Who is Paraleven? The producer burst into the spotlight a few short years ago as a talent heavily backed by Lane 8, later picking up widespread acclaim for his palatable brand of progressive house which often pairs feelsy harmonies with vocals that tug at the heartstrings. Most recently, he joined the likes of Township Rebellion, Cassian, and more on RÜFÜS DU SOL’s Rose Avenue roster—further speaking to his artistic potential.
But beneath the somewhat mysterious, yet sweet exterior is a creator with one driving motive: to use music as medicine. He wants to reach listeners on a personal level, carefully arranging each piece of melody, drum, and vocal into compositions that open and uplift. Further backing this mission are his now-viral ‘Retrograde’ mixtapes, which are recorded in the enhancing frequency of 432hz and released during each Mercury retrograde when a fair slice of his listeners need it most.
His journey is a relatively new one, but culminates with his newest long-form project, ‘Apollo’. Announced today on Rose Avenue with a warm, entrancing number called ‘Tidal Wave’, his debut album invites listeners to explore the vast space inside themselves—and hopefully, discover their strength within. If the undulating progressions and spacey arpeggios of this new single are anything to go off of, it seems he’s done well in translating his album’s call to action into sound. ‘Tidal Wave’ follows up his debut single on the label, ‘Lucid’, which will also appear on the album in its September release.
We got the chance to speak to Paraleven just ahead of his milestone announcement, where he revealed a little more about his process and ethos. Let’s take a listen to ‘Tidal Wave’ and learn more about the burgeoning new artist below.
Electronic Groove: Hey Paraleven, thanks for taking the time to speak with us. Let’s get started with ‘Tidal Wave’—what makes this track an ideal first taste of your upcoming album ‘Apollo’?
Paraleven: ‘Tidal Wave’ was a track that came about in stages. I was trying to create something unique while maintaining a digestible sound throughout the song. I incorporated some distorted sounds (slightly detuned) to go along with the vocals – really feel they work well together.
Electronic Groove: Your work is often lyrical, including this single. When it came to collaborating with vocalists for ‘Tidal Wave’ and other album tracks, how did you ensure that the lyrics would fit in with the themes of the album? Did you have a say in the writing process, or advise vocalists to write under a certain idea?
Paraleven: I spent a week in Palm Springs with some talented songwriters and Luca (Bien et Toi) was there to hear both my vision for the album and express the kind of lyrics I was looking to help express that. We sat down and discussed the project in detail. Usually with vocalists – during the writing process – you want to make sure that you allow room for creativity. My main goal is to provide a focus for lyrics and allow for songwriting to organically spawn. He is very talented and I appreciate the time we spent working together – he was a big part of finishing up the album.
Electronic Groove: ‘Apollo’ covers the parallels between the inner and outer worlds – how have you witnessed these parallels in your own life?
Paraleven: I have found that one of the most important things in life is to appreciate what is going on inside of you. You will never be able to appreciate the outside world until you do – because they are so intertwined. My life is the embodiment of this concept – as I utilize my self-awareness for manifestation. At the end of the day – you create your own reality – and I choose to create something special.
Electronic Groove: And how do you cover these parallels sonically using lyrics, track order, and arrangement?
Paraleven: The lyrics of this album specifically circle around various personal inner emotional conflicts – juxtaposed against spacey/atmospheric sound design. The contrast between everyday life (mental struggles and thoughts) with sounds that emulate large/esoteric spaces. The arrangement of my music is usually built to drive energy for a live setting – however, this is track specifically – some songs are meant to be more mellow. The track order was structured by listening to each song in a row – having shifted them around in a way that best tells a story.
“At the end of the day – you create your own reality – and I choose to create something special“
Electronic Groove: What is the ultimate message you hope people take away from both ‘Tidal Wave’, and your album as a whole?
Paraleven: ‘Tidal Wave’ is very much meant to lead the listener to interpret in different ways. It is a very vibey song – but it is also somewhat lyrically mysterious. I am curious as to what people think of it. As for the album – first and foremost – I would hope to inspire others to do whatever they can to do what they love. This album represents over a decade of hard work from a personal standpoint and I do believe if you work hard and never stop – you will end up being the person you intend to be. As for the album’s message itself – things that seem far away or unattainable will start to feel much closer the more you dive within and understand yourself.
Electronic Groove: Tell us about a profound experience you had exploring your inner universe and what lessons you learned from it. Can this be applied to others as well?
Paraleven: There have been various moments of clarity in my life. I also am not sure if those moments would translate positively for others. Everyone is on a different path however I have learned that becoming an observer at times is important in that facet. I do my absolute best to limit my absorption of negativity while maximizing my consumption and expression of positivity. By no means does this mean that I suppress negative emotions or shut down during/avoid tough times. I just do not let negativity control my life – I observe – understand – and allow those moments to be. This practice is difficult at first – but life-changing. Next time someone is mean to you – step out of the emotion – respond with love and understanding – see what happens. I’m not perfect at it – but it is something I try my best to do in most scenarios.
Electronic Groove: You’ve re-started your career from the ground up when you went solo, and earned some serious success with your quick pickup by This Never Happened; what are some tips you have for artists in a similar place looking to make their break?
Paraleven: Spend a lot of time in the studio (laughter). Honestly though – I have been doing this a long time and I can say that networking is very important – and just being nice as well. Music (in my opinion) will speak for itself – but the music industry is a different animal. What may have seemed like a restart felt more like a pivot. With 10 years of relationships – you can do a lot.
Electronic Groove: What’s one fun fact about yourself that fans aren’t aware of yet?
Paraleven: I have had my car stolen 3 times.
“Tidal Wave is very much meant to lead the listener
to interpret in different ways”
Electronic Groove: One of your biggest claims to fame these days are your Retrograde mixtapes, which are recorded in 432hz. How did you come up with this idea, and do you ever see yourself bringing the mixtape formats (frequencies included) into a live reality?
Paraleven: I personally enjoy the 432hz tuning better than the standard 440hz. Honestly – it just sounds better to me. There is a lot of information out there about the science behind healing with frequencies. I do not expect everyone to resonate with this – however – If 432hz had a .0000001% chance of healing listeners with no downside – I would choose that every time. Converting it and sharing it with hundreds of thousands of people could be powerful – and I think that there is something to say for that. In regards to the live setting – you will just have to wait and see!
Electronic Groove: Finally, what else is there in the Paraleven pipeline that you want to share?
Paraleven: The Paraleven team is working hard to expand the project into a few different areas. I will be creating a new communication channel for anyone interested in staying up to date with shows/new music/exclusive content/etc. and will announce this very soon!
Paraleven’s ‘Tidal Wave’ is out via Rose Avenue. Grab your copy here.
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