D-Railed catches up with Paul Maddox ahead of “The Producer Series”

This article is about D-RAILED - THE PRODUCER SERIES Part 1 @ Rapture in Loughborough (UK), Fri 12 Dec 2008

Hi there Paul. We have to be polite to start with don't we? So how are you? And how's the world treating you at the moment?

Yeah, it’s all good at the moment – I’ve just moved my studio so settling in there and getting busy with plenty of new projects.

I dare say you've been a little busy recently. What are your most recent projects and adventures and what have we got to look forward from you in 2009?

I’ve just contributed two tracks to Tidy’s “Inspirations for a Harder Generation” album, reworking two old classics for the 2008 dancefloor and have got plenty on the go for next year including a new track under my own name and a new Olive Grooves EP.

You are definitely one of the most prolific and respected producers from my generation. You must have had ambitions when you were younger, have you exceeded your expectations and are you where you want to be?

Well, I never really had any ambition to produce music when I was younger really and just kind of fell into it – so I guess I’ve exceeded them by quite a way!

There must be many moments, but what has been the defining moment of your career so far?

Probably first hearing one of my tracks played out to a packed club and seeing the reaction – I’ll never forget seeing SS North kicking off to my Set You Free remix.

Tidy has obviously played a massive part. There has been a lot of changes at Tidy recently, what does the future hold for the label itself and will you be apart of it?

There have been a lot of changes there recently, but I’m probably working more closely with them now than at any point since I stopped working as their in-house producer about 5 years ago. They’ve got a really good team with plenty of fresh ideas, so I think the future is looking really bright for Tidy at the moment.

Can you give us a 'funny moment' that you will always remember?

I always have a little chuckle to myself when I remember my Alter-ego “The Crow” who made an appearance at the first couple of weekenders.

Some might say there's only so much you can do with a certain sound/genre. What does the future hold for our beloved Hard House sound. And who do you see as future pioneers?

Any genre has it’s limitations, but there are plenty of people producing great Hard House at the moment. Rodi Style and Jon BW are both doing some great stuff at the moment and I’m sure their best is yet to come.

One for the Tech-heads - You must have used plenty of different hardware/software over the years, what is your favourite piece of technology, and what will you be using a lot of in the coming months?

There’s a plugin called Sylenth1 which I’ve been absolutely hammering recently – If you hear any new tracks of mine I can guarantee that Sylenth will be all over it!

We've asked you to play a ninety minute producer set, to kick start 'D-Railed's Producer Series' What plans do you have for your set, if you have any yet, with such a HUGE discog? And are you looking forward to your first set in Loughborough?

Well I’ve got plenty of new stuff to give an airing too, but given that it’s a slightly extended set I reckon there’ll be a chance to drop a few old favourites in there too – I’m not going to give the game away by saying which ones though.

Can we give you a little space to plug anything 'Paul Maddox'? And just to finish off who would look better in drag; Glazby, Guyver, Technikal or Sam Townend?

The Inspirations album and my remix of Velos “The Joker” on Fireball are both out to buy now, so go get em! As for the drag thing, probably Guy, as there is actually a girl who looks just like him!

Thanks to Paul for taking the time in answering the questions!