Paul from ‘Fractalglider’ has been producing Psychedelic Trance for over 7 years now. Based in Australia, his awe inspiring sounds have recently been released by Boom Records (Holland) on his debut album ‘Parasite’ -which is already selling fast all over the globe. Released in January 2002, the album features nine of his finest tracks, including ‘Karmic Implications’ & ‘Raspy Honks'. Fractal has released a number of tracks on many Australian compilations and has played alongside the likes of Absolum, Infected Mushroom, Talamasca, X-Dream, Nomad, Kox Box, Dede, Space Tribe, Shiva Chandra, Mark Allen, & Tim Schuldt. His music is a fast fluent Trance (140 - 145 bpm), that is more traditionally Goa based, with driving bass lines & swirling melodies. Doofcentral are pleased to present this exclusive interview with Paul, the man behind Fractal Glider!

Interview by Greg (DoofCentral)

To start with, can you tell us a little about your musical background, and how you came to be a PsyTrance producer?

Having learnt piano since the age of 4, & moving through rock bands in my teenage years, I soon grew tired of the sound of drums & guitars, I was looking for more in music. I began playing with Keyboards in 1995, after going to outdoor parties & raves, & bought an old computer to start sequencing. I always enjoyed the outdoor sounds & particularly the Psy-harmonics sounds of this era. In 1997, I fell in love with Psychedelic Trance, & began the name Fractalglider. I have been writing under this name ever since.

You have been producing PsyTrance music for around 7 years now.. what major changes have you observed in the music and the Melbourne trance scene in this time?

I think for melbourne, It has developed into quite a number of smaller niche groups of people who like a particular style of electronic music. I think back in the mid 90's there was more a blend of all styles in the big parties. This is rarly seen these days ecept for perhaps an the larger Earthcore parties. As for trance over those years, I have witnessed the production quality increase dramatically, due to the ever-expanding technology & processing equipment for audio. I think this has brought about a wealth of new sounds to human ears. People are experimenting more all the time & with growing success.

Who were your greatest influences (musically)? What music do you listen to at home?

Well I still enjoy the harder styles of GMS, Deedrah, The GBU, Hallucinogen & Absolum. So I guess you can say they are my influences & what I listen to at home.

Did you ever produce any other music before you found PsyTrance?

Not really, I suppose when you start out writing, sometimes you don't know what style to call it(laughing). So I suppose there was other styles, but I've mainly focussed on the harder Psychedelic Trance.

How do you think your music has changed/evolved over the years? What factors most influenced these changes?

I think with the factors that I listed earlier about the technology advances, I have seen my own music increase in production quality along with development of my style a fair amount. I think these changes were influenced by a constant search for new sounds & something to spin me out while i'm in the studio writing. It's always good to keep the ears interested in whats coming out of the speakers.

What artists would you most enjoy working with?

I'd love to do some remixes with the people I admire most in Trance music. It is quite hard to do it from Australia, but when I start travelling more I hope to do this sort of work in the future.

Talking about your studio... what is your favourite piece of equipment, and why?

Easy, my 'Nord Lead 2'! Because when they devloped this instrument in the mid 90's, they just got something right. It's sound & filters are very psychedelic, the hardware is simple to use & is easy to quickly get that sound you are looking for. I suuppose it has quite a rough, thick, rich & squelchy sound to it, always good to the ear.

Do you prefer to work in your studio, or play live? What do you like most about each of these experiences?

I do love to play live, I enjoy the vibration & energy from the punters & the hope that maybe they are enjoying some fresh sounds. But at the end of the day, nothing compares to writing a new riff or sound in the comfort of your own home & being completely on your own. Its really rewarding & completing.

When you write a track, do you tend to start and finish it in one sitting, or do you go back to your tracks and keep working on them after?

Good question, many artists I've spoken to about this have varying opinions. I tend to write a track in two or three sittings. If I write in one sitting, its very wise to come back a copule of days later to mix it, just to give your ears a chance to refresh, you can become very tired in the studio. Sometimes I have three or four tracks on the go at one time, I find this leaves my head a little scattered though, so I try to avoid this.

You use some crazy samples in your tracks... we all know the Chasing Ganesha sample (from the Simpsons - I'm giggling thinking of Homer running around with a Ganesha mask on his head :). What other sources do you use for your samples?

Yes Ganesha, I do love that epiosde. It's nice to look for sample is all the odd places, somwtimes record your own for originality, but old movies are still one of the best sources for me.

You've recently released an album on Boom! Records. Can you tell us a little bit about this album?

This was a compilation of tracks that I had written over three years. I wanted to release all my latest music from the time, but Matt Boom from Boom Records, suggested that It would be more interseting to compile work from a longer span of time. In hindsight I completely agree with him, especially for a debut album. I have been pleasently surprised with the reviews & feedback from the album, different people enojoy different tracks. The whole think has been a great experience.

Your album is called Parasite.. is there a story behind this name?

Not too much of a story, just that when I first saw the artwork for the album, there were some different ideas floating around. One idea that wasn't used looked to me like a bug of some sort, so I think I just came up with Parasite.(I ended up using this picture on my homepage.)

Do you think releasing on an international label has benefitted you, over say releasing it on one of the Australian labels?

Absolutley, mainly because of the distribution availabilty. Many of the Australian labels are young & I suppose it benefitted me to go with a longer established label for the international relationship basis. Also being based overseas it has brought my name out of Australia & into Europe & Japan, & while this is not a bad thing (to be Australian), our geographic location in the world is not great from a perspective of air tickets!

Do you think the increased costs for Australian consumers (due to importation costs, etc) has resulted in more people overseas buying your album than local people, who have already come to know and love your music?

I think it just comes down to numbers & population. In Australia, there are still not many people into Trance than there are in other coutries, I think it just becomes relative to the population.

Any plans for a new album anytime soon? What should we expect from your new material?

I am currently working on my next album, due for release at the end of 2002. It will be a more modern sound for me, compared with the last album, less intense interms of layers of sounds, but more rockier with tighter basslines & lead sounds.

You've been playing at parties in and around Melbourne for quite a few years now... what have been some of your party highlights? ... and lowlights?

I have enjoyed playing at the summer outdoor festivals the most, The Rainbow Serpents & Tanselements parties were/are always great & the Eartchcores always draw a fun crowd. Also I love to play with international people when they are in town, just to get a feel for what they bring over with them. I can't think of any lowlights, even the gigs where 10 people show up I have a ball.

I understand you'll be playing at Mt.Fuji in Japan in August - headlining alongside Ozzy and Mr.Peculiar. Has your album being selling alot in Japan, and how do you think the Japanese party people will respond to your set?

It has been selling very well in Japan, the Japanese have always been very big Psy-Tance people from the beginning. I'll be playing the sunrise set from 6-8, I can't wait, It'll be insane!

Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions Paul... good luck for your Japan tour, and we'll be seeing you at the Outback Eclipse Party in December.

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