Paul Wagorn

You're located in Victoria Canada, correct?
That's right, I came here to visit more than 10 years ago and liked it so much I stayed!

How is the electronic music scene in Canada?
It's great. There is a ton of amazing talent here, and it's a pretty tight-knit community. Unfortunately it seems as though many Canadian producers get more recognition in Europe than they do here. The record industry is getting hit quite hard here and in the US as DJ's start to use CD's more, so it's getting tougher and tougher to make any money producing "underground" electronic music.

Under what names have you released music?
I've used Mactac, Puffboy, House of Orange and Duophonic. Future releases will likely be under Paul Wagorn.

How long have you been making music?
I've been making music for about 20 years. Over time, I've gone through drastic style changes and have played techno, house, dub, funk and have played bass in a bunch of rock bands.

For those who have never heard your music, how would you describe it?
I'd say that right now I lean more towards techno and acid techno. I very much like atmospheric sounds in the background that add a bit of "ear candy" to the track. Of course I'm an analogue fetishist, so analogue sounds are all over my tracks! With my downtempo stuff, my tracks have a dubby feel, with the bassline usually the focus of the track.

What are some of the bands that have influenced your music?
All the old-school acid house, house and techno got me excited about the music and I'd say it influences my music a lot, Dave the drummer, LFO, Severed Heads, Basic Channel, Plastikman, all the Detroit guys, and of course Jean Michel Jarre.... but most of my inspiration to keep making tracks comes from listening to the music that all my friends make. There is some fantastic stuff coming out of Canada! If you haven't already, definitely check out Hrdvsion, Mathew Jonson, Deciblast and DJ Jelo.

I read that you got started out DJing, before transitioning into making your own music. Do you still DJ, and how do you feel DJing compares with making your own making music?
I haven't really DJ'd for a few years. Because of a limited amount of time, I've had to focus on one or the other, and producing music gives me a far greater satisfaction than DJing. I do find that DJing helps immensely with keeping a feel for what sort of thing works in a track, and I still buy and spin records at home. I'd recommend at least DJing at home to anyone trying to produce tracks destined for DJ use.

I've heard some pretty big name DJ's have been playing your tracks. What compilations have featured your work?
The play I've gotten from bigger name DJ's (Carl Cox, DJ Dan, Donald Glaude, etc.) has been partially the result of some good marketing by my former label. They were aggressive about getting white labels out to people that count. Among others, my tracks have appeared on CD's by Chris Liebing, DJ Jelo & also on a Love Parade bootleg compilation.

Are you currently on a record label, or looking for one?
Stickman Records closed up shop a little while ago, so I'm currently looking for a new home (are you listening?)! I've started my own label and plan to start releasing (other artists') minimal techno & acid soon.

What equipment do currently use?
Here's a partial list of my current setup:
Future Retro Revolution
Future Retro 777
Moog Minimoog
Sequential Circuits Prophet 5
MOTM Modular synthesizer
Doepfer Modular synthesizer
Nord Rack 2
Doepfer MAQ16/3 analogue sequencer
Waldorf Microwave
MAM MB33- mkII 303 emulator
Roland JX3P
Roland TR909
Roalnd TR606 (that I modified to have trigger outs for all the instruments)
Elektron Machinedrum
Roland Space Echo re201
Mackie 24-4 Mixing Desk
Mackie 824 monitors
Alesis Monitors

A variety of "regular" instruments, a few basses, a guitar, amps, etc. I have this little bass called an Ashbory with silicon rubber strings. It's only an 18" scale length, but has the hugest sound on earth.
..and a whole bunch of effects, compressors, etc.

I've had and gotten rid of many times this much gear over time, including an ARP2600, 5 or 6 TB303's, 4 TR909's and tons of Polysynths. I miss every single one of them!

I have everything in my studio with a CV or gate in and out, or audio in plugged into a patchbay, so I can plug anything into anything else very easily. It saves tons of patch cable mess!

What role does FR equipment play in your music creations?
My 777 and Revolution play an extremely important role in almost all of my electronic music. In just about every track I've released you'll hear a 777 in there somewhere, but more often than not, it plays the focal line in the track.

How do you feel the analog equipment compares with the newer virtual instruments?
I have the Microwave and Nord, and I must say I don't use them as much as my analogs. I really enjoy trying to push gear to a point where it's doing something unexpected and something that "it's not supposed to do", but with virtuals this is difficult because of how they are deigned. There is a certain "magic" that can happen with some analog synths that you'll never hear from a VA, I can almost "see" the sound coming out of my Minimoog or Prophet. I'm also a "knobs and patch cables" sort of guy, so true analog just appeals to me. The nice thing about virtuals though is repeatability. If I make a sound on my Nord, I know that a year later it'll sound exactly the same.

What tracks online features the 777?
Every track listed under "Discography" uses the 777 except for the Deemah remix (because it's a remix!). Many of the tracks on my website also use the 777, especially the techno ones.

Are there any projects in the works that we can look forward to?
Hopefully I will be releasing some tracks that I've been sitting on for a while. If I can't find a label, I might release them myself. Also, my first release on the new label will be a killer!

Discography:
As "Puffboy":
Stickman Records - "Mind Bugs"
Stickman Records - "Snorkel"
Stickman Records - "Fission"
Stickman Records - "Pulse Width"
Stickman Records - "Down Deep"
Stickman Records - "Carp3"

As "House of Orange"
Stickman Records - "Fuzzy Naval"

As "Paul Wagorn"
Slush Recordings - "Mazar Deemah rmx"

For more information, please visit the following links.
www.orange-records.com