pao
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about pao
What is your artist name?
I have different names for the different genres of music I make, but with lofi hip hop and chillhop beats I decided to go with "Pao". It originates in my civil name "Pavel" (or "Paul" in english) and funny thing about it is that none of my friends calls me by my civil name anymore, they all call me "Pao" now :)))
Are you currently working on a project, like an EP or track? If so, can you give us a teaser?
I have one currently one finished tune that's awaiting it's "worldwide" release via my distribution service, so keep an eye on my Soundcloud where I usually put new tunes a few days ahead of the official release day. Another one is in the making and to be honest, lately I've been thinking a lot of putting together an album, as I already have enough good material for it and a concept slowly taking shape in my head. But this is still more or less just an idea with no dates and milestones set.
What &/ who inspired you to create music?
Other music and musicians! I have been passionate music listener since quite a young age, rocking my walkman as a kiddo, and music always fascinated me. Being a both curious and creative person, I always wanted to understand the mysteries hidden behind all those beautiful soundscapes, so I eventually begun to tinker with music production myself and after some time I realized that this is who I am and what I want to do with my life.
How is your creative process like?
It varies. Sometimes I find that perfect sample that sparks instant creativity burst, the other day I just open my DAW and browse my VST plugins and libraries trying to find something interesting and improvise some riffs and melodies, sometimes I start with the beat... Anyway, once I get that initial spark, I usually start looking for some more layers that would go nice with the sound, already thinking ahead of the song structure a bit but yet still operating just on a short loop. When I have them, I finally work on the song structure itself, writing automations, polishing EQs, adding more subtle beat elements and variations until I decide it's done (that's the hardest part sometimes). After that I just run it through limiter and we're done!
What's an average day like for you?
Quite a routine actually :)) My alarm starts ringing at 7:30 and after three 10-minute snoozes I finally open my eyes, scroll through my social media feeds to get the brain running a bit, then a quick shower and off to work. I work as a frontend developer for a web-builder company, so the next eight hours I spent mostly sitting in my comfy chair, typing in some code, drinking coffee and listening to music. After I clock off at 5 PM, I usually head straight back home to spend my evening creating something - if all goes well, that time goes to music, but sometimes I have to put the music production aside and work on some graphics, marketing and other stuff related to my drum and bass crew. As a night person, I go usually back to bed late, mostly between midnight and 1AM, which results in constant sleep debt. The weekends are different though, as I tend to spend them with my DJ girlfriend, either playing Overwatch, watching Netflix, going for walks and trips, listening to new music and also playing our drum and bass gigs or going to concerts in the evenings.
What advice would you give someone following in your footsteps?
Never give up on what you love and what you believe in no matter how hopeless the future might look at some moments. Music scene is anything but fair, but if you are truly giving your heart and soul into your music, the good things will eventually come. Sooner or later, but they will. You just have to never stop working hard for it.
I have different names for the different genres of music I make, but with lofi hip hop and chillhop beats I decided to go with "Pao". It originates in my civil name "Pavel" (or "Paul" in english) and funny thing about it is that none of my friends calls me by my civil name anymore, they all call me "Pao" now :)))
Are you currently working on a project, like an EP or track? If so, can you give us a teaser?
I have one currently one finished tune that's awaiting it's "worldwide" release via my distribution service, so keep an eye on my Soundcloud where I usually put new tunes a few days ahead of the official release day. Another one is in the making and to be honest, lately I've been thinking a lot of putting together an album, as I already have enough good material for it and a concept slowly taking shape in my head. But this is still more or less just an idea with no dates and milestones set.
What &/ who inspired you to create music?
Other music and musicians! I have been passionate music listener since quite a young age, rocking my walkman as a kiddo, and music always fascinated me. Being a both curious and creative person, I always wanted to understand the mysteries hidden behind all those beautiful soundscapes, so I eventually begun to tinker with music production myself and after some time I realized that this is who I am and what I want to do with my life.
How is your creative process like?
It varies. Sometimes I find that perfect sample that sparks instant creativity burst, the other day I just open my DAW and browse my VST plugins and libraries trying to find something interesting and improvise some riffs and melodies, sometimes I start with the beat... Anyway, once I get that initial spark, I usually start looking for some more layers that would go nice with the sound, already thinking ahead of the song structure a bit but yet still operating just on a short loop. When I have them, I finally work on the song structure itself, writing automations, polishing EQs, adding more subtle beat elements and variations until I decide it's done (that's the hardest part sometimes). After that I just run it through limiter and we're done!
What's an average day like for you?
Quite a routine actually :)) My alarm starts ringing at 7:30 and after three 10-minute snoozes I finally open my eyes, scroll through my social media feeds to get the brain running a bit, then a quick shower and off to work. I work as a frontend developer for a web-builder company, so the next eight hours I spent mostly sitting in my comfy chair, typing in some code, drinking coffee and listening to music. After I clock off at 5 PM, I usually head straight back home to spend my evening creating something - if all goes well, that time goes to music, but sometimes I have to put the music production aside and work on some graphics, marketing and other stuff related to my drum and bass crew. As a night person, I go usually back to bed late, mostly between midnight and 1AM, which results in constant sleep debt. The weekends are different though, as I tend to spend them with my DJ girlfriend, either playing Overwatch, watching Netflix, going for walks and trips, listening to new music and also playing our drum and bass gigs or going to concerts in the evenings.
What advice would you give someone following in your footsteps?
Never give up on what you love and what you believe in no matter how hopeless the future might look at some moments. Music scene is anything but fair, but if you are truly giving your heart and soul into your music, the good things will eventually come. Sooner or later, but they will. You just have to never stop working hard for it.