Feature: Latti Patterson Decodes “Rent Free In My Mind”
Can you tell us about the inspiration behind "Rent Free In My Mind" and the story it tells?
The inspiration for this song came from the many times I locked eyes with an attractive guy at my local gym. I had seen him a few times, and eventually worked up the courage to say hi to him, and the first thing I noticed was his beautiful smile. His smile was one that I just couldn’t get out of my head. I realized that I had a crush on a stranger and that infatuation just totally led to me finally sitting down to write about what I was feeling. Thus this song, “Rent Free In My Mind” was born!
Can you share any interesting or unique musical elements or production techniques used in this song?
This song was all recorded with Garageband on my MacBook laptop. I recorded all elements in my spare bedroom/cat room. I chose a heavy 808 Bass sound to portray the emotional weight of the thoughts swirling in my head. At first, I thought it was going to be too much, but I really liked the feel of it in the end. I also used volume automation on the synthesizers in the background, and then I doubled the acoustic guitar track and panned one track left and one track to the right to create more of a stereo sound. I do not use any samples. I prefer to do my own thing.
What impact do you hope "Rent Free In My Mind" will have on your audience?
I hope my audience can enjoy and relate to the authenticity of the emotions I express in this song. This is essentially a diary entry, and it portrays an experience that is so universal and relatable. As an adult, who hasn’t witnessed another person’s beautiful smile that ended up brightening their day? It’s totally normal to feel these types of emotions. This song was written for anyone who’s ever had a crush on someone they didn’t really know.
Can you introduce yourself and share a bit about your journey into music production? How did you become a producer?
My Name is Latti Patterson. I am from Bakersfield, CA. and I come from a musical family. My Dad and sister are also musicians. I began playing guitar at age 11, and began performing around my hometown with my family under “The Patterson Family Band” when I was about 16 yrs old. That was my first introduction to music and performing. I’ve only been studying music production for the past 2 years. My dad was a major influence on my interest in music production. My dad worked with music producer Freddie Perren in Los Angeles, CA in the 1970’s. My dad was in the recording studio when Gloria Gaynor recorded her hit “ I Will Survive”. I always thought that was so cool. So with my Dad’s tips and recording knowledge about the technical factors, I became inspired to dig further. There’s something bout the process of creating my own music that allows me to enter that “flow” state so easily. I enjoy the process of it all. And the best part is that there are no rules to creating music.
Where do you find inspiration for your songs or musical ideas?
Inspiration for my songs comes from the universe, God, a higher power, etc. It’s never me. I am only a vessel used to express emotions and feelings through music. I am a very spiritual person and before any session when I come up with a melody or write a song, I always meditate. Some of my best lyrics come after this practice. Meditation breaks down any subconscious resistance and allows the words and music to flow through me with ease. Meditation brings so much clarity for me and clears my mind to be able to create authentically, rather than copying other musicians’ styles. The topics I do write about, come from my personal experiences.
