Until The Ribbon Breaks is the name for the musical project of British singer/producer Pete Lawrie Winfield. Combining elements of R&B and hip-hop, Winfield released his debut EP, A Taste of Silver, in 2013, and that led to opening slots for tours with Lorde and Phantogram.
The Daily Texan spoke with Winfield about the new EP he is releasing in March and his music writing process.
The Daily Texan: How long have you been making music? And how long did it take you to write and record the Taste of Silver EP?
Pete Lawrie Winfield: I’ve been making music since I was 16. Both my parents are classical musicians, so instruments have always been a part of my life. I didn’t start making production-style music until I was 16.
DT: At what point did you realize that you wanted to make music rather than film, which you were studying?
PW: The process for film just took too long. With a film, it often takes two years to enjoy the finished product, and by then you might hate it. When you write a song and finish a song, you can enjoy it right then. You might hate it after two years, but that’s a different story.
DT: Your EP came out about seven months ago. Are you working on new music or focusing on touring?
PW: I’m always working on new music. If I’m not writing, I get restless. There’s an EP coming out in the end of March and then a full-length album later this year. For the new EP, I was inspired by old cassette mixtapes that had a lot of different sounds. I don’t think there’s an intentional thread connecting the last EP with the new one, and if it happens to be one, then that’s great.
DT: How important is the visual aspect to the music you make?
PW: It’s just as important as the music — they go hand in hand for me. I wrote all the music while projecting silent film footage. It was integral in the process. I watched films by David Lynch and Terrence Malick and a lot of silent documentaries. Well not silent, but filled with montages. Long montages were a big part of it.
DT: How did you get involved in working with Killer Mike and El-P for Run The Jewels?
PW: I made a song, the remix of “Pressure,” with this artist called Mr. Exquire. He came in and did a verse for it, and I was telling him that El-P was one of my favorite rappers. He told me that they were friends and gave me his phone number. I called him up and he was like, yeah, I’d love to work with you. He sent me this song for Run The Jewels and told me I had 24 hours to get something back to him. I started freaking out. I think it ended up really well, though. I got to play the song live a couple of times with him and Killer Mike and it was just incredible.
DT: How was your tour with Lorde? And, given the choice, would you pick a headlining set to a smaller crowd or an opening slot on a bigger stage?
PW: They’re both equally satisfying but in different ways. We got to play with Lorde right before she blew up and became the Lorde she is today. She was still very popular, and we were in the states right when her song hit No. 1 there, and it was very exciting to watch how quickly it all happened.
