Hiya Pablo Langaine, thanks for joining us in the virtual RGM lounge today. Grab a brew and take a seat.
What was life like for you before you got into music?
I honestly don’t have much recollection of life without music, as my parents are both artists. My mom, an orchestra bassoon player and music teacher, and my dad, a poet and songwriter, fostered a fully creative environment at home so much so that my first memories are my guitar-shaped cake for my 3-year-old birthday.
What’s the live music scene like in Los Angeles right now? Anyone we should be looking out for (bar you, of course)?
LA has been dealing with a lot of loss ever since the pandemic, then writers’ strikes, in 2023-24, and then the January wildfires just this year, so the scene feels like in a weird recovery mode. With that being said, artists are resilient and continue to produce great work. Since you asked, I’ll take this opportunity to give a shout-out to the artists on my label roster: Lola Rice, Inez leon, and Ionie.
It seems like being a social media curator has become added to the many jobs of a musician, how do you feel about this?
I own a “Create Art, Not Content” t-shirt, and I wear it proudly to events across Los Angeles. I hope this answers your question 🙂
How do you manage engagement on your socials?
I’m brutally honest, and I don’t give a fu$#. I post whatever I want, when I want, and allow the art to speak for itself. If people like it, great; if they don’t, also great. I’m not too worried about follower count or anything like that. With that being said, I do have a consistent group of fans that continue to support me, so I try to give them the attention they deserve as I continue to be genuine within my online life.
What’s your view on the Music industry today?
It sucks and it doesn’t. If you want to “make it” then it probably sucks as it has become increasincly difficult to have the same success bands used to have like, let’s say, in the 90’s. However, these days, anyone, and I mean ANYONE, can hop on a laptop and create awesome music, so my perspective is to enjoy the ride and stay creative, and as long as I have a roof over my head, food on my table, and a guitar by my side, I’ll live a happy life.
Where do you feel you currently sit within the music industry?
To be perfectly honest, I just do my thing and allow the universe to decide. As hippie as it sounds, I decided to let go of ego-driven ambitions a long time ago, and I find contentment in having a creative life. Writing and co-writing songs, scoring music for film and TV, and producing artists gives me such joy, so much so that I leave the rankings to the music industry specialists. Having said that, I do have a documentary I scored on PBS, and a web series on Amazon Prime. I also run a label/publishing company and constantly pitch songs to music supervisors, while releasing my own music in a very Indie-DIY way.
What’s the biggest thing you have learned recently as you progress with your music?
Mixing and mastering. I used to rely on so many people and spend lots of money on expensive mixing in NYC, mastering in the UK, and stuff like that. I now record all the instruments, mix, and master myself.
What was your best experience on stage?
A bandmate got proposed to during a concert of ours once, which was brilliant!
What was your worst experience on stage?
LOL. Many: Bad sound. Aggressive sound engineers. Venues that won’t pay. Food poisoning thanks to a crappy catering. I’ve been around…
Tell us something about you that you think people would be surprised about.
I played soccer during high school and almost went pro.
I hear you have new music. What can you tell us about it?
My new EP “NOSTALGIA“ is quite an emotional exploration of sound, spirit, and identity. I believe it is a powerful and introspective collection of songs that traverse themes of love, loss, and resilience, in a world that feels like it’s collapsing.
What was the recording process like?
I wrote the songs, recorded, mixed, and mastered them in 1 week. It was 7 days of waking up at 4 am, fully inspired and with loads of energy, until midnight, so it felt like a month went by.
What was the biggest learning curve in writing the new tunes?
I feel more mature and confident about my lyrics, melodies, and harmonies. Before, it would take me longer to have a finished product, whilst now, I let go of any second-guessing and try to arrive to the finish line with confidence, knowing that, as Pablo Picasso once said, “Art is never finished, you only stop at some point.”
Would you change anything now it’s finished?
I sent my tracks to a mastering engineer friend of mine to ‘give the songs a quick pass,’ and frankly, I ended up uploading my own mastering. I believe art creation is a process in constant motion, so I live by the idea of documenting this process. This album is another testimony of a particular time I was living just a few weeks ago.
Is there anything else you would like to share with the world?
Stay creative, no matter what. Music is medicine for the soul.
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