DAN PATLANSKY Talks Perfection Kills

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 After the success of Dear Silence Thieves in 2014 you have been on an upward trajectory have you had any time to reflect on how your career has snowballed or is it straight into the next tour and album? 

It's always on to the next thing I’m afraid. As grateful as I am about the past, I never dwell on it and always look forward to the next thing.

 Has that success meant that you feel more pressure when writing for your new album Perfection Kills?

 It's a pressure almost impossible to ignore completely. I believe every album is its own unique thing and thinking about previous albums will only hurt the creative process on the new one. So I try my best to ignore all back catalogue, and make an album I would want to buy.

 Do you write new material on the road or do you focus purely on writing when the time requires it?

Most of the initial ideas come from the road and jamming in sound check. But the development of the idea require set aside writing time frames. We set aside time before a new album to refine ideas and continue the writing process.





Do you demo the material before you go into the studio to record it?

Yes we do. I feel it’s extremely important to demo stuff. By doing that one can hear faults and downfalls in the song and arrangements as well as the strong parts that need to be repeated. It the first real look at the song from an outside point of view. It also speeds things up in the studio, so we can focus on other things while recording.


How long did the new songs take to write?

On and off I started writing from the release of Introvertigo. So almost two years of writing. I’m always messing with new ideas.


Do you record everything you write or do you have a stock pile of ideas ready to work on?

We record everything and pick from what we got at the end of the day. You don’t quite know what you have untold it’s down on tape so it’s important to record as much as possible.


I see you recorded in a studio in your home town of Pretoria and produced the album yourself too? What brought you to that decision?

I learned a lot from Theo Crous the producer of Dear Silence Thieves and Introvertigo. So I thought I’d give it a go myself, because I had a vision of a certain sound in my head that was tough to explain to a producer. That sound is a far rawer and real sound. I liked the sound the studio had.


  I have been fortunate to hear Perfection Kills and I love the raw live feel sound of the songs. Was that a conscious decision made before recording or something that happened during the recording process?

As mentioned above it was one of the main focuses. I wanted the songs to resemble the way they will sound live.





How long did Perfection Kills take to record?

We worked on preproduction over a 6 month period. It took two weeks to record. I felt strongly about over thinking and over producing the record. So two weeks seemed to make a lot of sense. It was a very busy two weeks.


The title Perfection Kills means what to you?

It means the pursuit of perfection in any art form does more harm than good. Over production kills the magic, so I thought it would be Avery fitting title for the album.


How many songs from Perfection Kills will you play live?

Hopefully all of them. None of them are off the cards. We recorded them for the most part live in the studio, so hopefully they will translate very well on the live stage.


And which songs are you looking forward to playing most?

Johnny, Never Long Enough, Too Far Gone, Judge A Man, Dog Day are the ones that come to mind. Can’t wait to start performing them live.



 Any song stories and meanings you can share with us?

Mayday is about how the modern world effect important things like love and relationships, which is a reality. Never long enough is about the brief but wonderful moments I spend with my wife and how the clock keeping ticking down until my next departure


 What inspires you when you are writing lyrics?

I like to write about things relevant to me and my life, or social commentary is also something I lean towards. I love having a far moan about things the annoy me. Can’t think of a better platform than a song.


What musical influences did you grow up listening to?

There are a lot. But ones that come to mind are Pink Floyd, SRV, BB King, and Hendrix. Beck, Son House, and Led Zeppelin.


 And what do you listen to now?

All of the above stuff plus newer stuff like Steven Wilson, John Mayer, Black Keys, and Jack White.






















What do you see as success in 2017?

Critical acclaim, CD and ticket sales or is it on a more personal level?


I think all of the above are very important indeed. For it important to achieve these because all I want is to continue making a living doing what I love and without the above that not a possibility. The more people I can play for the happy I’ll be.


 Music business has changed so much in the last decade what are your thoughts on the business now?

It’s good and bad. The good part is it’s very easy to get your music out there with technology now days no matter where in the world you live. The bad side is it’s becoming increasingly difficult to make a living in this industry because of the technology.  But it’s all about embracing change and rolls by with punches.


  What are your plans for 2018?

I’m excited for 2018.  We are going to tour the legs off the new album all over the place. I love having new songs to play and a new show to check to arrange. Can’t wait!


Dan Patlansky’s new album “Perfection Kills” is released on 2nd February. He embarks on a UK tour with special guest Mollie Marriott at Manchester’s Deaf Institute on Thursday 15th March. More info: http://danpatlansky.com

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All photos credited with thanks to Tobias Coetsee

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