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Artist
Pilotpriest
12+ albums
electronicelectrosynthwaveneurofunkHouse
about
Few artists have the cult following that Toronto’s Pilotpriest does. Spawned by a bootleg of Run DMC’s “My Adidas” in 2007, Pilotpriest’s sweeping notoriety has steadily gained ground, fueled by an additional boot remixes ranging from pop to hip hop and a remix of Lioness’ “My Heart.” Through all the chatter there is one unusual thing about him. Though his tracks are coveted and his production praised time and time again, the question remains…who is Pilotpriest? Born in Ontario, Canada, Pilotpriest grew up with no musical training. Gravitating towards an organ in his family’s house, he instead taught himself how to play at the age of six, learning “Time After Time” and the music from “Tron.” “I did everything by ear,” he says laughing, “That’s why I have horrible technique when I play. When people who play piano see me they get irritated!” As he got older, his musical tastes varied from a brief interest in rap music to 80s punk, and he intently listened to everything while picking apart the layers in his brain, trying to separate the sounds and instruments in his head. Eventually, he made the decision to leave high school for two years to teach himself how to play guitar and during this time also found himself buying equipment from four-track recorders to keyboards. His first synth, a Yamaha DJX, was filled with retro house pads and Pilotpriest still uses it today (you can hear its presence in “Nighthawk”). Drawing from his influences of Air, Giorgio Moroder and rap instrum
