Palisade is a USA based musician and producer who emerged on to the melodic and deep house scene last year with two brilliant releases on Colorize and Sekora. He has a decade of experience learning how to make electronic music, so I was stoked to have a chat with him about some of the classic producer challenges like finding your own unique sound, balancing producing alongside other aspects of life, and hearing a bit about his live act inspirations.
Keep scrolling to hear Palisade's recent releases, including his latest one with Sekora.
Socials: @palisadetunes
Thank you for joining us Connor, can you tell us where are you in the world right now and what projects are you currently working on?
Right now, I’m holed up in my studio in Pittsburgh, working on some new music. This year I've had a much stronger idea of the sound and vision for Palisade, and I’m trying to maintain that momentum to develop and refine my style even further. I’m beyond excited to share the next wave of music this year, which includes both originals and collaborations.
When did you start producing and what motivates you to keep learning and making music?
I was lured into music production during the EDM bubble in 2012 and have stuck with it ever since. Before then, I was always interested in making music, but it wasn’t until I learned that you could make music on a computer that I began writing. My motivation for making music has evolved over the past decade, but at the core is that I love the community that music brings both at and outside of shows.
Music is a strong creative outlet for me, so that keeps me writing and evolving. I want to play my music live for as many people as possible, which helps me push through the more challenging aspects of writing and releasing.
Listen to Palisade's summer 2023 Colorize release called 'Anything':
"I've become better at prioritizing my non-music making time to make sure I’m not burning myself out"
What’s been your biggest challenge so far within music?
One of the biggest challenges I've faced has been finding a balance between the music I like, the music I enjoy making, and the music people will listen to. This often gets meme’d about because I believe so many artists (and creatives in general) struggle with this.
How have you been tackling this challenge so far?
It's taken me a while to get there, but over the past year I feel like I’ve finally struck that balance quite well. What’s helped me get to this point has been trying out different sounds, styles and roles in music, all while keeping why I make music at the forefront.
How do you balance pursuing music alongside other responsibilities and interests?
For me, this always comes down to finding the right balance between work, music, and non-work/music time. Over the years, I’ve become better at prioritizing my non-work/music time to make sure I’m not burning myself out. This helps me to continue growing and experiencing life as a normal human being, ensuring I’m fulfilled beyond being a musician.
Take a look at Palisade's latest track 'Slowly', released on Sekora:
"One of my biggest challenges has been finding a balance between the music I like, the music I enjoy making, and the music people will listen to"
Is there anyone who has inspired or helped you out along your own journey?
I’m really inspired by live electronic music acts like Tourist, CRi, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, and Mild Minds. I write music as Palisade with the live performance in mind, so I love to see the way these artists both write and perform.
Could you tell us a little more about your own live act concept?
A live act feels like the most authentic way to share my music, given that the core elements in my original music are recorded in from my synths and keyboards. Beyond that, I find that it's a unique way to connect with fans, and I just love to play music that way. The act is centered around my original music alongside a few remixes and remakes of my favourite songs. It's all a work in progress, but I aim to take it on the road later this year.
For those interested in performing live, what does your set up include?
From a technical perspective, the set up is built in Ableton Live 11 with the backing tracks and plugins/sounds to perform each song. I primarily use my Prophet Rev2 for leads and chords, my Moog Sub37 for bass, and my Novation Peak for pads and arpeggios. I've recently added a Launchpad X for triggering clips and an Akai MPD218 for playing drums and one-shots.
Do you have any advice for people who would like to pursue a career in electronic music?
Be patient, enjoy the process, and build a supportive community around you.
Here's an example of Palisade's live act inspiration, with a CRi live mix in Montreal for Anjunadeep:
Thank you Connor - to finish off, what song you have been listening most to?
For new releases, I keep coming back to CRI’s Miracles and Prize Fighter, Love Theme from Armando Young
Three takeaway tips:
To be a great producer, try prioritizing the aspects of your life outside of music too: as Connor says, it's important to grow and experience life not only as a musician so that you can live a fulfilled life. The benefits of which can also have a knock on effect in to studio, with the potential to bring more inspiration, or a healthier relationship with your musical journey.
Consider listening to other genres: think Avicii - 'Wake Me Up', it's a mix of electronic and country music. Who would have thought that would work? It's important to understand the fundamentals that make up your desired genre first (like what kind of basslines and kicks fit well with melodic house for example), and then from there you can experiment mixing it in with elements of other genres that you like. That could be anything like a hip-hop inspired drum beat, or some jazz style piano.
To develop your own sound, try experimenting with different instruments, sounds, and interesting ways of producing: this is a great way to stand out from the crowd. You could do your own recordings with real instruments like guitars, or orchestral strings; you could record percussive and atmospheric sounds on your phone; or simply experimenting with different analog and digital synths to discover sounds that fit your personal taste.
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