A NIGHT BEFORE NYE WITH THE PURPLE ONE

LA Times journalist, Ann Powers' retelling of her spontaneous one night interview with Prince is quite surreal and well worth the read.

I found the following not so surprising but rather interesting nonetheless.

Speaking on Prince's upcoming album MPLSound:

The key to this particular aural universe, it turns out, is the ubiquitous computer platform Pro Tools. Prince avoided the system for years. One thing he's truly moralistic about is the use of artificial vocal enhancement by subpar artists, which in his view has reduced mainstream pop to a "weak diet" of sugary junk. Yet he's unlocked new elements within the very control surfaces Pro Tools employs. Using both analog equipment and digital technology, Prince has come closer to the body-altering music he wishes to make. "I'm interested in the inner workings of music, the effect on the body," he explained. "I'm trying to understand why we respond to beats differently." His former associate, the producer Terry Lewis, helped him realize Pro Tools might help. "Terry talked me into it. He said, 'Don't think of it as a digital machine,' " said Prince. " 'Don't play by its rules.' I just took it and started flipping things."

The current female artists he admires:

"Have you heard Janelle Monae?" he asked. "She is so smart. How about Sia, do you like her?"

The Purple One hates Auto-Tune but hearts Janelle Monae.

Check out the full article