Interview- People Theatre

Last Updated on Tuesday, 01 January 2008 08:05 Written by Matt Willis

cid:image001.jpg@01C750ED.B4013E00

photo courtesy of peopletheatre.com

Producer, Composer, and Creative Genius Peter Rainman sits down with Grave Concerns to share his musical journey through work with his band People Theatre; and his extensive catalog of work with other bands. He also gives us an education on the French electro-pop scene…

GC) Can you tell us about some of the new People Theatre stuff you guys are working on?

Peter: 'm actually working on three kinds of stuff… remixing, producing, and composing my first album in the same time, I’m close to the end. People theatre is my 24/7 job. Right now I have just finished remixing a band called “Lennox”.

GC) What current projects are you working on as a producer at the moment?

Peter: I'm producing various bands right now like Splendor Projekt. I really love their sound! I’m also working with more bands, but nothing is official yet. In the past I could shout it loud, but now the bigger the band, the less I can say. Since NUN's debut album has been released, a lot of people discovered my sound, which is cool ! Therefore I had several propositions. But now I
really would like to work with Anne Clark and some German bands I love. Who knows? Time will tell!

GC) What current bands are you remixing at the moment?

Peter: I'm now remixing various artists such as Sara Noxx, the echoing green,

Distain, or Isis Signum. Few weeks ago I remixed Anne Clark, Implant,

Chinese Theatre, Psyche, and took part in Camouflage's remix contest

twice. I’m making around a remix a week, sometimes more.

GC) What is it that fascinates you about re-interpreting someone's music

through remixing it?

Peter: The fact that the artist would like to hear his song with a different point of view. Songs are hidden treasures. The person that creates them doesn't see everything... I’m just showing him his jewel can shine from a different angle too. It often happens the artist hides his deepest feelings in a song, and, by remixing it, I just show him what he wanted to hide the audience.

CG) As an accomplished producer, can you explain your approach in working with other bands and artists?

Peter: I don't see my work as just being a sound designer… I’m from time to time a kind of a guru, guiding the band to new directions. Some of the tracks on NUN's cd are very different from the demo I had first heard. A lot of bands are lost in their quest for the good sound due to technical reasons,Compressions. Limiters and new software don't help at all. As I’m more into club sounds I have lots of tips for electro bands now. The fact I’m from a different scene (club, mainstream electro pop) brings a lot to synthpop bands.

GC) Tell us about being dubbed Peter “Rainman”. How did you get this nick-name?

Peter: Oh God... (lol) well, first, when I was 18 years old I looked like Dustin Hoffman (a YOUNG Dustin, who?) and, as I was dj, I was so focused on my work I didn't smile, speak or drink at all. A good friend of mine called me therefore Rainman. Nowadays, I love that nick name because the rain means much to me, as in New Order's song (special) "It was always special It was like water down the drain. I’m intoxicated Every time I hear your name". But, be sure I’m a normal person!

GC) How did you get started in music? What importance did music play in your childhood growing up?

Peter: I started ... well since I breathe I had music on my mind. God's gift or malediction, it depends...When radios in the eighties played Yazoo/Yaz or Eurythmics, I knew music would be my way of speaking. I hate silence. Some of the songs I recently recorded were composed when I was 9. It's the only thing I know… adding sounds, writing lyrics... Songs are like bubbles on my mind. From time to time they come to the surface, and I HAVE to put them down on my laptop, unless I would feel bad, misfit. In the past I had ideas while sleeping or eating... I absolutely had to go to the studio.

Hopefully I managed to control inspiration better!

GC) Explain the formation of People Theatre. How did you get started? What is the concept behind the band name?

Peter: The band is me and only me now. I had Tim from time to time. He’s now studying law. I started at the end of the eighties with a synth, then a drum station, then a computer. I always had that burning desire to communicate with people, hidden behind my songs. Making songs without selling or giving to an audience is a nonsense to me.

It all started almost two years ago. Thanks to internet, I shared few songs with people on forums that pushed me to go on. I remixed Foretaste first, then other bands and my name became a little bit bigger, remix after remix.

Then I produced "Sunlight" for polish band NUN. The concept???? Well, I play a kind of electro pop such as Erasure or Pet shop boys, but I add a bit of underground music, inspired by the Hacker or early Depeche Mode songs. Plus the "club" touch. So, my "concept" is to open people from mainstream clubs to synth-pop music and EBM. I still wonder how someone can say "I’m an open-minded person" if he never heard about Tristraum, Eloquent, or the Garland cult for example?

GC) Tell us about the electronic music scene in France. What are some great regional electro-pop bands from France that people abroad may not know about?

Peter: France is a kind of desert for electronic music, apart of mainstream electro. The truth is the biggest radios, at the end of the eighties, decided to choose rock music. All the house music, Italo-disco suddenly disappeared from those mainstream medias. So here are lots of cool bands making electronic music, but only few of them will succeed. How? By becoming famous elsewhere ! Daft punk became famous, thanks to Scottish label Soma for instance. Just take a look at my contacts for example. Germans, English, American, people from (north and south), but only four or five from France!

You MUST know and learn about Foretaste, Nouvelle Culture, Dalex, Celluloide, Dekad... and few others such as Plastic Machine, Commuter vs. Laag, Sindrome, etc ...

There's an excellent webzine about French electronic music scene: www.yaew.com .You'd better
go and see :)

Q) What are some things that you enjoy doing away from music?

Peter: Reading books and meeting friends, walking and cooking. I'm fascinated by Middle Ages stories (king Arthur etc...) and French food.

GC) Finally, Please use this opportunity to promote or discuss any of your music related work that we are not aware of and to also take this opportunity to say anything to the fans and readers of this site.

Peter: Most of all thank you (and grave concern) so much for this interview. Many people are still pointing a "?" at PEOPLE THEATRE, they now have answers I hope. People, be patient, please! I’m making records for others but very soon you will have my album in your hands!