Distilled Sounds: Anderson .Paak Interviewed

In his glittering career, Anderson .Paak has shifted terrains between heliopholic progressive rap projects to late-night, groove-infused forays into funk and neo-soul. His creative essence is by its very nature synergetic; be it part of the molasses-smooth Grammy-winning duo Silk Sonic or the beat tape mastery of NxWorries.

As he’s evolved musically, Anderson .Paak has continued to cultivate those even beyond his personal orbit. His latest creative venture sees is a partnership with Irish distillers Jameson and their global Distilled Sounds programme 2024 collective. ‘Distilled Sounds’ is a talent incubator bringing together forward-facing artists from all corners of the world: the five new tracks from the paired-up artists have been released by Jameson in a new YouTube Series.

All the action took place at the Sound Distillery in a three-day event featuring workshops organised by NTS, the official Sound Distillery Programme Partner and hosted by Zezi Ifore and Liz Elhesit. The sessions included guitar workshops guided by Fender, the official Distilled Sounds music partner, as well as musical inspiration talks led by Anderson .Paak in his role as Jameson’s ‘Music Distiller’.

CLASH roped in Anderson .Paak for a chat spanning his work as an ambassador for Distilled Sounds, the beauty of interplay with musicians from other genres, his entry into cinematic work and more.

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Tell CLASH a bit about how your collaboration with Jameson and the creation of Distilled Sounds came about. Why did it appeal to you at this point in your career?

Collaboration has been a big part of my artistic journey. That was one of the things that really spoke to me when connecting with Jameson and listening to their vision for Distilled sounds. Now that I have a platform where I’m at in my career, I feel like it’s my duty to be able to share experiences that I had coming up so that I can help other artists get to where they’re going. When I was in their position, I got a lot of help from different people and artists who showed me what to do and what not to do. In this industry, you get what you give, so if I can help another artist, I think that’s good energy coming back around.

Could you ‘distil’ the core essence of Distilled Sounds?

The core essence of Distilled Sounds is “collaboration”. Jameson helped us search for incredible talent from all over the world to collaborate and jam together. It was something that I found very interesting and something that I immediately wanted to be a part of.

For the inaugural Jameson ‘Music Distiller’, you and your team selected artists from around the world, from different scenes and genres. When curating and selecting these artists, what were you looking for?

My team worked with Jameson to bring together artists from around the world who embodied the Distilled Sounds spirit. Creators and innovators, open to collaboration and keen to transcend borders with their artistry.

Out of all the Distilled Sounds collaborations, which one was your favourite?

That’s like being asked to choose your favourite child haha!

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Your music is historically collaborative in its nature. When you’re in the process of embarking upon a musical partnership, what do you seek out in your collaborator? Is it about going out of your comfort zone, or just musically what appeals to you in that moment?

I look for drive, ambition, and fire. I like artists who are obsessed and people who make no compromise for their creative expression. People who are digging and trying to find something. People who really care. There are all different kinds of styles and ways they can express that but that’s the main thing that I really enjoy. I think it’s good to tap in with other artists and other like-minded people that you feel like you can create something special with and get inspiration from. It’s a bunch of energy coming together.

Collaboration should not just be all take – you need to give something and get something from it to fill you up. Everyone needs inspiration sometimes. I think that’s how new sounds are developed, and new scenes are cultivated. I think creative collaboration is huge for the progression of music and creating different, unique sounds. It’s a way for people to learn about culture as well as other people and how to honour their history.

You made your big screen directorial debut this year with K-Pops!, in which you co-star opposite your son, Soul Rasheed. It’s a story of K-pop’s influence on next-gen kids, but also one of discovery and belonging. Did you have any trepidation about working with your son as a first-time director? Is it an experience that has changed you?

You know, the movie was inspired by him. It was inspired by his love for K-Pop; it was inspired by him teaching me more about the music, and me wanting to be more involved in his interests. And that was only because, you know, I was in the house more during the pandemic. Before that we were on tour non-stop, and I had to just slow down and chill and see what my family were into. I had to tap in. I think my brain is just always working overtime and being creative, so I immediately started thinking how funny it would be to pull from my life experiences and make a funny movie where it could be about uniting a family; showing that you could learn together and bring different cultures together. 

As I started making the movie, I realised how important and unique something like this movie is. I don’t think anybody’s really done anything like this – where you’re seeing black culture with Koreans in the mixture of music, and also telling a family story that’s heartfelt and funny. I think it was huge to do it with my son because at the end of the day, I wanted to be able to spend time with him, and show him how important it is to start something and finish it, and finish strong. 

Earlier this year you released ‘Why Lawd?’ as part of NxWorries, coming eight years after ‘Yes Lawd!’. Talk us through how this album charted and captured your partnership with NxWorries? In what ways does it build on the premise you both set on the first album?

It’s been years in the making, and I’m very proud of what we’ve created. I feel like it’s one of my most vulnerable albums, and I felt like we did something different than the first one. It feels like a bit of an evolution. Knxwledge’s production is infectious, hypnotising, and he has a great sense of keeping a standard of excellence. He’s very consistent, and his work ethic is second to none when it comes to output. He’s really fun to be around because I feel like he keeps me balanced, and he’s really good with details.

Lyrically and musically, ‘Why Lawd?’ is a sobering, melancholic experience – a contrast to your aspirational, feel-good songs. Was the album about memorialising some existential angst? What needed to be purged on this album?

Life was the inspiration. I think I was at a good point in my life after Silk Sonic and touring to focus on this album. I felt like it was about the balance and just going back to one of my favourite collaborators, Knxwledge, who I do some of my best work with. I love working on albums with him because it’s just one producer and one sound. I’m able to craft something that’s so unique and different but still cohesive with him. I’m really proud of our sound and its evolution. It had been years since we had put out the first album, and we had been planning on doing another one. I had been working on it off and on, so it was great to give it the proper attention that it needed. I had a lot to talk about, and Knxwledge did too. We each had a lot of experiences since our first album and I felt like we got to put it all on this new one.

Talk us through your commemorative tour performing your seminal work, ‘Malibu’. Why do you feel these songs have endured?

I felt like it was a good time to give something like a gift to the fans. I’ve been doing a lot of different things; side quests with DJ Pee .Wee, Silk Sonic, NxWorries, my movie career. This is something where I can kind of go back to our foundation. It’s a special album that means a lot to me and my fans. I wanted to be able to give back, really do something for them that could be fun for outdoors. We’ve never gotten to play the full album straight through, and I think there’s no greater time but now, especially since I’ve been doing all kinds of other things. It’s cool to go back to Anderson .Paak, where a lot of people discovered us.

In a decorated career, that’s shifted mellifluously between disciplines and styles, what is a moment or achievement you’re particularly proud of?

Seeing my movie K-POPS premiere at TIFF!

We have to ask: is another solo album in the works?

Only time will tell.

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