Q&A: This is Ludwig del Pino

“I've never left my country because I find that Chile has what I love most about traveling: nature, forests, and mountains.” - Ludwig del Pino

It was a pleasure to interview Ludwig del Pino (@ludwhig_music), my first South American interviewee! We discuss his musical beginnings, our shared love of this music genre, Chile, 2024 goals, and where he would live if he could live anywhere rent-free for a month! Be sure to check out the playlist at the end and support his future musical projects!

How did you get started making music?

I started composing music when I already knew how to play the guitar to some extent. However, it wasn't until about two years ago that I began dedicating a lot of time to creating music.

What inspires your music?  

I generally get inspiration from listening to music. Sometimes it can be a melody I liked or some specific detail from songs, and I can start from there. Occasionally, I draw inspiration from randomly playing melodic phrases on the piano or guitar. It can also be a phrase from a book or the title of a song.

I really enjoyed your song “Namibia”.  Have you been there before? 

I've never been to Africa, and I've never left my country.

Tell me about your latest single “Last Summer”. 

Right now, I must have around eight songs ready to release. They've been piling up on me. "Last Summer", I think, was composed almost a year ago. What I love about that song is the pronounced bassline, that groovy feel it has, and the "ghost notes" I added. It's a song based on a sample. I wanted it to have a second part, and I came up with adding that piano, which, to me, has the effect of loosening up and relaxing the song... it's like an oasis within it. Then I added the melody that goes there. Like all of my music, it hasn't been easy to fit "Last Summer" into playlists because it doesn't sound like the typical "lofi" or "chillhop" genre. The original title of the song was going to be "I remember the last summer", and the cover art featured a girl looking out of a window from a desk, giving that sense of nostalgia for the past. But then, I simplified the title to "Last Summer", which is more practical. I also changed the cover to an image of the beach.

I love lofi hip hop music because it is instrumental-only so it makes it more accessible for listeners around the world to enjoy.  Is that why you make music in this genre?

When I started composing my music seriously, I simply did what I wanted without thinking about genres or anything. I began to realize that my music had a dreamy, relaxed, mysterious, somewhat trippy character. But my music had a lot of ethnic drums. Then, when I wanted to submit it to playlists, I realized it didn't fit into any of them. That's when I discovered lofi playlists, and by listening to them, I discovered the world of lofi chillhop. It resonated with me a lot because it had that vibe, that feel that my music had: it was relaxed, dreamy, etc. This genre suited what I was doing very well, and I started framing my music more towards this lofi chillhop style.

What are your musical goals for 2024?  Will there be an EP or full album next year? 

I believe that I've been achieving my goals over time, so they're not too ambitious in the short term. This year, I've become familiar with compilations, beat battles, and labels. Additionally, I have contacts with several artists, and I'll start working on collaborations as well. That's what I'm currently doing, and I think this will gradually open more doors for my music to become better known and recognized by listeners.

Since last year, I've been consistently releasing music month by month. Furthermore, for example, this month, I already released "Last Summer", but a label will release another one of my tracks in a compilation named "The sleeping bird sways in the rain.". So there will be more than one song per month. In October, I already have two releases: one in an autumn compilation called "You travel", and another through a label titled "When I met you.". I'll also be releasing a Halloween-themed song... so that's three songs in one month. WOW, I'm amazed! So, an album, the way I'm going, could be possible!

If you could live anywhere for a month rent-free where would you choose?

Namibia of course!!!  Speaking more seriously, I've never left my country because I find that Chile has what I love most about traveling: nature, forests, and mountains. However, if I were given a month and forced to spend it outside my country... hmm, I think I would live in an exotic country like Japan, China, or Thailand.