In the middle of his nation-wide “Space Jazz” tour and in the process of releasing his third album, “The Godfather” as he’s called, Pretty Lights Music star Michal Menert took the time to speak with us regarding the tour, his new album, collaborations, and more.
With the Space Jazz Tour being your first internationally headlining tour, how has it been so far?
“It’s been great man. We’ve had really good turnouts; it’s not like we’re selling out every single place we play, but its definitely good enough to have a party. It’s had a really good vibe too; everybody comes in a really positive way and there’s this vibe that’s different from a lot of electronic shows I’ve personally been to. Instead of everyone being all drugged out and stuff, people are coming and really throwing themselves into the atmosphere of the event. ”
Your support for the tour is really diverse, and features a lot of producers that are kind of ‘under the radar’ per se (Gladkill, Krooked Drivers, Late Night Radio, Odesza, Mux Mool, Mikey Thunder). How’d you go about selecting whom you wanted to bring along?
“I wanted to bring along people that I not only respected musically, but also would want to listen to myself. I wanted to have a show that showcased a different side of EDM other than what most people think of it as; I’m not a hater of that ‘section’ of EDM, I respect it, but after hearing that stuff for a lot of my life, I wanted something different. I wanted artists that showcased the EDM world but also had a crossover potential, but also was stuff you could listen to without having to be on drugs or expecting heavy-bass. All the acts are very melodic-based, and more about the groove, you know? Basically, I wanted to have a bill of a show that I would want to go. Odesza is up-and-coming and just amazing; Gladkill, Krooked Drivers and Late Night Radio are unique like that too, and Mikey Thunder always throws it down. He brings out the turntables every night and throws down an epic mix. All the support sets the tone, and then I can come out and knock it down.”
Can you give us some information on the new album, and it’s makeup? I’ve heard you did some tracks with Manic Focus and Mux Mool.
“I like the new album a lot, it’s got a lot of diversity on it. I’ve got SuperVision on it, Manic Focus, Mux Mool…it’s got a lot of moments in the album that’s straight-forward, like what people would expect. But then I have songs like “Six Corners” which is jazzy, and then there’s stuff you can drift off to, so it’s nice to have an album where I feel like I’m covering, over the course of 10 or 11 songs depending on what it ends up being, all the elements of my personality and what I’m trying to do musically. All the songs contrast well but they all stick well in the total. It makes a solid album, even if you hear one song and you’re not sure about it, it’ll all fit in. It should be out at the end of November, or at the very latest, early December. It was kind of weird because I didn’t have an album before the tour; we announced the tour, and then I was figured, since I had some tracks in the work, I better get to finishing them while on tour and release it. I’ve never really wanted to do stuff for promotional reasons, it always been for emotional reasons.”
Have you had to do a lot of work for the album on the road?
“Yeah, I’ve had to do some work for it on the road. We have a turntable to sample from, and a mini analog set that I mess around with, and it’s been pretty good. It’s nice to get some advice from my buddies who are with us, and its nice getting their perspective on it and rounding it out. I’m always used to making music with my friends, and there’s that cool way- not that it’s a competition- but if you friends think your doing something wack, they’ll call you out. When your more and more on your own and progress, you lose that help. It’s really helpful to have constructive criticism from your friends.”
You recently did the album artwork for Late Night Radio’s ‘Far Into The Night’. Could you go into how that began and your inspiration for the artwork?
“Yeah, so I designed the first three Pretty Lights’ album covers. Then I designed my first album cover, ‘Dreaming Of A Bigger Life’ (which I painted by hand), and then did the artwork for my ‘Elements’ vinyl, which is coming out soon. I’m doing the design for ‘Space Jazz’ too with the guy in the suit you’ve seen on the posters. I’ve always been into visual art, and so Late Night Radio came to me with interest, and I kind of sketched out a black and white version of what I thought. Within a day or two, I had a couple different designs we were looking at. I wanted to go with a simple theme; skies are easier to have a composite, and there’s a lot of emotion in it without having to show a lot of detail. ”
What’s the scoop with Half Color (Michal Menert and Paul Basic) and should we be expecting a release in the near future?
