other artists do with my work as it gives me a peek into how they think and I always end up learning techniques and ideas I would’ve never thought of on my own.

How do your work and your creativity relate to the world and what is the role of music in society?

Concerning its role in society, I think music is the language that everyone knows but never has to learn and therefore serves as a bridge for people to communicate where written and spoken language fail.

Art can be a way of dealing with the big topics in life: Life, loss, death, love, pain, and many more. In which way and on which occasions has music – both your own or that of others - contributed to your understanding of these questions?

I think of art as my home away from home when it comes to the darker sadder parts of life.

Whether it’s by creating or consuming, music and art has always acted as a sort of healer for me.

How do you see the connection between music and science and what can these two fields reveal about each other?

I think they’re linked by things like creativity and technological innovation, psychology and physics. Music is both physical and emotional, and science is our way of understanding what’s around and our place in it. So what they reveal about each other is the deeper connection between all things.

Creativity can reach many different corners of our lives. 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?

Music is for expression whereas more mundane tasks like that mentioned above are simply a means to an end.

Nobody makes themselves a cup of coffee to make a statement to the world.

Music is vibration in the air, captured by our eardrums. From your perspective as a creator and listener, do you have an explanation how it is able to transmit such diverse and potentially deep messages?

Honestly I think a psychologist or neuroscientist would be much better positioned to answer the “how” question.

I think as a creative my role is solely to create rather than ask about the mechanics of how creation actually impacts thoughts and emotions.