The “Run Away” ft Anderson Paak music video premieres worldwide today. Produced by Sergio Hernando a.k.a DJ Soak, “Run Away” tells the story of a person shackled by the chains of life with a deep desire to break away from society.
Soak embarked on his music career at the early age of 12 by competing for several years in the DMC and ITF – now known as IDA – Championships. The Valencia-native has since blossomed behind the turntable and is one of the top references in Spain’s electronic music and turntablism scene.
The Valencia-native DJ excelled behind the turntables from a young age
For DJ Soak’s “Run Away” music video, artist Felipe Pantone takes the director’s seat. Pantone’s signature style dominates the music video, creating a kind of synergy with the music that ignites the senses.
A key ingredient of “Run Away” is the soulful and energetic vocals of Anderson Paak (recently seen igniting the stage at the Laneway Festival Singapore in January).
DJ Soak lets us in on the details which led to the collaboration with Anderson Paak and Felipe Pantone.
Congratulations on the release of your music video. Can you tell us more about the song and the inspiration behind it?
Thank you! The inspiration for the song came from the progressive-psychedelic rock of the ’70s and I really like heavy harmonies with blues. The theme, however, doesn’t only tap into that but it also has nuances of trip-hop and electronica-indie. It became the first turning point for the song’s development.
The lyrics center on someone being a prisoner of himself with a desire to escape society. He eventually reaches a state of nirvana and spiritual cleansing from all the superficiality that surrounds him in society.
You collaborated with Anderson Paak and Felipe Pantone on this song and music video. How did the collaboration come about?
Yes, Felipe Pantone was a member of the label with whom I produced the song “Run Away”. He oversaw all the branding and art direction of the artists under the label. But we were friends much earlier on having worked several times together on my logo.
The collaboration with Anderson Paak came from an internal search. I wanted the track to finish with a falsetto, so I contacted various vocalists that I liked to gather feedback about the song. Surprisingly, I received many positive responses from people like Jaime Lidell, Estelle, Spank Rock, Lion Babe, Theophilus London among others. But ultimately, I decided to feature Anderson Paak.
You started out in the music industry really young, placing second in the Spain DMC Championships at the age of 12. How did you become involved in music at such a young age?
My interest in the world of music was through turntablism as it was the first contact I had with music. Watching videos of the DMC and the ITF in 1999 captivated me and I told myself that I will get there someday. In 2006, I won the Spain ITF competition at 16 years old and placed second in the Europe ITF the same year. I followed that by becoming champion of the Spain DMC in the year 2008 as well as 2009. I always feel emotional looking back as I have continued to exceed myself every day.
Who are the DJ/producers you look up to?
I really like the work done by producers like Justice, Kanye West, Sebastian, Flume, Daft Punk, Gaslamp Killer, Boys Noize, Kavinsky, Kaytranada, GTA, Timbaland, Gramatik, Diplo, Mark Ronson, Pharell Williams, Pond, Yusek, Mr. Carmack and Esta, just to name a few.
Any plans to release more music?
Yes, I’m releasing an EP in March titled Paradiso. It comprises six songs that will be released in limited formats – in fact, only 500 copies to be exact. Besides that, I will be releasing one single every month starting from April onwards. Once all the material has been compiled, we will start to organize the tour.
Do you have any advice for budding DJs or music producers?
They have to believe in themselves by constantly shaping their imagination while at the same time, not lose hope for what they want to achieve. In all art forms, you have to be constant in order to feed yourself every day and continue to improve.
Watch the exclusive premiere of DJ Soak’s Run Away ft Anderson Paak music video above.
Also, you can keep up with DJ Soak on Twitter, Instagram, and his very own website to find out more about him.
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