Featured Artist - Patrick Baker
PLAYY: It's amazing to have you as a featured artist in our blog. Thanks for taking the time to do the interview. Let’s jump right in.
Patrick Baker: Thanks for having me!
PLAYY: Can you give us the background of how you got into music & production? When did you realize that you wanted to pursue this seriously and what were the biggest challenges on the way?
Patrick Baker: I grew up in a musical family with my father and uncles all in bands so that it was something that was part of my life early on. My uncles had home studios where I’d record and mess around and write songs. So I knew early on that I wanted to make music. Learning how to play guitar and write came first and it wasn’t until the later that I really got serious about learning the production side. I’d say the biggest challenges are trying to balance the creative and business side of things, learning when a track is really good enough, and establishing your own artistic voice.
PLAYY: You’ve really continued to rise in the music world working with some of the hottest emerging artists and DJ’s. Tell us a bit more about “This Love (Higher).” What gave you the inspiration behind that specific track and did it just grow organically or was there a strategy about using that track to reach a wider audience?
Patrick Baker: I have a special love of 90’s R&B and especially New Jack Swing, which Teddy Riley pretty much invented. I really wanted to take parts of that sound and incorporate some more modern elements and sounds. I was happy with how it turned out, but very surprised at the positive response it got.
PLAYY: What is your view on where the music business is today? Can you elaborate on some of the issues and/or opportunities that you see (from your perspective)?
Patrick Baker: I feel like we’re still in that awkward transition from downloads into streaming and it feels like the market hasn’t reached a critical mass yet in that respect. I’m hoping over the next few years things will improve some because it feels like there is an imbalance right now.
At the same time having the ability to produce a song in your bedroom and get it out to the world the same day via social media is a great thing. Even though we still have superstar artists it feels to me like there’s a lot more dilution and fragmentation. So I think artists have to be extra thoughtful about carving out their own niche and realize that with barriers to entry so low that it’s harder to get people’s attention.
PLAYY: As an artist who has uploaded a lot of your original music on the Playy platform, what are your thoughts on fans being able to collaborate with your music by making videos to share across the internet?
Patrick Baker: I think it’s great and another example of the exciting aspects that new technology has brought into the picture. I think this notion of interactive content will continue to take hold. It can be so much more fun to create something new from art you enjoy rather than just passively experiencing it.
PLAYY: What can we expect from Patrick Baker in 2016? Tours? New Releases? Can you say with who?
Patrick Baker: At moment I’m in the studio focused on writing new material. I’m hoping to have a new single out soon and will definitely have some upcoming collaborations. Also, hoping to get out on the road a bit as well!
2015 proved to be a strong year for the Nashville / DC based producer and vocalist, yielding a #1 Hype Machine collaboration with Viceroy and Giraffage reaching over 1 million plays, and a track on Lane 8’s New York Times premiered, debut album “Rise”. Among releases for Anjunadeep, Fool’s Gold, Dim Mak, Armada, Monstercat and Hed Kandi, he has racked up two top 10 singles on Beatport and Juno. His 2014 Lane 8 collaboration, “The One,” was premiered by Pete Tong on BBC Radio 1 and has received heavy rotation on Sirius XM radio.
Since landing at number 8 on Billboard's Next Big Sound chart, Patrick has already garnered support from respected artists and DJ’s such as MNEK, Bondax, The Magician, Goldroom, Oliver, Zimmer and Louis La Roche. His single “This Love (Higher)” was featured in Bondax’s Hype Machine Music Blog Zeitgeist 2013 mixtape.