Proaudio: Your various production aliases — P.H.A.TT., Melodia, ReBirth — display diverse styles. Can you detail their differences in style and approach? Pierre Pienaar: ReBirth was my introduction to Hard House, embracing the aggressive sounds I admired. P.H.A.TT. was born from my love for Hard Trance, propelling my international career and touring across the UK, New Zealand, and Australia. Melodia explores deeper, melodic trance and house. Pierre Pressure dabbles in more commercial, radio- friendly music, while my releases under my own name embody pure trance and secured a UK Top 40 Dance hit. Proaudio: Your music's been featured on major labels like Universal, Sony/BMG, and Warner. How do you maintain creative independence while working with these labels? Pierre Pienaar: With remix requests for these labels, creative freedom is often granted, as they seek your signature sound. However, labels have distinct sounds, sometimes guiding adjustments to fit their brand. To retain independence, I opt for one- off deals per track rather than exclusive contracts, allowing me to explore and release elsewhere if needed. Proaudio: Heading Nukleuz Green must have impacted your music production and career. How did it influence you? Pierre Pienaar: Leading Nukleuz Green provided opportunities to work with big names in the scene, offering insight into the music industry's inner workings and what A&R managers seek in demos. It significantly boosted my career by allowing official remixes for prominent artists.
Proaudio: Could you share insights into your journey from Namibia to becoming a prominent figure in EDM? Any significant milestones or challenges?
Pierre Pienaar: The journey remains challenging, especially lacking a local
following for my genre. I sought opportunities abroad, mailing CDs to the UK and Germany initially, which was financially taxing. However, persistence paid off — I landed my first UK label signing in 2003, followed by airplay on Ministry of Sound and BBC Radio 1. Gradual progress and consistency have been my guiding principles. Proaudio: How do the endorsements and support from influential DJs impact your creative process and motivation? Pierre Pienaar: Influential DJs' support doesn't shape my creative process; I produce based on my inspiration, not aiming for specific label or DJ endorsements. Unexpectedly, the tracks I least expect to gain support often do. Their encouragement significantly motivates me, rapidly growing my audience. Proaudio: With your involvement in various music genres, how do you balance creativity among different projects? Pierre Pienaar: My wide-ranging musical tastes provide inspiration from various genres. When creating, I don't consciously assign a project to a specific alias — I build around the initial idea that springs to mind, regardless of genre. Proaudio: Remixing tracks for artists like Bob Marley and Mauro Picotto — how does this process broaden your musical horizons?
sound press | December 2023
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