To Joachim Pastor, music isn’t about the hypes, trends or the weekly special. The French DJ, producer and Hungry Music founder has been casting aside music world mania in favor of a timeless sound since first breaking into the scene, and the release of his debut album sees the recent Armada Music signee push into a new chapter with that exact trademark.
His debut album, titled Right Now is out today on Armada Music and available here.
A true perfectionist when it comes to the quality of his product, Joachim Pastor studied at the Versailles conservatory between the ages of 4 and 15. Near the end of his time at the conservatory, when his hopes of playing guitar in a band had started to grey out due to the sheer impracticality of it all, he started downloading music software with the intention of creating his own virtual band to play guitar with. That one thing led to another, and Joachim Pastor’s music has been sporting an electronic edge ever since.
Inspired by the works of seminal artists such as Daft Punk, Sonata Arctica and Jean-Michel Jarre, Joachim Pastor’s melodious brand of electronica offers a sense of sophistication not easily found in today’s music world. Designed to make listeners feel with every fiber of their being, his music is an expression of emotion with a danceable twist, endorsed by hundreds of thousands of fans on Spotify alone as well as those who witnessed his performances at the likes of Dour, Tomorrowland, Paleo, Olympia, Solidays, DGTL, Pleinvrees and more.
Now on the verge of presenting his first-ever album, Joachim Pastor continues to produce the music he wants to. And if the initial response is anything to go by, that album provides exactly the kind of music that will withstand the test of time.
In honor of this career milestone, we invited Joachim Pastor to prepare a specially-curated Global Vibe Radio mix for us and, while we were at it, took the opportunity to chat to him about the album, his move to Armada and more.
Hi Joachim, nice getting to chat with you! How have you been?
Hello, well I can say I’ve been very busy, moving house, having to redo a studio from scratch, dismantling the old one etc… I’m seeing the end of the tunnel at the moment, I can’t wait to get back to a more normal life and be able to do music everyday again.
2020 has been a strange and unusual year for all artists. Where did you spend the months of lockdown and how was the experience for you?
The lockdown was spent at home, mostly in the studio (we moved just at the end of the lockdown). I did a ton of music, and I was doing “raw” live from the studio every day during the whole French confinement, it was a new experience for me, being live, but also making music live, with the good and the bad days. I “met” a lot of great people this way.
What did you miss the most when not being able to tour?
The proximity with the people during live sets, the joys of the drops, the excitement of the climbs. I missed the people.
What did you instead enjoy about the months in lockdown? Were there any positives at all you got from this?
Well I enjoyed not traveling, I love to play live, but the airplanes and lines in between the set can be tough when you do it every week end, I wish I could teleport myself. I also did a lot of music, it gave me time to finish a lot of tracks without the worry of the tour.
Thanks for the mix by the way, where did you put this together?
In my previous studio, just before dismantling it.
What story do you hope to tell with it?
I like to touch people with emotions. To me music is all about emotions, melodies that you can remember and sing.
Is the mix a representation of what a current performance from you would sound like or is it specifically meant for home listening?
I’d say a bit of both, it’s easy to listen to at home, but I could easily play it live. I guess when I play live, I can adapt to the type of party and the people, and I can play my track differently regarding the context. I do try to always have a high energy level during live sets.
Can you tell us about some of the tracks on it that are special to you?
There is a track, at the moment it doesn’t really have a name, it’s the first track I made live during the confinement, on 3 days sessions. It’s the second to last on the mix. I think this one is really special because it was a great feeling to search and explore the melodies with the few hundred people on the live.
One of the biggest things that has happened to you this year is your departure from Hungry Music, a label that you’ve been affiliated with for a long time. Why did that happen?
Hungry Music was the label we created with N’to and Worakls. Let’s just say that there was disagreements in the background with the team running the label. I can say that I did my very best so that Hungry Music would keep going, but we are all human and sometimes things don’t always go the way we hope. I do wish the best to everyone though.
Are you still in good terms with the other artists that you were closely associated with on Hungry Music, Worakls and N’to?
Of course, I’m in good terms with everyone. N’to has signed at Allpoints, Worakls is creating his new label Sonate (more classical music oriented I believe) and I signed at Armada Music. Maybe we all needed something new, and I think good things will come out of this sad story.
Why did you choose the move to Armada Music specifically?
Actually I think Armada fits me perfectly, I’ve always used vocals in my tracks, it’s something I kind of missed lately, plus the team is outstanding. It is very important for an artist to feel surrounded and liked in order to have that “peace” that will help you get the best out of your art.
Does this mean we can expect a different sound from you or different projects?
I can still do the music I want, I have zero restrains, and I see Armada as a new world of opportunity for my music, it has given me great inspiration lately.
About that… what is in store for you for the rest of the year? Any releases we should know about?
I’ve got several singles coming, leading to my first album, which should be here in a matter of months.
In fact; my new single ‘Right Now’ is out today and available on all streaming platforms for you to hear! J
How about gigs, do you see yourself getting out there again and performing in front of crowds?
I just can’t wait, it’s going to be so weird to actually play with actual humans and energy in front of me.
Joachim Pastor Right Now is out on Armada Music and available HERE
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