The Man With The Boom… Paul, you have remixed and released literally dozens of dancefloor smashes over the years, how did your new ‘Jackin Tech Electro House’ on Monster Jams come about, this is a new area for you…
“I am good friends with the boys Aquasky and when they started the Monster Sounds Sample Group they asked if I would like to be involved, as you say I’ve never done anything like this before so I thought I would give it a whirl and see how it went! As it’s turned out I am pretty happy with it.”
How did you decide on which samples/loops for the album?
“I made all the samples pretty much from scratch but some of the sounds I have taken from my Kelevra tracks over the last 2/3 years so I had quite abit to take from those as I have done around 100 releases in those 3 years. We wanted to cover a few genre’s in the pack to make it appeal to the widest audience so that’s what I have aimed to achieve.”
What is the most important piece of equipment in your studio and why?
“Well apart from my monitors of course, I would have to say Massive Synth Vst. Hardware isn’t as widely needed as much anymore these days and so far for me Massive is the best soft synth made to date.”
What is the most valuable aspect to producers from these excellent sample packs?
“Well when I have ever bought sample packs in the past I have always looked out for individual sounds and good percussion loops to chop or make my own.In this pack I have made all the loops into broken down parts so you can build them up gradually as you do when producing so they have a more natural sound rather than all in at once, so they are easier to use in your productions.”
What music were you listening to as a kid that got you into dance music?
“I would say I was into break dancing and stuff as a kid but I started off with the likes of Michael Jackson and moved onto 90’s dance and rave Prodigy, and people like Westbam with Wizards of the Sonic, I used to listen to that track over and over when I was about 12.”
What clubs witnessed you jumping around on the dancefloor back in the day?
“I started out at a club called Rise in Sheffield back in the day, then moved onto Gatecrasher in Sheffield where I would go most weeks and ended up in me moving there from my home in Lincoln.”
Best record ever made?
“Jeez that’s a tuff one, has to be 2Unlimited – No Limit … no seriously!”
What producers have inspired you over the years?
“Well I got into producing first off around 2000 and I was making Hard House back then but I have been defintely influenced by the Rave Culture and later on Trance and at the time Hard House was huge, so people like The Prodigy, Utah Saints, Paul Janes (Untidy Dubs), Westbam, Klubbheads at the time but I was also into European Techno so people like Valentino Kanzyani, UMEK etc, I have taken influence from everything really.”
What one vocalist would you like to work with?
“Katie B would be cool, seems to be rocking it at the moment and has a good voice, though I have worked with lots of good rappers from all over the world, big ups to them!”
What are the big 10 tunes you are playing at the moment?
I am playing under 2 alias’s at the moment not just Kelevra but also Temple Of Boom which is my more Tech House orientated alias. So the list is a mixture of the two but in no particular order…
Jay Robinson – ‘We Speak American’ (BMKLTSCH RCRDS)
Kelevra Vs Slave2Disco ft Pete Miles – ‘So Cold’ (forthcoming on Passenger)
Foreign Beggers ft Skrillex – ‘Still Gettin It’ (Never Say Die)
601 – ‘Brothers & Sisters’ (Passenger)
Kelevra ft Whiskey Pete – ‘We Got the Boom’ (Passenger)
Sean Taylor ft Mic Fresh – ‘Panic’ (Kelevra Remix) (Champion Beats)
Holyboyz – ‘Switch It Up’ (Temple Of Boom Refix) (Dandy Kid)
MC Flipside – ‘Do You Like My Swag’ (Temple Of Boom Remix)
(forthcoming on PBR)
The Loops Of Fury – ‘Blip’ (U&A)
Aquasky ft Diane Charlemagne – ‘You Take Me There’ (Passenger)
DMC are the proud owners of the Back To Mine series – what 10 tunes could we expect ‘back at yours’ after a club or on a Sunday morning?
“Good question it’s usually the latest mix CD someone has given me or one someone usually has with them but if I had to choose the 10 tracks I would go from the Old Skool stuff into stuff abit more chilled so….
Prodigy – ‘Out Of Space’
Westbam – ‘Wizards Of The Sonic’
Prodigy – ‘Wind It Up’
Praga Khan – ‘Injected With A Poison’
Chase & Status ft Delilah – ‘Time’
The Knife – ‘Heartbeats’ (Rex The Dog Remix)
The Kooks – ‘So Naïve’
Passion Pit – ‘Moths Wings’
Enigma – ‘Return To Innocence’
BOB ft Hayley Williams – ‘Aeroplanes’
Quite a mixed bag there! Ha ha…”
What’s next studio wise from the million mile per mile producer/remixer Kelevra!?
“I am currently working on a new EP with Black Noise/Aquasky which we are looking to release around Sept/Oct 4 original tracks on there, I have recently remixed for Lot49 under my Temple Of Boom alias and also MC Flipsides forthcoming single “Do You Like My Swag” on PBR.I am also working on Temple Of Booms debut EP which I hope to get finished up soon… so keep them eyes peeled!!”
