I think the origins of music have probably to do with magic and transcendence as well.

The human condition is what it is. We can see beauty and wonder in the world, but we also face imminent death and uncertainty, and we often need to sidestep the idea of time and communicate with each other, not with words but with a sense of community and union. I don't want to make an overreaching statement, but I think that's the function of culture.

The closer you get to the source, the more you begin to understand its essential nature.

One of my interests is to understand what constitutes the vibe of a place and what makes one concert different from another.

I am not scared of making mistakes.

In a lot of African instruments, you find a rattle, and sound engineers have a hard time making sense of it.

I think what a lot of people forget is that a lot of the music in the '60s and the '70s was made in the spirit of daring, spontaneity, and adventure, so the minute all that sinks into this sense of a classic form, it has lost its spirit.