Baltimore is an oft-overlooked bulwark of the American club scene. The explosion of Bmore House took place in the 1980s, fusing elements of hip-hop, house and breakbeat. Though the traditional tempos of Baltimore house hover around 130bpm, producer Life On Planets’ low slung house, embraces the city’s original spirit of fusion, but with a distinctly contemporary twist, with nods to RnB, Hip-Hop, jazz and breaks.
Life On Planets has risen to prominence outside of his home city with releases on Flaunt faves like Wolf & Lamb and Soul Clap Records, earning fans like Seth Troxler along the way. His soulful live performances highlight his lyricism and see him picking up the mike inside the club, Life on Planets live is a sexy, singular, and powerful experience.
“Glowstick” is the first single from a forthcoming EP by Life on Planets and NYC-based collaborator Taylor Bense, on Parisian tastemaker label, Kitsuné. Atop a silky foundation woven with spindles of catchy basslines and full-bodied percussion, spitfire verses speak on the seductive properties of the rave dance floor. Beneath the seduction, however, “Glowstick” ultimately serves as a metaphor for that inner freedom that so many ravers seek.
Life on Planets manages to fuse deeper meaning and intention into the dancefloor. Recently, his “Only You” EP debut on Soul Clap Records served as a cathartic body of work that documents important lessons of perseverance, changing life paths, and bringing positive change to the broken systems of the world.
We caught up with Life on Planets to talk “Glowstick” and dive deeper into his artistic journey.
Tell us more about the journey of Life on Planets. How has your art evolved over the years to what it is now, and what factors have driven this evolution?
Life On Planets started out as a folky house experiment. I was busking on the street and writing very complex lyrics mixing fantastic situations and layered metaphors. Touring in Life on Planets showed me different genres and dancefloors all over. For my own music, what worked at specific times and what always resonated [with the crowd]. There's a juggling between making art for yourself and making art for people to connect with and I started to seek a happy medium. Now, more R&B and hip-hop influences merge into my jazz and funk upbringing, meeting with dance music production. I've tried to simplify the messages so that people can understand, sing along and dance more easily. I want to create an interactive experience where the audience can contribute as well as making the music accessible for international listeners.
Now let’s hop into “Glowstick.” What were the inspirations behind the single? Any significant/metaphorical meanings imbued into the lyrics?
“Glowstick” was born from my time in the studio with the very talented Taylor Bense. We had met overseas while we were both on tour and hung out in Berlin. Once I moved to NY, Taylor invited me by and we instantly hit it off in the studio. We are both hip-hop and R&B fans and were both seeking to incorporate more of those sounds into our sets.
“Glowstick,” and the upcoming EP as a whole, is a tongue-in-cheek tribute to the dance scene— party cruises, drug fueled, boozy nights that turn into days. A spot on the guest list, and an even more important front-of-the-line bathroom pass. We work in this crazy scene and try to manage and make relationships on the dance floor,behind the booth, and backstage. The dance floor calls to our primal, lower urges to be physical, to be sexy, to attract, break rules and do our own thing. Who hasn’t had a steamy moment in the middle of a crowded room or in a bathroom stall, inhibitions out the window?
However, while this element exists on the surface, there’s much deeper stuff going on beneath it. People fighting to be free. People trying to prove themselves and scratch out a living. Spiritual stuff happens. Meaningful connection that can flutter in and sputter out just as quickly. When I first entered the dance music world, it all seemed like fun and games, sex and drugs. And I didn’t always honor it, and sometimes still don’t honor it for the transcendent place it can be. And so the lyrics are a testament—a recapitulation of those moments, and at the same time an ironic, cynical viewpoint from the bright-eyed person I was when I entered the scene.
Were there any interesting/out-of-the-box production techniques used when recording it?
For “Glowstick,” I started humming Taylor a bassline and he said, “Lets get that.” So my voice is the bass on that one. I’ve never been a super trained musician, or know what key or what scale I’m playing most of the time. I just hum or sing it out, play it out and communicate it best I can. I wrote a lot of the tracks on the EP with pieces of notes or sketches, building it as we built the tracks up. Some lyrics Taylor and I wrote together, trying different flows and combinations ‘till we got it. Others Taylor had a beat mostly together, and I did my thing on top. I think some producers and singers keep everything separate but I feel like we had a hand in both elements for this EP.
What’s one thing you would say to rebut detractors of house music/the “rave scene” who believe media accounts of these events catering to a selfish, hedonistic crowd?
I think that all music resonates most easily on a primal level. There will always be a vibration there in any genre. Look at Woodstock, at Punk shows, and mosh pits. It happens almost everywhere. We need to let out that low energy sometimes to experience something deeper. To be honest, I thought of raves and the dance scene this way before I actually started going to shows and clubs. Sure, sometimes people are indulgent but there are very special moments in which you can lose yourself. Where you can connect almost telepathically, without speaking the same language. Ecstatic times can be had without substances, just pure energy. With any media, don't believe the hype! Go out there and find out for yourself if you want to pass judgment.
