Guest Blog: DSCOTECH interview Paul Chambers

By James | July 12, 2010

Yeah, Techno! (Original) Sample by phantasysound

In 2009, the world of Electronic Dance Music was rocked when 2MANYDJs played a rather unique, unreleased track during one of their highly acclaimed DVDJ sets. The analog sounds radiating from the speakers immediately captivated the audience, as a well-dressed man sporting a black suit danced enthusiastically along to the beat with a red keytar in hand. Many moons have now passed, and the world has now identified the said track to be Yeah, Techno!, which is now credited to the man holding the keytar, Mr. Paul Chambers.

His heavy, raw analog sound has catapulted him into the public eye, comfortably placing him in the upper tier of todays’ best talents. Paul Chambers stock continues to grow exponentially as his new material continues to find it’s way into the most recent 2MANYDJs DVDJ sets, as well as releasing an awesome new track with Japanese superstar, Shinichi Osawa. Recently I was lucky enough to ask Mr. Chambers a few questions. Here’s what happened.

DSCO: Thank you for taking the time to speak with me.

Paul Chambers: My pleasure.

DSCO: When did you first encounter Electronic Dance Music (EDM)? Was it magical from the beginning or god-awful, yet undeniably interesting?

Paul Chambers: It was true love from the very beginning. I remember some important points in my life: Having alternative radio stations on at home when I was really little, which were playing New Wave. Another very strong memory is walking into a local record shop with my dad in the eighties, and seeing all the New Beat records, which I wasn’t allowed to have because I was too young. Maybe that’s where the smiley thing came from for me; the only thing I could do at the time was collect iron-on smiley patches and pins. I think it has always been there in a way, but my first EDM vinyl is not something I want to discuss here because it’s too embarrassing.

DSCO: Has your involvement with EDM changed in the past years? If so, how?

Paul Chambers: I’ve always done different things. But that’s just because I find it boring to stick with one thing, I need some variation in what I do. Most of the time I make techno tracks, but then I can get into a really experimental mood for weeks and make weird stuff which only my closest friends get to hear.

DSCO: You have been involved with EDM since the early 90‘s. What was your music style like in the early 90’s? Was it Techno all the way, or was it Trance that did it for you?

Paul Chambers: With certainty I can tell you it wasn’t Trance. In the early nineties the supply of records was different than it is now, you had to rely on your local music stores to get the right things. You couldn’t go on the internet to check things out, Beatport or iTunes were still far away from existence. It was literally rooting through vinyl for days and listening to mix-tapes. I was always on the lookout for Chicago sounding tracks. My DJ style at the time was pretty fast and bleepy, and I never had the patience to leave on a record for longer than a minute so I was really working hard behind the decks. And I still am actually, now that I think about it.

DSCO: How would you describe your sound as a musician?

Paul Chambers: Pure, dry and unpolished. Medium rare I would think, not bleeding raw but definitely not overcooked.

DSCO: In 2008, Soulwax invited you to tour with them, alongside many other big name acts on their Radio Soulwaxmas tour. How did it feel to be asked to tour the world by such a talented and equally famous act like Soulwax? What was that tour like? Any interesting stories you would like to share?

Paul Chambers: It felt really good. The tour was amazing, like a traveling freak show family. All good freaks of course. Steph really does his best to keep everybody close and create a friendly atmosphere, we even had our own christmas tree touring with us. One thing I can remember really well is that I didn’t have any flight cases for all my equipment and I was low on cash, so me and friend of mine bought some secondhand suitcases and filled them with sponges. It was funny because they were all different colors and if you would open up one of the cases you would see this eighties analog synth completely surrounded by patterns of blue, yellow, pink and green improvised protective foam.

DSCO: You perform both live shows and DJ sets. Which do you prefer and why?

Paul Chambers: I love both equally but a live set feels more unique. DJ’ing is easier to do for me because you play other people’s music. With my live set it’s a lot more work keeping it up to date with new music. And of course traveling with all the equipment is more work. But in the end I think a balance between the two is what I like best.

DSCO: The now famous concert video of 2MANYDJS, playing your hit track, Yeah, Techno! while a receptive crowd goes absolutely mad over it, has created a great deal of hype for the said track. What was it like having the Dewaele brothers giving you the DJ equivalent of an approving head-nod, by playing your track in front of thousands?

Paul Chambers: The first time I heard them play it I was really nervous. They were telling me for weeks what kind of impact the track was having on the crowds all over the world, and at that time it was a bit hard for me to believe it, until I saw it with my own eyes. Now it seems like I’m a supplier of new things as they are already playing one of my newer tracks, but it’s still very exciting to see them play it while thousands of people go mad.

DSCO: Phantasy Sound Records recently released the Yeah, Techno! EP. The eagerly anticipated EP contains remixes by French up and comers’, BeatauCue, and world famous super group, Soulwax. The two artists listed above did a smashing job in creating their own unique and gratifying rendition of your original. Are you happy with the way they turned out?

Paul Chambers: I am very happy with both. Dave and Steph were helping me with the production and they liked the track so much they decided to surprise me with a Soulwax remix. When Erol and I listened to it, we immediately decided we would be releasing that together with the original. Beataucue was introduced to me by Erol, and I was very happy they wanted to do a remix. They did a great job to create something completely different.

Paul Chambers – Yeah, Techno! (Beatacue Remix) by phantasysound

DSCO: What does the future hold for Mr. Paul Chambers? Any new remixes or originals dropping soon? Any chance of you touring the States?

Paul Chambers: I’m about to release an EP I did with Shinichi Osawa. It’s out already in Japan and 2ManyDJs has been playing it for a while now, it will hit the rest of the world soon. I’m also working on a guest mix for the online Radio Soulwax which will be a lot of fun, and I’m working on some remixes. Touring the States would be great, but there aren’t any plans for that yet.

DSCO: It was a pleasure speaking with you and I look forward to covering the rest of your musical career.

Paul Chambers: Cheers!

Be sure to grab Paul Chambers Yeah, Techno! EP featuring remixes from Beataucue and Soulwax, on Beatport here. You can also purchase the EP in limited edition red vinyl from Rough Trade or Phonica.

With thanks to DSCOTECH

http://www.dscotech.com/2010/07/exclusive-interview-with-paul-chambers.html

Topics: Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

2 Responses to “Guest Blog: DSCOTECH interview Paul Chambers”

DSCO
9:33 am on July 15th, 2010
Cheers mate! My favorite interview thus far. Thank you to Paul Chambers and Phantasy Sound.
CYV™ | CHW YR VTMNS
2:17 am on July 20th, 2010
[...] A super bangin release by Paul Chambers, as played above by 2manyDJs I saw this one go up on the Phantasy page with an exclusive DSCOTECH interview of Paul Chambers [...]

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PHLP01: CONNAN MOCKASIN 'PLEASE TURN ME INTO THE SNAT'

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PHXMAS07: LATE OF THE PIER 'BLUEBERRY'

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PH03: FAN DEATH 'VERONICA'S VEIL'

PH02: PRIMARY 1 'HOLD ME DOWN'

PH01: LA PRIEST 'ENGINE'