Ramona Depares catches up with Robert Farrugia Flores, singer and songwriter with Plato’s Dream Machine, ahead of the launch of the band’s second album.
What has Plato’s Dream Machine been doing since the last album launch?
Ever since we launched our first album in 2014, we have been busy riding the wave – gigging, setting up concerts and, most of all, writing, writing and more writing. We just love the creation process. So, yes, we were in many ways preparing for this coming album.
Għera was very introspective – does this mood subsist with the new tracks on Ġuf?
Definitely, our first album Għera was very introspective. It has this aura of strangeness and peculiarity, about being in a world among other subjects and objects. The new tracks, which make up this coming album, continue on that but bring to it new light. The waters are somewhat settled, brought about by this feeling of moving beyond the fragile finitude of our lives and opening up to the infinite. The mood is definitely more peaceful and less agitated.
From a musical perspective, how do you describe the new album?
I would say that now we’re venturing into a more synth-pop oriented style. It is completely soaked in synth sound layers and has no single trace of a lead guitar whatsoever.
The first album was heavily focused on themes like love and relationships, viewed from a different angle. What are the themes in this new one? What is the reference of the title, Ġuf?
The themes of love and relationships subsist, undoubtedly. However, in this new album I grapple with the themes of faith and hope, understood in terms of gifts. Gifts involve a relationship between beings and presupposes a somewhat common understanding of the concept of gift. There must also be this sensitivity towards appreciation and acknowledgement. Well, yes, this album is in many ways a praise and acceptance of the gift of faith, hope and love.
When looking for a name for the album, which would envelope the whole body of work, I was searching for something that not only ties well with the themes explored but is also a follow-up of the previous album. This would show both continuation and newness in our project. So after what I call the “nakedness” period, I’d like to think that this is the new phase of – “un-nakedness” or a protective enclosure that covers up this fragile, unprotected body of ours.
Now, to add another layer to that, I had been all along very much influenced by religious texts, and the word ‘ġuf’ seemed to pop up on special occasions, used for the same reasons – new beginnings and new possibilities – highlighting the notion that the very start is sacred, as it is already informed with love.
The first track you released from Ġuf is Paraliżi – what can you tell us about it?
We were aware that Paraliżi happens to have this super poppy sound to it which we thought could go down well as a first taste of the album for our listeners. It clearly exhibits this synth-ish element we explored in Ġuf, and the lack of electric guitar sounds.
When did work on Ġuf start?
I would say in 2015, with the introduction of our new keyboard player – Daniel. So yes, it has been two years of song writing and experimenting. After a couple of months into our first album we were hyped up again to do another one, with a new twist.
PDM’s music is very emotional – what do you feel give the biggest pull – the lyrics or the music itself?
My perspective is that both are on a par. I see them as complementing each other gracefully. I’m saying this not out of bias but after scrapping numerous songs and song parts down the road.
What were the biggest challenges of this second album, particularly given the highly positive reception that Għera attracted?
We were very satisfied with the positive reception of Għera, at times even overwhelmed. This gave us a boost in our self-confidence and made us more willing to take risks. In a sense, having gone through the process of an album already is a plus. But I would say that mainly our challenge was to keep editing the songs. The tendency for us is to overdo and bombard songs with too many layers. Stripping down to the desired layer was challenging.
What can we expect from the album launch?
We decided to go all the way – a cool light show and stage design in a refurbished, highly professional theatre, where everyone will be seated comfortably, experiencing the visuals and listening. It’s going to be unique, hand-on-heart.
You decided to conduct the launch over two days – what motivated this decision?
The theatre has a very limited seating capacity. We want the audience to be comfortable and have this intimate relation with the whole show. So we will replicate it on two nights to secure a great experience.
For the launch, you are also working with Late Interactive. What is Late Interactive and what can you tell us about the show they will be putting up?
Late Interactive is made up of two smart guys who are into electronics and light shows. They launched their project a couple of months ago with a massive bang at a local party. I happened to be there and was mesmerised. So, I figured, let’s get them on board. They accepted and we are now proud to say that they’ll be coming up with some special cool stuff on stage just for us. I’m not exaggerating, I’ve seen the nights’ prototypes.
How have you seen PDM evolve through these years?
It’s been one great journey, a very humble start leading to this ambitious project. I would have never thought of that back when we started. I’m glad though we passed through those early stages and got to explore different music genres, at our own pace.
You pen the lyrics yourself – where do you find the inspiration?
I read, study and teach. I get to receive and I give back all the time. The whole process is exuberating for me. It definitely imbues my approach. But I would say that I mainly find inspiration in both contemplation and prayer, as well as in my personal experience of the world around me.
Ġuf will be launched on April 8 and 9 at 8pm at the MITP Theatre, University of Malta, Valletta Campus.
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