Labels – Paper Recordings

Out the Box: Léna C

For our next Out The Box feature we welcome one of our own Hebden Bridge cartel by way of Léna C!

Growing up in a family of traditional musicians in her birthplace, Brittany, Léna C. has shaped a DJ career across the Channel in Manchester over the last many years. Léna’s mixes and compositions exude her eclectic influences mixing electronic and traditional sounds from all around the world. She holds a regular show on Melodic Distraction entitled ‘Ecléctico’ and recently accompanied the MD crew to play at their stage for this year’s We Out Here Festival. She also recently provided a live mix for MAJ (My Analogue Journal) channel on YouTube which resulted in her being booked to play for JAzz X in Romania of course, she provides sounds on home turf too with appearances at Band On The Wall, Nelson’s, Gotwood, Green Island & The Talleyrand!

Oh and if that wasn’t impressive enough she also released her debut E.P. ‘Promenade’ on vinyl via our friends at Sprechen!

Follow Léna on Instagram.

Léna C

Any books/publications you have recently read?

Aside from music, I love photography which I have been doing as a hobby for a very long time! So anything that is photo related, whether it be a book, an exhibition, or a documentary, is something that I will definitely try to check out. I recently purchased a beautiful book called ‘L’Opéra du Monde’ (The Opera of the World) by the incredibly talented French photographer Christine Spengler. She primarily worked as a war photographer and has documented all the major conflicts since the 70s. In the first part of the book, one can discover her powerful black-and-white war photographs for which she’s won many prizes.

Christine Spengler – L’Opera Du Monde

But the second half is dedicated to the other side of her work which is her collage pictures where she frames a black and white photo with a mixture of flower petals, jewellery, fabric, seashells, and anything colourful that will contrast with the black and white element. The end result is so unique and beautiful! Christine Spengler is definitely a very inspirational woman for me.

Christine Spengler – ‘L’Opéra du Monde’

Are there any films watched you’d like to share with our audience?

There are so many because I love films! I recently watched an Iranian film called ‘Hit the Road’ released in 2021. It’s one of those films that makes you laugh and cry at the same time. The little boy in the film is so cute and such a good actor! Highly recommend it!

Places to visit/go on walks?

I live in beautiful Yorkshire, God’s Own Country they say! (it is the title of another very good film which I also highly recommend!) So I’m lucky to be surrounded by beautiful nature all year long! I love the Moors for their vast hills renowned for their dramatic scenery. Fog and mist can frequently roll in, creating an atmospheric and mystical ambience. The moorland near Hebden Bridge and Haworth served as the backdrop for Emily Brontë’s novel “Wuthering Heights” which inspired Kate Bush’s 1978 song.

How about places to eat?

I love Nelson’s in Hebden Bridge because not only do they serve divine vegan food but it is also a very good place for a drink especially if you’re into wine. They have DJs playing almost every weekend and I occasionally play there myself! It’s just a great spot in the valley!

Nelsons, No.1 Vegan restaurant and Bar in Hebden Bridge

Ways to spend a Sunday?

Approaching Stoodley Pike from Edge End Moor

Whether I’m recovering from a late Saturday DJ set or not, I always try to do my yoga routine. I started yoga at the beginning of covid and I’ve managed to stick to it since then! Then I usually go out for a walk either at Hardcastle Crags, Widdop Reservoir, Stoodley Pike or by the canal to Todmorden. There are so many lovely walks near where I live, we are spoiled for choice!

Hardcastle Crags

Benny Pitcher talks to us about his new Rebirth EP

Benny Pitcher July 2023

Benny: Good afternoon, and thanks for giving me such a great opportunity to tell Paper, your audience and the readers of Zone Magazine about me as an artist, my work, and the music production processes I employ in the recording studio.

Paper: Hi Benny, many thanks for chatting with us at Paper and dropping such an ace release with your Rebirth release. Lots of energy in both tracks which sound very
familiar in their style yet also really unique. Were there any specific influences you had in mind when making the tracks?

Benny: Yep, with you, I have already released three tracks, “Transatlantic Motion”; inside Wild Army Vol.6 and the EP “Rebirth”, including “Lips Like Roses”; and “So Good”. As you may have noticed, all these musical compositions are filled with soulful sound and vibe with an admixture of electronics. I love combining them together. These tracks were created in the spring, so the expectation of summer was one of the factors.

Paper: Is there a process you have when producing, or does it change from track to track?

Benny: At first, I often start going through jazz seventh chords (due to my musical presentation), which, in my opinion, give an intellectual sound, the general atmosphere of the track. When I cook a musical dish, speaking in the language of cooking, I often start with a chord sequence, going over it on the synthesizer according to the mood. And then I hang bass, drum lines, and additional nuances (trumpet, horn, brass, funk guitar). But there are cases when a vocal sample is taken as a starting point when writing a track. That’s exactly what happened in “Rebirth”.

