To pay tribute and highlight some of the wonderful creatives making sound waves in the entertainment industry, we’re launching a secondary podcast series. ‘Beyond the Mirror Ball’ takes listeners on a deep dive into the exciting world of the house music, nightclub and often gritty entertainment scene. Join us as we unearth and celebrate the work of some of the world’s talented creatives.
First on the chopping block, we were thrilled to welcome Christian Pillot or as many of you may know him Colour Castle. DJ, producer and founder of his own independent Australian record label ‘Hot Sunday Records’, Christian has spent 26 weeks at #1 in the ARIA Club Charts, collaborated with vocalists like JAW, Damon Trueitt and Roland Clark, and formed collaboration project, ‘Misingo’, with House music compadre, Doorly. He was kind enough to join us and discuss the influences behind his creative process, his advice to emerging artists and how he has prioritised his mental health since his bipolar diagnosis.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to pursue a career in music or production?
Think about it like learning an instrument. Get a teacher or a production mentor, and see if you get into the studio with them. If not, there’s always zoom. I haven’t done any production courses. I prefer one-on-one based learning as I believe it’s a more efficient way to learn. If you jump on Facebook, we’ve got a little community called Hot Sunday recording artists hub. Here you can find teachers suited to all different skill levels with YouTube videos and so forth.
What do you like to listen to when you’re not making tunes?
I started listening to inspirational podcasts a lot during lockdown, as well as a lot of 90s and techno mixes, which are a big influence for me. I’ve been trying to find old mixes and sounds to put into our music. I consciously avoid listening to some of the more recent stuff coming out now. I’ve been looking to the past for inspiration and hoping to find something a bit different, for example Mr C has some great old ones.
Are there any habits, routines or rituals that you find help your creativity?
I play base guitar for 25 minutes every single day and once it’s done, I’ll mark it off my app and then I’ll play piano for 25 minutes, read and exercise. Basically, I’ve got five or six things that I do every single day. I use an app to track and remind myself to do it. I think I’ve spent about a year learning how to be organised and now I’m half as stressed because I know how to manage my time better. People like to talk about how busy they are, but I think it’s much more important to talk about what you’re actually getting done.
Could you tell us a bit about your Australian record label Hot Sunday Records?
The concept behind Hot Sunday is a record label by artists for artists. We wanted an independent Australian record label designed to support artists. We’re not trying to make a quick buck off anyone and we’re not trying to rip anyone off. It’s not just about the music but it’s working with people I’m passionate about and building everyone up together. All of our contracts are designed to be fair. Some other labels have adopted the same philosophy and have much more equitable arrangements than traditional record labels, which is awesome to see. Many record labels take 70% of the record split, we only take 50% and we make sure to confirm all costs with our artists so there’s no nasty little secrets or surprises in there. We all genuinely like and support one another. We have our Facebook group and there’s never a negative comment in there, everyone is kind and forthcoming with advice. People sometimes forget the whole purpose behind making music is to have fun. We’re not perfectionists, we realise that not every song is going to be a hit single and we’re OK with that because it makes us happy and that’s all that matters.
Can emerging artists realistically expect to make money from Spotify or other streaming platforms?
It’s unrealistic to expect much of an income from Spotify. I think what DJ’s and producers need to do, is have a sustainable income and lifestyle through other means. That way, if you do make money through Spotify it’s a bonus. But it’s like buying a lottery ticket, I would not rely on it, it’s simply not feasible.
You probably spend more money on streaming platforms through advertising than you would make back on the actual sales. The gigs are where the money is, so the incentive behind having a big track on a streaming platform is being able to get a touring gig out of it.
You share your bipolar diagnosis quite openly. Has this made you re-evaluate your career and how you live day to day?
It’s definitely changed how I live my life and put into perspective what I need to prioritise. My number one priority is my mental health and happiness because I know the happier and more stable minded I am, the happier the people around me are, and the more productive I am.
After seeing a doctor, a psychiatrist and psychologist, I put all the tools and techniques I learnt into practice over a period of 2 years. I think I’m really getting there now. The most helpful being getting 8 hours of sleep a night and ensuring I get regular rest. My moods would change dramatically usually after the weekend on a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. That’s when I would dip to my lowest or elevated state, so just being conscious of my need to rest and being really strategic with meetings and studio time helped alleviate a lot of those symptoms.
The biggest lifestyle change for me was learning to say no. Sticking to a healthy schedule, eating a bit better and getting a bit of exercise daily even, if it’s something as simple as just walking the dogs really helped me. Grounding myself with meditation has also been useful.
I think a lot of people find meditation difficult because they haven’t been taught how to do it. I really recommend Jon Kabat-Zinn for those who find meditation difficult. He’s an excellent meditation coach and offers a great insight into mental health. There’s a lot of great apps out there but they don’t actually teach you how to sit and control the thoughts that pop into your head. Jon Kabat-Zinn does an excellent job of that.
For me, the coronavirus has emphasised that my career isn’t everything. It doesn’t matter what’s going on in the word, if you can find a way to be happy then everything will be alright.
You can keep up with Christian aka Colour Castle here and be sure to check out some of the amazing tunes from the talented artists of Hot Sunday Records
To tune into and check out our Beyond the Mirror Ball Podcast, tune in here now