When releasing new music, first of all, I want to get it out to my existing audience, the people who already love, know, and follow my material and who are waiting for upcoming releases. @Peter Spacey
In the last few months we had the pleasure of meeting Creator, Musician and Dj Omer Luz who working under the stage name of Peter Spacey; His EP "Spacey Beats 4 Scratch" was played on repeat in the MySphera HQ.
After a few back and forth mails we knew we had to pick his brain about music production, his journey in the music game and the connection between audio and visuals.
So kick back, relax and let's get started!
1. How did you start making music?
I grew up immersed in music, raised by musician parents in an innovative, inspiring musical environment.
My formal training as a classical pianist began at age 7, which later expanded into professional jazz music education.
I became more serious at age 14, when my passion for music-making and desire to create grew stronger.
I started experimenting with my dad’s synthesizers and drum machines, computer recording software, sound designing, and beat-making.
During those years I bought a turntable to experiment with sampling and scratching, which led me to start Djing at 16.
at that period of my life, I was mostly making music in my bedroom studio or performing on stage, as a jazz keyboard player or as a DJ.
2. Who are a few musical influences that shaped your sound?
3. Can you tell us a bit about your creative process?
For me, creating is a daily habit and I usually don't wait for inspiration to come.
I try to 'channel' the now and my feelings through stream-of-consciousness.
Everything can be a trigger, musical and non-musical, such as a musical piece, emotion, food taste, color, weather, situation, or something I imagine.
There are moments when inspiration strikes suddenly, when I'm not in a sterile studio environment and need to capture those glimpses of ideas. It can be a melody that I wake up with or a groove I hear when traveling the bus.
I try to capture these moments, using my phone to record an idea or write down some notes of these little visions.
Arriving at the studio, sitting in front of my computer, I literally splurge an idea, like raw material, start to work with it, jam with it, and go wherever it takes me.
I can say that the core of almost any of my musical pieces is created in one phase, one session.
It's about the now, about an experience or a feeling that I can't fully recall after that 'now' moment.
It will feel different on another day, or remain as a memory.
After this 1-phase session, I can polish and refine my ideas for days, weeks, and sometimes months.
4. What are your goals when you release a new album/song?
When releasing new music, first of all, I want to get it out to my existing audience, the people who already love, know, and follow my material and who are waiting for upcoming releases.
After that, comes the outer circle, new people who can't really know about a new release because I don't have a direct connection with them, they can't be aware that something new has dropped...
So my goal is to expand these circles and reach out to more people.
5. How do you achieve them?
To reach people beyond my circles I have to step out of myself. It can be by performing in public, collaborating with other artists, or self-promotion.
Recently, one of my previous releases was placed as a soundtrack on a big HBO series in Spain. I noticed big traffic of new listeners from that area the following month, also music magazines, radio broadcasting, and Spotify playlists placements are exposing my music to new audiences.
P.R. is a vital tool towards reaching these channels.
6. You create amazing videos that give an intimate perspective on your creative process / home studio and jam sessions - What got you started into video making?
Music-making for me is play.
I love and enjoy making music, and when I produce music I feel like a kid in a playground.
Over the years, I've noticed that music is, in fact, a by-product of those playing sessions.
For me, filming and sharing the process of music-making is as powerful if not more powerful than the final musical piece.
I want to expose those magical moments, and show the tools that I create with.
Also, the tools that I'm using and the way that they are being used shape the characteristic sounds during the creative processes.
All my 'spacing around' video clips expose those moments visually, like the time when I hooked my turntable into an Echo guitar pedal.
Video making for me is an art form, another layer I can create with to express my vision and enhance the overall experience.
Audio-Visual takes the experience to a new and deeper level, both from the audience's and creator's perspective.
All the videos I released during the last 2-3 years were actually made with zero budget. Moreover, I edited them myself, glitched and used them as an artistic tool – that is what makes them unique.
6. For an independent artist working on a tight budget do you have any tips on how he can create amazing videos?
Budget is not what helps you get creative ideas; in fact, limitations are what forces one to be creative.
All the videos I released during the last 2-3 years were actually made with zero budget.
Moreover, I edited them myself, glitched and used them as an artistic tool – that is what makes them unique.
The entire process beyond making the music went through the same person, the person who made the music. I don't have any professional experience with editing or filming, and those limitations drove me to become creative during the whole process, from the music-making to filming and throughout the editing process.
That is how I discovered my visual language, and after a while, those mesmerizing colorful video clips became my signature and what I am known for.
This process is a reflection of my own way of creating.
7. The music industry keeps evolving constantly, which changes do you feel musicians should focus on?
The music industry is evolving and changing, we are changing, the world is changing faster than ever and the speed is only increasing.
No one can predict the future; this is the beauty of life.
One thing is for sure is that everything will keep on evolving and changing, and that's one of the main aspects that every musician has to focus on.
Don't be afraid of change, evolve with it, be flexible, don't stop learning and experiencing new stuff—technologies, production methods... grow with the industry and keep it fresh!
That's it for this time!