Paul, Eelz – great new breaks style album coming out, ‘Operation Overdrive’ a long time in the making, four years after ‘Midi Style’. Pal, what took you so long following it up?
“Life has a habit of getting in the way! We’re perfectionists so getting it right was more important than getting it out quickly. We took our time and I think it shows in the record.”
The album features vocals from Orifice Vulgatron from Foreign Beggars, breakbeat punk Odissi, LA based MC Whiskey Pete, ex Prodigy guitarist Jim Davis, New singer songwriter Von Doom, divine electro rocker Leigh De Vries and London songstress Dominique Woolf – a very eclectic bunch, what were these like to work with, who do you think was the star of the show and what are your favourite tracks?
“Everyone brought something different to the table and there were no ego issues at all, which was nice. A lot of the vocals were done remotely at the singers own studios and ideas were bounced back and forth across the web. The downside being that some tracks took a long, long time to get finished.”
So tracks of your lives, what record – and please explain why the choice…
Makes you always dance?
“Joey Beltram – ‘Energy Flash’. Can still remember the first time I heard this record it sounded like nothing I’d ever heard before. There was an elegance to it that made it rise above everything else. Still sounds pretty fresh now. I’m starting to dance more like my dad now though, which is a little disconcerting, so I don’t do much non alcohol fueled dancing these days.”
The song that you want played at your funeral?
“Anything by Napalm Death would work. I’m not a big fan of funerals and I definitely want to get mine out the way as quickly as possible.”
The world’s most annoying song?
“At the moment it’s Lady Gaga’s ‘Poker Face’. Everything I hate about music in one neat little package.”
The best record to get jiggy in the bedroom to?
“Dan, there’s more important things to concentrate on at that time…”
The song you’d most like to have written?
“‘Thriller’ by Michael Jackson takes some beating…
What artist/song is your guilty pleasure?
“Iron Maiden.”
What is the best album ever made?
“Absolutely no idea, there’s too many to list here that even come close to that accolade.”
What record always makes you cry?
“At a friend’s funeral they played Tiesto’s mix of Silence as it was one of his favourite tunes. I wasn’t a big fan of the record but now when I hear it brings a big lump to my throat every time.”
And what tunes are on your i-pods at the moment?
“Ulirch Schnauss, the Cocteau Twins, Animal Collective, The Orb, The Beatles, James Yuill, Burial, Freeland’s latest album, The Beastie Boys, Pink Floyd, Pinch & MGMT – in no particular order.”
Paul, what’s all this about your start to the creative world, amateur dramatics?
“My parents were in to that sort of thing and encouraged me into it. It was a lot of fun, but music was the bigger draw. Also I was crap at remembering my lines.”
Comparisons to Depeche Mode, Justice, Kissy Sell Out, Dizzee Rascal – in many ways this album is set to springboard you from breakbeat boundaries into wider circles. But what artists were you listening to growing up in your teens that got you into the dance music world?
“I started listening to Electonica & Rock/ Metal and the like as a kid – and then fell in love with Rave in the late 80’s / early 90’s. Went through most dance music during the nineties before settling in the breaksy end of things. Listening tastes between the two of us pretty much covers everything. We’re both very open-minded musically.”
You have a fascinating working relationship, Paul you are happy to do the interviews and zoom around the world DJing whilst Eelz is quite happy holed up in the studio down in Bristol – what are the best clubs around the world you love returning to – and what is the best ever club you have DJ’d at?
Too many to remember really. Highlight’s though would have to be The Underground Club in St Petersburg – it’s an ex-Soviet nuclear bunker that holds about 1000 peeps and is generally insane. Glastonbury Festival is always a killer, Ministry of Sound in Dehli, Zouk in Singapore. Ambar in Perth, the Underlounge in Osaka, San Fransisco’s Lovefest.”
How important to your DJing is the Traktor Scratch digital DJing system that enables you to carry literally thousands of records – and how would you describe your DJing style?
“TS is pretty central to my DJing and has definitely taken it up a notch or two. I play out using time-code CD’s and a Novation SL Zero MK 2 midi controller for all the effects and looping it has definitely made me creative when it comes to mixing. It has made me much more adventurous. I’d describe my style as just of the right side of in control…”
What comes next for General Midi studio wise?
“Getting on with mixes for the next single, working out what the next single should be and creating a proper backup system!”
