Hi Pal,
Welcome to 7 Answers From. This is a newsletter where I have conversations with artists, composers, producers and other creatives in and around the Christian alternative indie scene by asking them 7 questions.
You have the option of either listening to or reading the answers to the questions I ask.
Introduction
Before Flags is a Christian collaborative music project that started in September 2020 with an open roster, founded and maintained by Patrick Spatz.
My first encounter with their music was early this year when I was hunting for Christian instrumental ambient and post-rock artists. I listened to a track called “Management of Sorrows” and was blown away by their experimental approach to song crafting. It’s been almost 10 months since that time and I have only come to love them more.
In this newsletter, Patrick Spatz answers questions about his life, his thoughts about the uniqueness of Christian ambient music, the recent Turn, EP by Before Flags and much more.
The Conversation
Q: Tell me a little about your walk with Christ so far and some lessons that you have learnt along the way?
I was raised around scriptures. When I was a little boy, my grandmother told me that Jesus is real and that I can talk with Him. I claimed to be a Christian all of my life but I fell away. I became born again at the age of 36 in January 2020. I believe it is of uttermost importance for us to hear and know that God’s thoughts are for us and that He is good. Since He is good, then it is not in His nature to lie so we can take Him at His word.
We also need to take His word upon us and when we observe His word and see how He has expressed Himself to people, how they have responded and how God, in turn, has responded to man’s response we can see His expectations. When we follow His word, we can expect His faithfulness.
Q: I’ve been listening to your music for a while now and one thing I’m always struck by is the collaborative nature of the project. Can you talk to me about the inspiration behind Before Flags?
Before Flags, as a name, was inspired by a desire to acknowledge humanity before nationality. It’s a name that came to me before I became a Christian and has taken on a deeper meaning now. It is a Christian collaborative project but it did not start out that way. I was on the roster of a prominent ambient label and I had submitted a track to be featured on a compilation and on the label’s Bandcamp page.
One of the owners of the label took it upon himself to contribute to the piece that I submitted. I was a bit offended at first that he added to my recording. I realized later that I actually liked how it sounded, and since I’d been in bands before and enjoyed collaborating, I went along with publishing the piece with his contribution.
So, Before Flags kind of became a collaborative project against my will and I decided to keep inviting people in and published a few tracks on that label before completely giving the project to God and only working with other Christians. Since then, Before Flags has become a project for other brothers and sisters in Christ to come into and explore different genres together all in reverence of Jesus obviously.
Q: Your latest EP, Turn, is one of my favourite ambient/experimental post-rock releases of this year so far, and it features a lot of artists that I love. Can you talk me through the creative process behind the EP and how it differs from previous works like Mountains, Go?
The Turn, EP and Mountains Go share more similarities than differences in terms of production. The major difference is that the title track Turn from the Turn, EP is made up of a root track that Adryelle contributed while the rest of the songs on both this EP and Mountains, Go have root tracks contributed by me.
Q: With most of your music being instrumentals in expression, what elements make Christian ambient/post-rock stand out, in your opinion?
Jesus tells us that the harvest is plenty but the workers are few. The harvest is the souls of men and the workers are believers, bringing men to Jesus. Using instrumental music as a metaphor for the field, with different genres planted within — lofi, neoclassical, ambient etc. In that field, there are people listening who are believers that need to be edified and non-believers who need to know that there is an invitation for them to come into the faith and know Jesus.
It is my calling, I believe, to continue in that discipleship process by giving the gifts and talents that I have to God, entrusting them in His hands and to work with people who have similar minds, set on Christ and hearts set on God’s heart.
Instrumental music also helps us to leave the canvas a bit blank for instances where scripture tells us to sing a new song. In the book of Psalms and Isaiah, we are called to sing a new song to the Lord. So I encourage people to listen to instrumental music and seek the Lord with all of their hearts, souls and minds and if inspiration comes, to bless the Lord by praising Him with a new song.
Q: Are there any artists/creators that have been an inspiration to you in your career so far?
I’m really looking forward to hearing new music from Bec Armour. Other artists who have been inspiring me recently are Har Adonai, Marc Vanparla, Adryelle, Jacob Hilton, inamomentimalive, Heir and many more.
Q: When you’re not making music, what are you often up to?
When I’m not making music I am working on the weekdays with a neighbour who lives up the street who is autistic. I spend time with family and friends, exercise, and work on visual art — I like to make paper and fabric collages.
I also have an interest in growing fruit trees and I attend my local church at least once if not thrice a week.
Q: What songs/artists are currently “on repeat” in your playlists?
I have been putting Raphah’s songs on shuffle on my iTunes a lot or checking out YouTube to listen to Raphah’s Creation Series in sequential order.
Feel free to follow him and his music using the links below:
Thanks to Patrick for taking the time to speak to me. I hope you enjoyed reading/listening as much as I enjoyed working on it for you.
That’s all for now.
See you soon!
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7 Answers From: Patrick Spatz of Before Flags
Apparently, I have listened to him quite a bit in the last couple of months. I did not know this, which means I have been listening passively. I will have to pay more attention. I like him though.