Shifting gears to more recent works you’ve made, specifically Only You—just as a basis, I’d like to hear more about the stories behind the EP. What’s its significance to you as an artistOnly You came about really as a means to function. Playing in the dance scene as a live act can get tricky. At 8pm, people might be having their first round, still willing to pay attention and see some art. At 1am, all bets are off. Those same people that might’ve paid double earlier to sit down for a show want to dance, party, and get down. The energy has to be higher. A lot of Life on Planets work was chiller. Somewhere in-between brunch, beach time, sunset, 20 min concert and dance party. But I get booked more often for 1am, dark club, rooftop parties or festivals where everybody’s starting to roll when I come on. I had to take it up a notch from the releases. The tracks here are all faster and harder. I wanted the crowd to sing along. So I did a cover of “Only You.” After Trump was elected, everything had a different hue, so “Brother” and “Move It Forward” and a lot of other work following has a certain over/undertone. About overcoming.
I wrote “Brother” while reflecting on all of this. Making a new path. I was trying to figure out a new sound after my bandmate left. It has this multilayered meaning of having someone in your life that you bond with stronger than blood and not having them there to guide you anymore. I never had a brother growing up, but always wished there was someone closer to my age to help me navigate through life. And I found those people from time to time. Still keep some close. But there’s also this dissonance in the rat race, in the competition. People really just need to try and see things from the other’s perspective. We need to come together. We’re all brothers, can be brothers even without blood. So, I don’t know, art imitates reality. It’s all of these different thoughts wrapped up in a few short minutes.
“Move It Forward” was written in response to the election. A good friend of mine said that maybe it's a blessing Trump is in office because all of this evil will come to light. Bigots will come out of the shadows and make themselves known, so that we can educate them. I wrote it kind of trying to convince myself that we can really change things. Who knows? I can see it in my head though. Those racist and ignorant politicians getting fired, having to work as bus drivers and seeing what it's really like for the people they’re supposed to serve. My folks are Christian. My grandpa is a pastor and so there’s a biblical reference in there. “Sleep not, for you know not the hour.” We have to stay awake. There are people taking advantage of us. We turn our minds off and indulge and forget about what's really around us.
Do you feel your music might be taking a bit more of a political/revolutionary turn? Ie, is the current world state inspiring the direction of your music, and have recent song ideas been tackling topics like justice and equality, freedom, etc vs say, the themes in “Glowstick?”
Definitely. I think I lost sight a bit of the bigger picture. The foundation was laid by guys like Marvin Gaye, Bob Marley, and today, Childish Gambino. I think even just to share the experience of walking around feeling uncomfortable in my own skin because of a Facebook comment from someone I don’t know that I read on someone else’s page can be impactful. The ironic thing is that the world needs these songs now more than ever, even though I wrote them some years ago. I want to keep talking about identity and justice and inspire people not only to fight, but to live and to be free. So a song like “Glowstick” can be just as important in some ways. I don’t always see black folk in the club and would love to see more. Would love to hear more experiences from black people in the dance scene. So while I’ve had and will continue to have some political messages I’ll also continue to share my experiences and lifestyle to represent people like me in this scene.
You raised $1,000 for BLM with Only You. Do you also see yourself adding a more activist/fundraising flair to your artistic ethos moving forward, or getting more involved with causes you care about moving forward?
I’m definitely trying to bring awareness with each release, and that means talking to labels about ways to contribute to the conversation. A lot of the time it's easiest to donate money. For artists like myself in this scene and even labels dance music is not a super lucrative part of the music world, but I definitely want to make sure whoever I’m working with is doing their duty to raise awareness, have conversations, and help people wake up.
The Baltimore scene is an underrated hotbed of cutting edge underground talent. Can you speak a bit to how your hometown might have influenced your career/sound?
Coming from Baltimore was so inspiring. To see people making art and facilitating shows and gatherings of all kinds made me hungry to be a part of something. A good deal of the time, probably because the city is so small you had seen whoever was performing around. You probably knew them or had a friend that did. And so I always wanted that familiar feeling. There's a connection from the show, but afterwards in these warehouses, everybody is hanging out with each other. There are so many talented and creative people in Bmore but you get to interact with everybody. You get to see them living and so there’s still this potential for idolization but also a humbleness about it. So I like to get to know the people at the shows. Go in the crowd and dance with them. Try and see what normal life is like where I’m playing. And I think that’s led to return visits and longtime friendships. Building bigger and better shows.
We’re always interested to hear how musicians overcome one of their biggest challenges: writer’s block. What are your techniques for finding your way again?
I’ve definitely struggled with writer's block at points during quarantine. I subscribe to a notion from Carlos Castaneda: we can unblock energy by revisiting moments from our past in order to move forward. When I have a block, I go back to songs that have inspired me— to songs I've written but never finished. I take relationships, experiences, or stories that feel unresolved and write new endings for them. And if I want to look forward I go exploring and digging to find old relics and new gems to motivate me. Music is one means to an end but I find a great deal of influence from books, plays, movies, essays and visual art. We are masters of time and space. Everything is available all at once so we have to listen closely to know where to go.
Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
These times can be very trying but also very teachable. During a phone call, an acquaintance told me to pay attention to who is in contact with you right now. Pay attention to the emotions, feelings and people that pop into your head in these moments. There is a lot of work we can do on ourselves in these ridiculous times. So continue to have those tough conversations, follow your intuition and do shadow work! Thanks so much for having me. Was very fun to recapitulate some things going on in the back of my head.
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