Meet the Music Creator: Michael e

Michael e is a Music Creator and composer based in Palma de Mallorca. From piano lessons as a child to touring with various bands, he has always had a love affair with music. The arrival of the digital age enabled Michael to start composing and fully realise the music in his mind, conjuring up wonderful sounds and haunting melodies with his full arrangements.

Over the past few years Michael’s music has gathered a loyal worldwide fan base with the release of 30 albums and from his appearances on over 2000 compilations including the Café Del Mar and Buddha Bar brands.

 Michael says: “I love the emotional aspect of music.”

Mallorca Reflections caught up with Michael in Palma to ask some questions and find out more, including:

– Was there a moment when you decided to be a musician?

– Is there a particular song or musical passage that never fails to move you emotionally?

– How would you describe your perfect day on the island?

Michael e: The Interview:

Where are you originally from and when did you first visit Mallorca?

I was born and bred in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. My first visit to Mallorca was in 1971. I stayed at the Taurus Park Hotel in Arenal. I came with my future wife and her family. I remember hiring a Fiat 500 and going for a drive. I don’t remember exactly where we drove to but I do remember the amazing scenery and mountains. I clearly remember being very impressed with Palma, especially the old town. I also remember burning my left arm quite badly as I had the drivers window down with my arm resting on it for most of the drive. Arenal wasn’t so busy in those days but still quite developed. I made a mental note to return to Mallorca and the seed was planted back then to live here. I worked at Sheffield Newspapers at the time and I looked into maybe getting a job at a Mallorcan English newspaper. It was more of a pipe dream than a solid decision and nothing came of it. Little did I know back then that nearly 50 years later it would come to pass.

What first attracted you to Mallorca and why did you choose to settle here?

Since 1971 I have visited four times. The second time I brought along my road bike and got to know the island a little better. The 3rd and 4th visits I hired scooters for the duration and really started to explore the island. I quickly realised that Mallorca wasn’t just sea, sand and sangria. It’s a multi- faceted island and has it all. The climate was also a big factor. My last winter in England seemed to last forever. I was used to it of course and I put up with it but experiencing the lifestyle here, being able eat out at night, in comfort on lovely balmy night is such a bonus and good for the soul.
I came to a point in my life where I no longer had anyone to depend on me. My boys had grown into men. Dan, my oldest had made a life for himself in Zermatt, Switzerland and Sam had shipped out to Thailand, married an Aussie and settled down there, with two young boys of his own. My initial plan was to give Annecy a try. Annecy is such a beautiful French town quite close to Geneva and my heart was set on eventually moving there. At that time my son Dan was getting a little stir crazy in Zermatt and wanted to summer somewhere in the Med and winter in Zermatt. I gave him glowing reports about Mallorca, so he flew out for a long weekend, fell in love with the place and found a nice apartment in the heart of the old town. With some gentle arm twisting he gave me the push I needed to take the plunge. So here I am. Thanks Dan.

How long have you lived on the island and whereabouts do you live?

Come July I will have been here three years. The landlady decided to sell the first apartment we rented so we had a look around and found a stunning apartment quite near the cathedral. I love life in the old town, which surprised me because at the time of moving here I was living in a very quiet village in the Peak District in England. I loved the tranquillity and peace. I wasn’t too sure I wanted to be somewhere that was as busy as central Palma. For me, being able to walk out of my apartment and go for a coffee and watch the world go by is a unexpected bonus. I love how there’s a buzz about the town, there’s always something happening. Parades, markets, buskers and a thousand things to see. It takes the sting out of living on my own for six months, when Dan returns to Zermatt for the winter season. In hindsight the village in the Peaks was a little isolated.

Tell us about some of your favourite places on Mallorca?

The mountains are my favourite place on the island. I’m a keen cyclist and I invariably head for the hills. At times I seem to have the world to myself. I can count the cars that pass me on one hand at times. In the height of summer the crickets are incredibly loud and it’s an exotic sound to me. When the crickets turn off in the cooler months the birdsong starts up and that is music to my ears. The wind in the pines and the buzz of the insects, the sounds of nature are a wonderful accompaniment to my rides. The road surfaces for the most part are smooth and cycling on them is pure joy. The ride from Palma to Sa Colabra is such a wonderful journey. The tortuous descent down to Sa Colabra is stunning. In one particular spot the road cleaves between two rock faces barely wide enough to drive a coach through. The scenery, once you get out of Palma, is truly amazing and I feel so lucky to be able to ride through it all. The ride from Pollenca to Cap Fomentera must be the most beautiful stretch of road I’ve ever ridden. If there’s a route that can top it anywhere in the world I’d like to see it. The villages in the mountains are picture postcard perfect and the civic pride is obvious. Fornalutx, Orient, Valdemossa, Deia, Soller immediately spring to mind. The mountains are my playground and I feel lifted when I’m there. Away from the mountains I’m fond of St Elm, it’s a beautiful little sea side resort. I’m not a beach person as such so haven’t explored the hundreds of beaches that Mallorca has to offer. I’m quite keen on photography, I’m far from technically proficient but it doesn’t take a genius to see that there are so many beautiful things to snap. I recently bought a wide-angle lens and this summer I plan to go out in the mountains and take pictures of some of the wonderful landscapes I’ve come across during my rides.

Describe the single best food experience on the island you’ve ever had.

