原出处：https://blog.reverbnation.com/2016/09/19/artist-you-should-know-dave-thomas-junior/

作者：Krissy 

发布时间：2016.9.19

（中文版在后面）

Artist You Should Know: Dave Thomas Junior

As a producer, performer, and multi-instrumentalist songwriter, Dave Thomas Junior’s music has been featured on Vampire Diaries, The Muppets, and more. Read on to learn about his new album ‘Pieces’ that just premiered on PureVolume, his collaboration with Don Diablo, and experience with sync placements.

Hey Dave! Who is Dave Thomas Junior?
He’s this dude who makes music all the time.

Give us the breakdown of your new album ‘Pieces.’
Pandora recently added me and they said my music has ‘folk roots, mystical qualities, a subtle use of vocal harmony, acoustic rhythm piano and mixed acoustic and electric instrumentation.’ Which is just about a good description of the new album as I could hope for.

I’m really interested in the technological singularity, so (along with love which I pretty much always write about) a lot of the songs are about the concept of time in some way or another. The idea that things are moving exponentially faster is something that I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about – it seems so amazing and exciting and terrifying to me – so that always makes its way into the songs. Except ‘We Belong Together’ which is purely about Drake’s unrequited love for Rihanna. I saw the video for ‘Work’ and pretty much straight away had the idea for that song. It’s such a tragedy, he’s got it all except the one thing he wants more than anything.

As a multi-instrumentalist, writer, performer and producer, we’d love to know how you got started in music. What’s your earliest musical memory?
My next door-but-one neighbour had a piano – I think I must have been 4 or 5 and I can remember being transfixed by it. I’m still like that now, fascinated by anything to do with the process of making music – be it synth plugins or preamps or Trussart guitars, I’m all about it!

Your credentials as a songwriter are quite impressive — they include songs for The Muppets, Vampire Diaries, Revenge, EA Games — and that is just naming a few. How did you career get to this point?
Slowly and one step at a time.

You were recently featured in Dutch producer Don Diablo’s sensual deep house groove “Silence.” How did the collaboration come about and can you walk us through the recording process?
That was amazing! It came together through Kobalt in New York. The great thing about the internet is that ability to collaborate with people so far away so quickly. It was all done and released before we actually managed to meet up, when he came to play at EDC in New York. He’s got to be the nicest man in show business!  I’m really proud of that song, both the dance version and the more stripped back version which is on my album. There’s a couple of YouTube videos I’ve seen of him playing it out, one at Tomorrowland and one at EDC Las Vegas which are insane. So many people!

What is your songwriting process like when writing for commercial use versus writing something very personal?
Ideally there isn’t really much difference at all – the main thing which deliniates the two is that often there’s a brief when writing commercially, the restriction of which can actually be very useful. Even then it’s about finding something that means something personally to write about. I think one of the incredible things about music is how it’s like a message in a bottle that allows you to be connected with people, and that connection isn’t going to happen if you’re not putting something in there that means something. Without that there isn’t really much point at all. Unless you get paid a lot.

What advice do you have for songwriters and composers interested in sync placements?
For me it’s been all about the representation – find a publisher that deals with sync and make yourself useful! It’s a lot to do with being fast, and on brief (or off brief in the right way if you are so inspired). Listening to and dissecting the types of songs that are getting placed a lot is also helpful. If you can find a way to say something happy in a bit of a new way, that also helps.

Thanks for being part of series! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
I recently read this book called ‘Finite and Infinite Games’ by James Carse which was a very strange long read but ever since I finished it I can’t stop thinking about it. It’s like a text for some religion that doesn’t exist but really should. I’m recommending that to everyone at the moment – check it out!

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身为制作人、歌手、多器乐创作者，小戴夫·托马斯（Dave Thomas Junior）的音乐已经出现在许多作品中，包括《吸血鬼日记》和《布偶大电影》。本文将介绍Dave在PureVolume上首发的新专辑Pieces，与Don Diablo的合作以及达成音乐版权协议的经历

请为我们介绍一下你的新专辑《Pieces》

Pandora（网络电台）最近请我入驻了，他们把我的音乐描述为“基于民谣，有一点神秘感，巧妙地运用人声和钢琴，将原声乐器和电子乐器融合在一起”。我觉得他们总结得非常好。

我对技术奇点很感兴趣，经常思考时间的概念，为此我不仅创作了许多歌曲也写了不少东西。我也经常想“事物运行的速度呈指数型增长”这个观点，觉得它很奇妙又有点可怕，就是这样它给了我许多音乐创作的灵感。除了We Belong Together这首歌，这首是写蕾哈娜和德雷克的感情线的。

请谈谈你音乐生涯的开始

我隔壁的隔壁家有台钢琴，我四五岁的时候就特别喜欢它了。当然我现在也非常享受创作音乐的过程，电子合成、preamps和Trussart吉他我都很喜欢。

你能成为作曲家非常值得敬佩，布偶、吸血鬼日记、复仇、EA游戏，一下就能列举出很多。你是怎么做到这一步的?

一步一个脚印。

最近你和荷兰制作人合作了感官电音Silence，这个合作是怎样达成的？

这个真的特别棒！我们是通过Kobalt合作的。网络的一个好处就是能让你迅速找到千里之外的合作伙伴。Silence完成得很理想，我们一开始打算等他来纽约EDC演出的时候见面，但他还没来这首歌就发布了。他大概是娱乐圈里最好合作的人！这首歌的初版和舞曲版都收录在我的专辑里。我在油管看过Don演唱这首歌的视频，现场观众超多的。

你觉得商业创作和个人创作有什么不一样

理想状态下是没区别的，如果一定要说的话那就是商业创作在最开始会有一个简介，为我提供一些有益的限制，之后就跟个人创作一样了。我觉得音乐这东西很神奇，它像个漂流瓶，如果你什么都不往里放它就不会跟别人产生共鸣。别的就没什么不一样的了，除非商业创作可以恰好多饭。

你对想要拿到sync placements的创作人有何建议？

（我对音乐行业不了解不敢随便翻，sync大概是词曲版权管理人和音乐总监/制片人之间达成协议，把作曲家的音乐放进电影、电视剧、广告、预告片，这样作曲家能够提升知名度。谁给谁钱搞不清楚。）

谢谢你接受采访，我们的问题就是这些。请问你还有想说的话吗？

我最近读了一本James Carse写的书叫《有限与无限的游戏（Finite and Infinite Games）》，书挺厚，内容有点怪怪的。不过我读完之后一直在思考，就感觉它像是一个虽然不存在但应该存在的宗教。我把这本书推荐给各位。

 

相关内容

Pandora: https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E6%BD%98%E5%A4%9A%E6%8B%89%E7%BD%91%E7%BB%9C%E7%94%B5%E5%8F%B0/2695105?fr=aladdin

Trussart吉他：https://news.guitarchina.com/?p=6422

音乐公司Kobalt：https://tech.qq.com/a/20151209/023308.htm

Don Diablo ft. Dave Thomas Jr. Silence中英字幕 AV4472564

关于音乐翻唱（Cover）及词曲管理（Music Publisher）的音乐版权法律解析 http://www.sohu.com/a/331614243_100265139

《有限与无限的游戏》https://book.douban.com/subject/25742296/