Paper: Do you follow a specific workflow in the studio, and what is your set-up? Any specific go-to plug-ins or instruments?

Benny: My home studio is located in a country house with a view of the garden, and there, looking out the window, I work with sound images, all processing of which takes place in FL Studio. There are favourite VSTi, including Nexus, Sylenth, Omnisphere, Monopoly, Alchemy and others; VST: Valhalla, Hdelay, OTT, Izotope Ozone, all of Waves and more. And also I often practice playing the piano.

Paper: Away from the hectic world of dance music, what other artists or genres do you like to listen to?

Benny: I grew up listening to music of different genres and absorbed all these trends. Broken rhythms from Chemical Brothers, fabulous atmosphere and journey to another dimension together Underworld, magnificent harmonies and lyrics from George Michael, Jamiroquai and Simply Red, a clear groove from House music, as well as sampling from Daft Punk pioneers, all this allowed me to realize and mix all my feelings and emotions into my eclectic style. There are interesting solutions and techniques in every musical genre. I have quite a large collection of music in various genres, from where I have drawn and am drawing inspiration. I’ve been listening to Darius, Disclosure, Black Coffee, SG Lewis, Lovebirds and many others.

Paper: Lastly, do you have a favourite studio snack you will always tuck into when working on music?

Benny: (Laughs). Of course, milk and oatmeal cookies.

Check out the Rebirth EP by Benny Pitcher out now on Paper: HERE.

Interview by Chris Massey

Daco – Rhea EP

https://soundcloud.com/paperecordings/sets/daco-rhea-ep

Paper favourite, Captain Daco has been busy in his Spanish tax haven twiddling knobs and busting beats and what twiddles and beats they are!

The Uprise is another take on the arp of I Feel Love but it’s never been done so well. The familiar bass provides the backbone before it comes in at a gallop of swirling synths, rock solid kick and a call for nothing less than revolution. It’s been crushing Paper dancefloors and always achieves total mayhem.

The Galáctica Mix has all the same ingredients but takes a deeper disco route with drops and an arrangement that keeps the floor chomping at the bit.

Faith takes a different direction and it’s super deep house that is trippy and soulful in equal measures. Mikey Raphael provides the vocal and it’s hairs on the back of your neck time.

Sean Johnston (ALFOS) – “Most satisfactory!”

Fingerman – “Devastating”

Anthony Mansfield – “There yah go! Proper head twisting disco glory!”

Pablo Contraband – “Love this will play Galactica mix”

Severino Panzetta (Horse Meat Disco) – “Yes great very Moroder”

Tronik Youth – “Nice re-interpretation”

James Rod – “Cream”

Pammin – “Very cool EP! Thanks”

Pathaan – “Superb ! Love the Donner Summer vibes…”

Aldrin Zouk – “The Uprise should be handy for my Disco/House sets.

Nutritious – “This is some damn fine disco.”

Benoit C – “Cooooooool EP”

Jerry Bouthier – “The I Feel Love re-rub works in both versions thx supportin”

Robot 84 – “Lovin the disco vibes, cool tune!!!”

Untitled – The Wild Kiwi Army

The good people at Untitled have interviewed and got mixes from our Kiwi cousins.

The Wild Kiwi Army Vol. 7

If you thought the Kiwis were a friendly, genial bunch then think again, The Wild Army has gone down under to rob, steal, conquer and plunder.

Max Maxwell’s Always Right In goes in with some bouncing big room house made to be heard on a big rig. Squelching bass, spoken word, smooth production and a breakdown for peak time as the delayed synths wonk out.

Marcos Alonso’s remix ups the wobble and squelch but makes it a more heads-down affair. Proper nailed down, deep house music that delivers.

Nick Munday goes techno with acid bass, arpeggiated arps, MPC drums and a whole heap of machine soul. One for the heads, the dancers and the ravers.

Marcos’ Piece Of The Puzzle is subterranean house music that wobbles, burbles and slides along, driven by rhythm guitar. Synth melodies, SFX vocal snippets and smooth production go late night.

Paper artist Kennedy takes Piece of the Puzzle, keeping things low and slow but adding a bit of extra fizz. Warped vocals take things leftfield.

Anthony Mansfield – Tidy sleaze right there

Inland Knights – Great stuff

Harri (Sub Club) – Liking, will play and support

Aldrin Zouk – Tasty package of deep cuts. Thanks!

BUY / STREAM

Paper Talks to The Secret Soul Society’s Cal Gibson

Cal Gibson, The Can Do Man of The Secret Soul Society

Once a writer for Muzik, Jockey Slut, IDJ, and The Face and being part of Neon Heights, Cal Gibson is the one man Balearic wrecking machine whose workflow is the kind we all wish we had!
Under his guise as ‘The Secret Soul Society, ‘ he has released four incredible sun soaked sounding E.P.’s on Paper and on labels further afield where his chopped-up reworks take on a whole new life of their own, and we’re massive fans.

