For the first episode (May 2012) of my radio show “The Magic Flight” I did an interview with him to talk about his relationship to the dance scene, his inspirations and the meaning of his most famous song.
How did your collaboration with Filo & Peri start?
I went to New York University for producing. And Bo Pericic (Peri) was one of my classmates. He was looking for songs to remix with Dominic Filopei (Filo). So I gave them a whole bunch of stuff I had written and one of those songs was “Anthem”. They told me they would love to remix this song.
The background of “Anthem” is that I wrote this song for a songwriting class with the assignment to write an anthem. I gave Filo & Peri the acoustic demo version which I recorded in my bedroom and we ended up using the vocal from that demo for the final version.
What is your relationship to dance music?
I love dance music, I love the uplifting qualities of it – the soundscapes and the vibe. It’s very euphoric. I love writing it because I can bring in big ideas from my experience. You know, in college I was kind of discovering who I was and where I was going musically and I’m still discovering that. A lot of the new stuff I’m working on is so powerful in terms of me expressing who I am through the music.
The original lines of “Anthem” differ a little bit from the club version by Filo & Peri…
Yeah. The original line was “This is an anthem for the rebel of my truth”, but Filo & Peri resonate more with “youth” instead of “truth”. But that’s fine with me.
Are you working on collaborations with other artists right now?
Oh, yeah. In terms of dance music I just wrote to a few tracks that Giuseppe Ottaviani did. And I’m working with a remixer and producer called Vincent de Pasquale. It is not straight dance music, it combines urban stuff and electronic music and even Michael Jackson influences. I just want to let other DJs and producers know they can send me stuff if they want to collaborate. There are some DJs that I have in the back of my mind that I want to work with. BT is one of them because he has got a really positive view on life, too. I also like Kaskade’s music. A collaboration with Gabriel & Dresden would also be interesting as they love “Anthem” so much.
What is it like to study songwriting?
A lot of it is just doing it. Sometimes I play randomly on my piano or guitar and whisper a few words. And then I try to find out if there is a meaning in these words and follow that. But music comes in many ways. With “Anthem” I was walking around New York and the chorus melody came to me which I then recorded in my phone.
But I think you can’t necessarily be taught how to be a great songwriter. You really have to discover that within yourself and what works for you. And I think the best songs ‘happen’ by expressing our own experience and our own creativity. You have to keep practicing until people resonate with it, until you resonate with it.
Where do you get your inspirations from? I know there are some beautiful places around Los Angeles…
Although I love to go outside and be in nature, the place is less important for me than my inner state. When I am in touch with that, then the songs just flow. A big part of my life is spirituality and those ideas came through my songs. But when it takes too long and I have to try too much, I have to move on to the next song because this one is not working.
I read in an article that you are also passionate about making film music.
Oh yeah! The power of music with visuals just blows my mind. When that comes in sync it’s amazing. I’ve always wanted to work in that realm. I love film music because of its cinematic qualities and the soundscapes comparable to dance music. The music is like a story – even without words. I get more and more calls by people I have worked with before who ask me to compose music for certain scenes. Now I am working on two projects coming out soon. One is a documentary about the environment. And the other one is about major capitalists and how they are making profit being eco-friendly. It is really interesting. For sure, my goal is to get more and more into the film scene.
What was the initial intention behind your song “Anthem”?
“Anthem” is for me about all the experiences you have in your life. Sometimes they bring fun, but other times they bring challenges. In the end those experiences make us who we are. So, the song is about celebrating those experiences and being grateful for life. That’s why the four lines in the chorus summarize different experiences: the girl that got away or the war of yesterday which is basically like any battles in your personal life or in the world. It is about all the learning we can take from every experience we have.
You know, there are always different ways to see the hard experiences. Either you feel as a victim and ask yourself “Why is this happening to me?” Or you ask yourself “How can I use this to grow and strengthen myself?” and you learn from it.
Further information about Eric Lumiere can be found on www.ericlumiere.com, www.facebook.com/ericlumieremusic and www.youtube.com/ericlumieremusic
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