New year, new chapter, new sounds. PC Muñoz returns with a beautifully repetitive piece driven by the signature percussion instrument, the SlapStick, blending hypnotic rhythms with melodic percussion – a truly original sonic experience. Read our discussion with the artist below!
Describe your sound in 3 words
Exploratory
Funky
Spiritual
Tell us a few things about Cascade, the use of SlapStick and the story behind it.
“Cascade” is an exploration of stillness in motion. The inspiration comes pretty directly from my interest in chant traditions and the intrinsic power of intentional repetition. The SlapStick — which is the main, multi-tracked instrument on the recording — has become an important tool of expression for me in the last 5 years…it is kind of like a tunable electric drum on a stick, or an electric belembaotuyan/berimbau. I thought it would be a perfect vehicle for the ideas in “Cascade”— it has a mysterious, ethereal sound when put through various effects pedals.
You’ve worked with a wide range of artists, from Jackson Browne to Kev Choice and Ingrid Chavez. How do you adapt your creative process when collaborating with artists from such varied backgrounds?
Typically, when I collaborate with an artist it’s because I admire something about their work or approach. I try to set up scenarios where we all can contribute to a piece of work by doing what we do best. In terms of adapting to process, I find that direct communication is key. I’ll ask what works best for folks, and try to stay open to new or different pathways for execution.
Funk and hip-hop are noted as key elements of your music. What draws you to these genres, and how do they influence your approach to percussion and production?
As a drummer..and really as a human, I’m drawn to rhythmic music and rhythm in general. Funk to me is deep music. People sometimes try to identify funk as frivolous music, but it is not — it’s a multi-layered endeavor. Funk is a trickster. Hip-Hop was immediately attractive to me because of the marriage of lyrical self-expression and head-bobbing beats. Influences from both genres are pretty much embedded in my approach to drumming, producing, and putting rhythm tracks together at this point. I mean, in many senses “Cascade” can be received as a kind of “spiritual funk” piece.
How does your identity and background influence your music and your mission to connect cultures?
As a multiracial person with indigenous roots, my identity is pretty intersectional. I think this very consciously makes me not want to be “boxed in” by this or that (genre-centered) identity. And I’m also often looking to combine things not typically combined. Maya Angelou said “We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike”. I believe her.
As a percussionist and producer, how does your approach differ when creating music in the studio versus performing live?
In the studio I’m much more in “sonic alchemist” mode — I’m willing to pursue ideas that might not work, in terms of layering, multi-tracking,capturing sounds. In live performance I tend to bring a finite set of tools that is appropriate for the task at hand. I’m way more of a minimalist in live situations.
If the music of PC Muñoz was a film, which film would that be?
Hmm. A combination of “Whale Rider” and “Eyes Wide Shut”.
What upcoming projects or goals do you have that continue your mission to create music that bridges cultures and communities?
With “Cascade”, I can sense that I’m moving in a direction of functional music — music that serves a specific purpose for people. My hope is that this track becomes useful to people in some way — as accompaniment for their daily practices, whether it’s a walk or a run or washing the dishes or putting together a bookcase or something. I’d like the sounds to become a portal for any moment to become contemplative.
Thank you!
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