“Yeah, I’ve just been waiting for Paul to finish his album up, since he’s been concentrating on that for a while. We have a handful of stuff to work with, and have a track together on his new album. There’s like 11 songs of Half Color that haven’t been released, so it’s definitely something that’s been there that we’ve just been building on. There’s a lot of old songs that we want to revitalize and play live, so we want to have the project be where we can have the live show where we’re really pushing ourselves, using the laptops and playing different instrument parts. We want to have live instrumentation but also a very heavy electronic feel, which is a big part of both of our albums. I have a cabin on the Colorado border, and we’re planning to lock ourselves in with a bunch of equipment for like a month and just hash it out.”
I hear that your show at the Fillmore in Denver, Colorado on November 16 is suppose to be next level. Can you give us some information on the alleged support, and new lighting production we’ve heard about?
“The support…it’s some legends that I’ve been digging for a long time, and I’m really stoked to have these guys on the bill. It’s somebody that I have so much respect for, that’s killing it right now, so to have them come and play, it’s like having your hero with you. The rest is built up of people who are either friends of mine or I’ve been a big fan of, or both. It’s going to be a cool homecoming at the end of the US tour before I go to India. We’re brainstorming on the how we’re going do the lights, and we want something that’ll, like, be from another world, like you’re going into space. ”
Since you freestyle live sometimes, and going back to the days when you used to rap on Listen, would you ever consider recording verses over a track?
“Yeah man, I’m actually doing some vocals over tracks for the new album. I’ve got one song where I sing on, and one song where I rap on. That’s why I was saying earlier, this album is really going to showcase more of me than any album before. Some people may hate it, but whatever, they got nine other songs on the album to listen to.”
Word is that you’re a pretty mean cook. What’s one of your favorite meals to make?
“It’s simple: pork tenderloin marinated in a bevy of sauces and butters and horrible things for you. Then some steamed or sautéed vegetables, and some mashed potatoes with goat cheese and pancetta, which is makes it really savory and gives it flavor. Then take the gravy from the pork and put it over the mashed potatoes.”
Since you’ve been to India a lot and are going to play there after your US tour this year, how would you say the crowds over there differ from the crowds you are greeted with in the US?
“It’s similar but also very different, since it’s a totally different group of people. One of the biggest things is the lack of drugs; in India, people smoke hash and people drink. Over here in the states, not to say it happens everywhere, but the drug use has gotten a lot more attention in the media and is pretty evident. There, it’s not even an issue. They are enough to be just excited over shows; they don’t get shows a lot, so they’re just elated. They love it and they really have a love for music. It’s just awesome to be able to go somewhere on the other side of the world and have people fall in love with your music the way people do here. Because of the internet, I feel less divided with my fan base now, since I can reach people virtually everywhere. You can become so short-distanced from reality and people because of social media, and all of a sudden, seeing a positive from that, it’s amazing, having a global reach like that. From starting with a local passion, and growing to a global phenomenon, its just mind-blowing. It’s just been an amazing ride and I want to share some of the great moments with people. ”
Well thank you for doing that, Michal. We love your music and it certainly contains a lot more emotion and passion than a lot of stuff coming out these days.
“Well that’s all it’s about man, the emotion. Music has always been about emotion; it’s like trying to describe the undescribable. It’s like trying to paint a picture of god. For me, music is like trying to create something pretty when I’m a piece of sh*t. I want to put my best foot forward and kind of make up for all the ugly parts of my personality and my life and the mistakes I’ve made, with it being like “this is the ideal version of me, and me trying my hardest and giving you my heart”. ”
WRR would like to thank Michal Menert and his management for taking the time to sit down and speak with us. Be sure to check out Michal Menert on his Space Jazz tour, coming to a city near you! He’ll be playing on the East coast in the coming week, with a stop at the Canal Club in Richmond, VA, presented by Dr. Bastard Productions.
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