Alex Paton’s When the Water Came is a cinematic and deeply evocative EP inspired by nature’s power, transformation, and beauty. In this interview, he discusses the creative vision, orchestral collaboration, and landscapes that shaped these immersive compositions.
1. When
the Water Came feels highly cinematic and visual. What images or landscapes
were in your mind while composing the music?
In general, quite spectacular
natural events, hence the title of the EP. When the Water Came (the track) I
had in mind a huge wave advancing across the ocean for example. Some were more
subtle, ‘Underground’ I had the images of brightly colored fungi and fireflies
working together as ecosystems and ‘The Call in the Mountains’ was more of a
memory of looking out at the landscape of the Andes, which is incredibly
impressive and awe inspiring.
2. You originally planned to create music inspired by the elements. At what
point did the project evolve into a broader exploration of natural states and
transformations?
I found the elements a little musically restricting, I wanted to blur the lines
between fire and water, earth and air and I found states much more visually
accepting in order to be able to do this. For example, an early sunrise you
have the elements of fire (the sun), mist rising from a lake (air and water)
looking across a mountain scape (earth) and the sky in the distance (space).
Many natural states contain all the elements in some ways.
3. The EP examines phenomena such as floods, rainfall, wind, daybreak, and
sunset. Which of these natural states resonated with you the most personally,
and why?
Flooding is definitely the state which comes back the most. I have a recurring
dream about a tsunami (Un’Onda, talks about it) which I think has seeped into
my subconscious. Maybe in a past life I died in a flood? Who knows!
4. Escapism is a recurring theme in your story about the EP. What kind of emotional or imaginative journey do you hope listeners experience while hearing the record?
I would love it to be a personal experience for the listener. Everybody has their own form of escapism. Some get lost into reading, or series, or gaming. Others play sport, meditate or practice Yoga and some others go to the bar… it all depends on the person. For me I love music that can momentarily take me somewhere outside my daily life, in this case it takes me to nature. I hope for the listener they can temporarily go somewhere else where they enjoy to be and can forget the quotidian for a short while.
5. Your work often intersects with theatre, dance, and film. How did those disciplines influence the structure and storytelling of this release?
Writing music for these art forms for me involves two things fundamentally. Firstly, we lose any form of commercial musical structure, the intro, verse, chorus method goes completely out the window and one has to weave the music around the story. The second is that one has to lose the ego (at least to a certain degree). I often lose my favorite pieces of music in the edits because they are not working for the story, and one has to let go of this, it’s bigger than ‘me, the composer’ in order to do what serves the project as a whole the best. I hope that this shows in the EP.
6. The music blends folk, orchestral, rock, and cinematic elements. How did you approach balancing these different styles while maintaining a cohesive identity?
I didn’t deliberately approach this ‘genre blending’ with a conscience. I love lots of different kinds of music, and I am never really sure what genre I want to focus on so I think naturally it just came out as a mixture of genres that I like to listen to. I did however have to make sure that there was space for each moment to shine through properly, and, as I said above, I made some tough cuts when editing to allow that to happen.
7. Much of the EP was recorded in various locations, from rehearsal rooms to hotel rooms while touring. How did those changing environments shape the final sound?
I certainly think it has created a very unique sound, I couldn’t replicate it if I tried! It made it very challenging in terms of production but in terms of composing it was very exciting to be adding new ideas from new locations and inspirations. I do think that the orchestra (which was all recorded in one place) added a thread of sound that unifies everything.
8. Working with the Arnema Orchestra was a significant part of the project. What did a live orchestra bring to these compositions that virtual instruments could not?
The difference for me is enormous. I almost didn’t do it as it is a cost and a lot of extra work, (though I am relieved that I did). It gives a depth in the sound that in my opinion cannot be replaced with sampled instruments. The orchestra has a human touch, a real breath and an organic quality that for these pieces of music was essential. The first time I listened to the pieces with the real orchestra and not the samples I felt like they were sparkling!
Sample libraries and AI have come on a lot, almost scarily so, but it has not arrived yet where it can replace human players.
9. Were there any particular composers, soundtracks, or artists that inspired the atmosphere and scope of When the Water Came?
It’s really a mix of a whole bunch of composers and musicians that I either listen to or work with. I tour regularly with a dance production and my band mates (Yaron Engler and Sabio Janiak) definitely have had an influence in the music as well as the composer (Hofesh Shechter).
On a more generic level, I am a big fan of Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard for their magnificent cinematic scores. There is also inspiration of Tuomas Holopainen (Nightwish/Auri) in there. Less generically there are many different specific styles that I listen to regularly that keep showing up in the writing, including metal, Andean folk, and Balkan music.
10. The title track suggests both beauty and disruption. What does “When the Water Came” symbolize for you on a deeper level?
On a spiritual level, it symbolizes that the planet is changing always, it is always out of my control, and one must enjoy the magnificence of it.
11. Having spent years collaborating on major artistic productions, how different did it feel to create a project driven entirely by your own vision?
Very freeing but also scary! I had no deadline, which was already weird compared to what I am used to. I am also the only one to blame if it doesn’t work as it should, which is quite a vulnerable place to be in.
12. Looking back on the finished EP, what did this journey teach you about yourself as a composer, musician, and storyteller?
I am very relieved to say that I am very proud of the finished EP. It helped proved to myself that I can do it and not to be afraid to try. I learned a lot working with the orchestra and with Ian Dean (who guided the process and then mixed it) and now know how I would do certain things differently.
On a personal level it helped me remember that I can also just enjoy getting lost in composing music however I want to (my form of escapism) and it is still a passion of mine, and not simply a job.
I still have a lot to learn, of course. Which is what keeps it fun.
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