PAWSA “The Ride”

Next week, Lost Records is set to issue some brand-new heat from the almighty PAWSA. Returning to the label where he dropped his breakout debut EP, the Londoner is fully stoked to be pushing out his latest three-track pack, Phaneron. Dude has left an undeniable footprint in the house and techno scenes of late, and his forthcoming EP is clearly a testament as to why.

Leading out the release is a real thumper by the name of “The Ride.” Inspired by a bike ride he took during a little R&R following a solid string of gigs, he sprinkles in a few field-recorded samples to give the track some character. The cut pedals along nicely with its driving drum work, quixotic stabs and tinkling keys. PAWSA has arrived with a first-rate club pleaser.

We got our paws on the premiere of “The Ride” below, so put those ears to work.

Available April 13 via Lost Records.

What were you doing when you came up with the idea for this song? Did you drop everything and get to work, or did you make notes and get to it when you could?
I had just arrived back home in London after a heavy weekend of gigs and decided to go for a bike ride to take a break from loud, thumping kick drums and to refresh my inspiration. Whilst cycling, I sampled some sounds: birds chirping, people talking, some noises from my bike, etc. By the end of the ride, I had pretty much arranged the track in my head, so I went back to the studio to finish it.

Were you impulsive on this track, or did you have a sketch in mind before you started?
I had the sketch in my head. I knew I wanted to use the 909 for big, saturated drums, but I wanted the break to feel like the relaxed bike ride I had. So I put the sounds that I recorded whilst cycling into the breakdown, added warm pads and soft piano melodies to really detach the breakdown from the drums, just like how the bike ride detached my mind from the loud, thumping drums over the weekend.

Have you played this one out in any of your sets? If so, what was the response?
I’ve played this a lot recently. I love taking everyone on “the ride” with this breakdown; it refreshes the energy on the dancefloor, like that bike ride.

Describe the best setting/activity to hear this track.
In the middle of the dancefloor.

How do you measure the success of a track?
Once the track creates whatever mood I am trying to feel, then it is successful. Most of my tracks are inspired by the dancefloor, so the main test for me is to play them on the weekend and get them sounding right. Some tracks I have written have elements of love, love loss and nostalgia, so it depends on what I’m going through at the time that dictates the mood I am trying to create through my music.

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