On The Rise: Until The Ribbon Breaks

On the rise in the electronic music industry is Welshman from Cardiff, Pete Lawrie - also known as Until The Ribbon Breaks.

Until The Ribbon Breaks "embraces old school passion and cleverly weaves together his sounds, samples and lyrics". He mixes both his sounds and imagery together to create a memorable listening experience.

Empty Lighthouse had the opportunity to get to know Until The Ribbon Breaks, and we are looking forward to catching up with him at his upcoming performance in Philadelphia this Friday, December 6th.

EMPTY LIGHTHOUSE: How did you get your start in music?
UNTIL THE RIBBON BREAKS: It is difficult to pin point an exact date.

My parents and my grandfather are and were musicians professionally, so there were always various instruments around the house and music playing. The first instrument I picked up was the trumpet, a present from my grandfather.

EMPTY LIGHTHOUSE: Who do you consider your musical influences?
UNTIL THE RIBBON BREAKS: Depending on what I am making at the time, it can be anyone from Thomas Newman to Rza. Lyrically, I have always been an enormous fan of Paul Simon and musically, Radiohead has always touched a nerve.

My one true love and the music I always seem to go back to is hip-hop. A friend of mine was kind enough to lend me Rawkus Records compilation "Soundbombing" in the late 90s. I was hooked.

EMPTY LIGHTHOUSE: Who do you listen to in your spare time?
UNTIL THE RIBBON BREAKS: I listen to a lot of score these days.

Thomas Newman's American Beauty score is masterful. Anything without words more and more and I would say ambient music that has a lean towards the weird and wonderful.

EMPTY LIGHTHOUSE: What has been your most memorable experience while touring?
UNTIL THE RIBBON BREAKS: The last note of the last show supporting Lorde on her North American tour. We had learnt how to play live on that run of shows and were thrown into the deep end.

By the last show, we had it and the feeling that came back from the crowd was profoundly moving.

We had traveled a long way in a short time and it just felt like a culmination of hard work. It all made sense in that moment.

EMPTY LIGHTHOUSE: If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be and why?
UNTIL THE RIBBON BREAKS: I would like to work with a composer in the traditional sense, someone that has worked with film.

I would like to see how far I could go with orchestration, but use it to add an edge to the music.

Someone like Hans Zimmer or John Powell, who composed one of my favorite scores for The Thin Red Line.

EMPTY LIGHTHOUSE: What advice would you give to someone young looking to succeed in the industry?
UNTIL THE RIBBON BREAKS: Only listen to your gut instinct. I made the mistake early on in my career to garner too much opinion. Music is objective.

Nobody is "right". It has to just come down to whether you are proud of the work. Never put out anything you cannot wait for people to hear.

EMPTY LIGHTHOUSE: Did you ever want to pursue anything else other than a music career?
UNTIL THE RIBBON BREAKS: I still do. I want ot write.

I love to write. I have written the first paragraph of my first novel a hundred times! I always wanted to work in film in any capacity and that is something I still actively pursue.

EMPTY LIGHTHOUSE: When you hit a creativity block, what re-inspires you?
UNTIL THE RIBBON BREAKS: More work! I have found that for me, instead of considering it as a creative block, it is more beneficial just to keep going, something will come out of the frustration and sometimes end up as the best work.

EMPTY LIGHTHOUSE: If you were stranded on an island, what three things would you want with you?
UNTIL THE RIBBON BREAKS: Paper and a pen, a piano and some peanut butter. Is that four?

EMPTY LIGTHOUSE: What are your upcoming plans in regards to more touring, recording and releases?
UNTIL THE RIBBON BREAKS: We tour with Phantogram in December on the East Coast of American and then I hit the studio until February.

I had thought that my record was finished, but it turns out I have more to say after all!

Check out more from Until The Ribbon Breaks while on tour this winter with Phantogram, and stay tuned for an update from the talented artist after we visit him at his show this weekend in Philadelphia!