Patrick Belaga’s imaginative, improvisational mind has created another body of work. Titled _Blutt,_ the second album from the cellist and classically-trained composer is a concoction of nine woozy compositions. After hearing a mysterious muffled combination of jazz and classical music on a road trip with a friend, Belaga’s mind was consumed and soon _Blutt_ was born. Together organic instrumentals join forces with electronic production to create a sound that bends the concept of time.
The LP is a soundtrack for the strangeness of sleep and the heartbreaking transience of time, although Belaga welcomes all interpretations of the album with open arms, letting his listeners draw their own conclusions and form their own ideas on the meaning behind the music.
Read our conversation and watch the video for “The Tunnel is a Tower” below and pre-order the LP, out on April 2nd, [here](https://p-a-n.org/product/patrickbelaga-blutt-pan117/).
**What was the creative process like putting ‘Lilt’ together?**
In 2020, I discovered Hutsul music, a traditional form of Carpathian folk music that originates from what is now Western Ukraine and Romania. The term 'Hutsul' is believed to be derived from the Slavic word for 'outlaw'. My ancestry is Ukranian and I am genetically related to these ethnic groups, albeit as an outsider. I find the music incredibly inspiring and nuanced as a folk tradition. There is an honesty and humanness to it, often used for rituals for warding off spirits, edifying love, or seducing a potential lover. Hutsul a rich culture of artisans and craft traditions. When creating 'Lilt, I wrote and practiced parts on cello and violin with my collaborator and longtime friend, Kai Kight, while listening to Hutsul music. After several recording sessions I landed on a chord progression that conveyed a sense of tension and a blooming of suspense and dread, The horns, the 'Jews Harp' or Mouth Harp, and the long droning tuba add to the dramatic build of the piece.
**What was the motivation behind creating this piece?**
The general theme for the record is ritual, sleep, collective consciousness, and epigenetic memory. These are ideas that are particularly interesting to me and make their way into all my work. Obviously this occurs abstractly, but having an intentionality behind my pieces is important to me even if they are metaphorical and do not always translate to the listener. I love that listeners have a variety of interpretations—the beauty of music as a medium is in its abstract presentation and consumption. Opinions on my music, and music in general, are all equally valid. If someone loves it and hears nostalgia in the sound, wonderful. If someone feels tensions and discomfort and doesn't like the music, I am equally welcoming of these takes. I don't believe in a hierarchy of musical expression. Music functions differently for everyone and for cultures globally; from ceremony and ritual, to cerebral learning, to simple pure enjoyment, to collective transcendence, to background ambiance, and personal virtuosic fulfillment. All genres feel important and valuable. As an expression, music has been around since the beginning of time and is an essential component of the psychosocial bonding experience in virtually every era of history.
**Who are some influences on your music?**
I am an outdoorsy person, and take much inspiration from nature. Particularly trees, caves, and waterfalls. Other than these abstract inspirations, there are many musicians and composers (who often make music very different from mine) who have had a deep impact on my musical expression and output. To name a few: contemporary experimental cellist Okkyung Lee, Julius Eastman, Bobby McFerrin, Nina Simone, English composer Benjamin Britten, Johannes Brahms, architect/engineer/French-Greek composer Iannis Xenakis, American cellist Joan Jeanrenaud, Meredith Monk, Pauline Oliveros, and Max Richter.
**Are there any skills you’ve gained from your work as a model that’s helped you in the field of music?**
It's been a few years since I stopped modeling, and I’ve had many jobs throughout my life, starting at 13 years old as a grocery store bagger. I've driven a taxi, been a barista, a waiter, a bartender, worked on a farm, made and sold jewelry, and modeled. All of my jobs were to support me eventually making music full time. Modeling taught me many life lessons, but I wouldn't say it had a direct impact on my musical identity. It was more of a means to an end and although I genuinely love my old agents/agency, I have been happy to age out of that industry. The blonde white male model is rightfully going out of style, and this shift is creating space and visibility for Black and Brown models, and models with underrepresented body types/shapes. I see this as positive progress and am happy and grateful to step aside to support this global shift in beauty ideals.
**You’ve worked with artists in the likes of Lady Gaga, Moses Sumney, Kelsey Lu and Lafawndah. Who are you wanting to work with that you haven’t yet?**
I've been blessed to work with many talented artists over the years. I love collaborating with musicians, composers, dancers, and artists. I find the intersectionality of identities and music lexicons to produce far more interesting results than working as a solo artist. I believe in giving credit where it is due, paying my collaborators, and generally paying it forward as I find success in the art and music worlds. I don't subscribe to the covetousness of success that many artists feel they need to hold on to. There is space for us all to succeed in the ways we want to. If it weren't for more successful talented artists who came before me, and took me under their wing, I would not have the opportunities I have to today and I will always feel gratitude for their kindness. As far as artists I have not yet worked with who I would like too... UK artist Djrum (Felix Manuel) would be a dream collaboration for me. Another is American avant-garde composer Laurie Anderson. I find her diverse body of work both prolific and universally creative.
**What can we expect to see from you in the future?**
The future is a nebulous concept at this moment in time. The shifting identity and uncertainty within the music and art community is at an all-time high given the hectic era we are living through. I am very content doing what I do; performing for dance and theater productions, composing for film/tv/commercial work, and working as a recording artist while collaborating with other inspiring musicians. If I could continue to do some version of what I have been doing professionally since 2014, I would feel complete in my career goals. I am practicing to become proficient at the Theremin and Trumpet. Something I would love to become more involved in would be scoring scripted sci-fi/horror/thriller films; such as The Witch (dir. Robert Eggers), Annihilation (dir. Alex Garland), and Stranger by the Lake (dir. Alaine Guiraudie)
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