MUTEKLIVE105 - Project Pablo

Project Pablo (CA)

WHO: Montréal-based Vancouver musician, producer and DJ Patrick Holland (also: P. Holland and 8prn)
STYLE: Chunky synth lines, bright warm house, shimmering melodies, intoxicated uptempo jams
LATEST: Jervis Pump Station EP with Wolfey (2016), I Want to Believe (2015)
LABELS: 1080p, Hybridity Music, Church
MORE: Co-heads the ASL Singles Club label and collective, with Devin White
MUTEKs: Montréal: 2015

Project Pablo’s west coast house drifts and dominates, weaving into an iridescent blanket that covers the whole room. Producer Patrick Holland wanted to make electronic music that seemed like it was made by a disco-funk band – thankfully his modern handmade house is better than that sounds – though there’s kitsch around the edges, the heart of Project Pablo beats along to sustained chunky chords, effortless cool lo-fi percussion and delay disturbed bass.

In Vancouver, Holland naturally fell in with the relaxed house vibes of 1080p, the west coast Canadian underground label that trades mostly in cassettes and chillness – 1080p even began its vinyl series with an EP of three cuts from Project Pablo’s tape-only album I Want to Believe, plus a new tune stacked with disco bass, strings and guitar. He adds another direction to Project Pablo in this year’s co-production with ASL Singles Club artist Wolfey, veering straight onto the dancefloor with an EP on London label Church – a percussive arrangement of acid-synth power chords, deep vocals and steady kick drums.

Project Pablo returned to MUTEK after setting a groove to the early-summer breeze at the outdoor parterre stage in 2015 and right before embarking on a five-week European tour. This time he was lighting up the MAC’s black box room with a new live set featuring tracks from a triplet of dance discs released in the spring.