The BBQ’s that Dan and I shared on the roof terrace with friends have been pretty special. And picnics that I’ve taken to the coast have been special too. Sitting in a nice spot and sharing bread, cheese and tomatoes with a beer or two and listening to the waves lapping is a simple pleasure. Sometimes in the summer months Dan and I go to Illetes, Portixol or somewhere close to Palma and watch the sun go down and share a picnic. They have been special moments. The shoulder of Lamb I had in La Paloma was melt in the mouth delicious. Served with my favourite food, mash potato and nice glass of Mallorcan red is my idea of foody heaven. Bar Espana is my favourite Tapas bar. Tasty treats and a great atmosphere. I’ve had many lovely meals out, but to me a special meal is more than just the food on the plate. It’s about the location, the company, the time of day. With that in mind my No1 food experience is a BBQ shared with friends on our roof terrace. The view of the floodlit cathedral, a full moon, the stars for a canopy, some nice tunes and a good giggle, perfection!

A selection of some of Michael’s Album artwork

Was there a moment when you decided to be a musician?

It certainly wasn’t during piano lessons. As a young boy I just wanted to be outdoors kicking a ball about with my mates. I have my father to thank for sending me to lessons and being stubborn enough to ignore my protests and complaints. I remember trying to engage the piano teacher in conversations about anything but piano. He was a very interesting man and discussions about where the universe ends were infinitely preferable to trying to read the indecipherable dots on the page. However I must have learned something from my six years of torture, despite the fact I hardly practised. I’m fortunate that the joy of music wasn’t killed stone dead from that experience. At the same time there was something about the actual sound the piano made that drew me in, especially the bass notes, I loved the resonance and hearing them die away. Similarly, my older cousin had an acoustic guitar and I’d just pluck the bottom E string, with my ear to the sound hole, and be off in a daydream as the sound decayed. The Beatles piqued my interest for a while but the eureka moment was when I heard Motown. It was the vocals. The soulfulness and the obvious emotional impact of the delivery. Along with the thrilling arrangements. The combination blew me away. At the same time Santana took Woodstock by storm and the latin rhythms and the exotic nature of their music was also irresistible. I just had to be involved form that moment on. Given that I knew my way around the keyboard, the next step was joining a band. A few of my school mates, who could play, formed a band and we’d jam during the school after hours youth club in the music room. That was the start.

What or who were your early passions and influences?

Motown, particularly Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder, Santana, Earth Wind & Fire. Soul music in general. I became a massive fan of music and would spend hours in the record stores in Sheffield listening to music in the listening booths that were prevalent in record shops back then. I’d devour music at every opportunity and became a music nut. I started to collect Motown singles and at one point I had almost every single released by Motown in the UK. I used to carry the singles around in a suitcase and did a few gigs as a DJ, foisting my taste on club goers.

Can you tell us about the process of creating your music?

It’s the actual sound of a note, a chord, an instrument, the sea, birdsong, the sounds of nature and sound itself that inspires me. An idea for a piece can come from sitting noodling at the piano until something sticks. Or I might hear a drum loop with a rhythm that sparks something. Once I have a starting point it’s then a question of developing and dressing the initial idea with harmony, chords, interesting sound to fill the spaces, arranging, in other words. When I start a new piece I’ll know almost straight away that the track has legs and is worth pursuing. It’s almost as if the music is telling me what to add and where to go. So, I listen very carefully to the inner voice of the music and go where it takes me. Conversely, there are false starts. I’ll work on a piece for a while and it might prove to be a dead end. I try not to force the music. So if it’s not happening I delete and start again with a new idea. I might have 4/5 false starts and early on it used to concern me that I might never be able to come up with something again. I’ve learned to be relaxed about the uninspiring ideas and to trust the process that if I keep trying something will happen that will excite me and be worth finishing and so I always manage to keep producing. Modern music technology has provided me with an infinite sound palette and endless possibilities to manipulate sounds. Before digital music a musician would be limited to traditional instruments. But now there’s a universe of colours to enable me to paint with sound, it’s a thrilling process that constantly motivates me.

Is there a particular song or musical passage that never fails to move you emotionally?

There are many pieces that have that effect on me. I love the emotional aspect of music. How evocative it can be of a time and place. How moving it can be. I’m drawn to the melancholy aspect of music. Some might call it sadness but to me it’s pure beauty. If the emotion is there it will always move me. It finds a switch within me and I’m ‘there’ in the moment. Music has many functions obviously but to me a perfect piece will be one that can touch the deepest emotions. I recently had the good fortune to see Ennio Morricone on his farewell tour at the O2 in London. He was conducting a 75 piece choir and a full string orchestra, the sound was so lush, mesmerising! He has written some beautiful music, in particular the music from Cinema Paradiso. There weren’t many dry eyes in the audience during that passage of the concert. Totally heartfelt, touching and deeply moving. That’s what I love about music.

How would you define music in 140 characters or less?

It’s impossible to define music in 1,400 characters let alone 140, but what I will say is that music has defined me and I’m a better person for it.

Finally, how would you describe your perfect day on the island?

It would be a day in late May, early June when the Mallorcan countryside and the mountains are a riot of colour, when the greenery is at its freshest. The birds would be singing and the cotton blossom clouds would be drifting and morphing across the deep blue sky. I’d be on my bike on perhaps a 3/4 hour ride. I’d stop for coffee then return home. I’d play the piano and work on a composition in the afternoon. Then around about 8ish I’d start prep for dinner. Dan and I would set the terrace in readiness for the arrival of friends. He’d fire up the BBQ and I’d open the red and get the beers. We’d greet our friends and chat and laugh until the early hours. I’d fall into bed with a smile on my face and thank my lucky stars for being so lucky.

Thank you Michael for your time, keep creating your great music!!!

For more information please visit Michael at:

www.musicbymichaele.com

www.facebook.com/michael.efrith

www.mixcloud.com/michael-e/