Joachim Pastor was 4 when he first discovered the world of music. After studying at Versailles Conservatory, he took part in many bands before starting to produce his own music. His fast progression allowed him to stand out as a unique talent, soon well-identified for his pop and melodic influences.
In 2014, he creates the label Hungry Music with his friends Worakls and N’to and that enables him to produce his music just the way he wants it, thus offering powerful vocals, colored beats as well as a tactful touch of guitar. His upcoming album, gathering loads of exclusive featurings, is the next step of an already very promising career.
Joachim Pastor has unveiled his new single ‘Goodbyes‘ and is set to be the first track from his debut album, poised for a release towards the end of the year.
Electronic Groove: Hey Joachim, thanks for your time to chat with us. What influences did you take from the French music scene when you were growing up?
Joachim Pastor: Thanks for the invite. From the French scene I mostly listened to Daft Punk because I love the sense of rhythm and melody from the ‘Discovery’ album, it also has a lot of vocals which I really love, it’s a complete package. I also listened to a lot of Jean-Michel Jarre, I love the technology and the synthesizer sounds, the “soundscapes” and the textures. I’m a big hardware geek too.
EG: What’s France’s current electronic nightlife scene looking like at the moment?
Joachim Pastor: To be honest I don’t go out much, when you spend every week end playing in parties you don’t have a ton of time to go and explore the musical scene, I used to do that a lot 10 years ago.
EG: It was such a shame to hear about Concrete in Paris closing earlier in the year, did you ever have the chance to play there?
Joachim Pastor: I have never been to Concrete, and I’ve never been invited to play there. I feel like the underground scene doesn’t like me much, probably because a side of my music is more accessible, with vocals and real open melodies. On the other hand, my music isn’t compatible with pop/EDM music, because it’s still has a lot of artistic decisions. A lot of people try to do cool music, they want to appeal to the cool, hype people: it kills musical diversity. I just do the music I like and I don’t care about codes and trends. To me, I’m the real underground, cause I’m not following any trend.
EG: Was there always a clear musical direction with Hungry Music?
Joachim Pastor: We just do the music we like, as long as it’s quality (in our taste).
EG: Do you find it hard to balance running a label and making music?
Joachim Pastor: The most work you have with a regular label, is finding good music, and filtering the tons of demos your receive. Hungry Music is more the place where we release our music, so it’s way less time spent “running” the label.
“A lot of people try to do cool music, they want to appeal to the cool, hype people: it kills musical diversity”
EG: You play a string of live shows in London, Nantes and Amsterdam – have you always played live and what’s your favorite piece of equipment when performing?
Joachim Pastor: I’ve performed using different kinds of gear, from the classic MacBook, guitars, percussions, moog synthesizers, among others. I don’t really have a preference, each instrument fits a particular moment, in that particular each instrument is my favorite.
EG: Your new track ‘Goodbyes’ is just out, tell us a bit about the creative process when you made it, do you have a formula for all the music you write, or just get into the studio and see what happens?
Joachim Pastor: I don’t have a formula, I just try to do good music, almost all the time. When I’m traveling, if I have an idea, a melody, I open my computer and start writing, same goes for vacations, studio time, day, night etc. ‘Goodbye”s melody was made like 5 years ago, track was originally called Rapture, I played it live a lot. I made it less “live” for the release, giving a more quiet feel and less clean mix.
EG: What can we expect from you music-wise for the rest of the year?
Joachim Pastor: New album, new analog live and maybe some surprises.
Buy and stream ‘Goodbyes’ here.
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