His latest release, ‘Oh People’ is out now on Paper, and we caught up with him for the lowdown…

1. Big thanks for being behind such an incredible release (once again!) with ‘Oh People’. You seem to be one of the most prolific music creators we’ve ever had on Paper. Can you give us a rough rundown of your workflow and process?

First off, it’s an absolute joy to be releasing on Paper: it has been such an integral part of my musical journey stretching way back to the days of ‘The Book’ and Dirty Jesus – it’s never put out anything but absolutely top class underground dance music. I think these days I’m quick workwise because I’ve been doing it for so long: if an idea isn’t working pretty much straight away then it gets binned – the days of beavering away for months on tracks are no more. For me now it’s all about fun and enjoyment and the love of music: it really only matters if you like what you are doing – if anyone else likes it then great, if not no worries – it’s about the process of making the art more than anything else. It’s a collage of soft synths and samples, basically, with occasional guest muso appearances from peeps if I can get hold of them, if not then my rudimentary noodles have to make do. Keep the mistakes in, keep the wonkiness in, mess around and have fun. Fun being the key word. Music as therapy. Creation is all. We’re not around for long – try and enjoy it.

2. There is some really clever use of samples throughout your work. Do you go deliberately digging for things to use or do you have a pile of records in waiting collected over time?

A bit of both: I’ve sold most of my vinyl, but there’s a fair chunk still kicking around, waiting to be repurposed. And then there’s the vast dystopia online where everything and nothing exists at once, and our minds are reshaping themselves as we speak. Squish it all together, and voila. I do recall Jonny Trunk saying how much he loves getting lost in a good loop: something you can spin in the headphones for hours and hours – I tend to be that way inclined. I then usually spoil the loop by plonking squiggly noises over it. Job done. The best ideas are always the simplest ones – one great hook, sample, vocal, guitar lick – and then try your best not to mess it up.

3. Tell us about your current studio set-up?

Streamlined to the point of not being there: on the table sits a laptop, MIDI keyboard, couple of guitars. Currently enjoying Arturia’s Minifreak softsynth and the Surge free download. Less choice often leads to more creativity.

4. It’s quite a unique yet familiar sound to your work. Are there any producers or styles you draw influence from?

I respect anyone expressing themselves artistically in any format. Art, literature, music, philosophy: these are the cornerstones of a life well-lived – when you couple them up with a ton of love, of course. Anyone creating and presenting that creation to the world, with all the knockbacks and ego-bashing that entails, then yes, I’m right with you, amigo. Hate hate and love love. Anything left of centre and quirky tends to find favour in our house: today, let’s go with Gilberto Gil, Yabby You, Husker Du, Mahlathini, Space Ghost, Airto, Guy Maxwell and Duval Timothy.

5. Lastly, what is your favoured studio snack of choice when having a long day at the controls?

Bucketloads of diet coke, sadly. Not good, but hey, you do what you can, right?

Thanks, Cal x

Great review below from Juno on ‘Oh People’ – check it out HERE.

“Once something of a UK deep house and downtempo mainstay thanks to his role in Notts outfit Neon Heights, Cal Gibson has quietly set about building up quite a catalogue with his latest project, The Secret Soul Society. ‘Oh People’, the latest TSSS outing, offers a neat summary of the collective’s various influences, inspirations and developing trademark sound. For proof, check the drowsy, loved-up sunrise shuffle of opener ‘Boo Boo4 Sure’, the Beatdown-goes-ultra-deep-house bliss of ‘Oh People’, the Rotary Connection-with-electronic-instruments dreaminess of ‘Stay’ and the unashamedly saucer-eyed Balearic pop warmth of ‘Sooner or Later“. JUNO Review Feb 23

Trash The Wax – A Decade of Nu Disco

As Frankie sang, ‘and now, the end is near’, which is certainly true for our long standing Trash The Wax compilation series.

Over the years, it has released some absolute dance floor smashers by established names in the art of bangers as well as emerging music makers showcasing their fresh sounds.

Initially, we wanted to establish Trash The Wax outside of the ‘kick-hat-snare stuck over a Sister Sledge sample’ style edits that were dropping weekly. The result was a collection of cuts aimed at the dance floor, which would also appeal to fans of electronic music. But all things come to an end, and with this 10th release, we are finishing on a high. As expected, there are disco ticklers aplenty from renowned party people such as Late Nite Tuff Guy, Ed Wizard, Bill Brewster, Pablo & Shoey, Danny Russell & Ronald Christoph and Yam Who.

Tracks such as Leon Sweet’s Sunny Bigler made their way into the record boxes of the likes of Luke Unabomber, Maurice Fulton and Chris Duckenfield as well as the airwaves of 6Music. Deckard’s rework of the theme from ‘The Warriors’ created scenes at ALFOS in Glasgow with Sean Johnston saying, ‘I’ve never seen as many shirtless middle age blokes go as mental as they did when that dropped!’

On a more twisted gutter style disco tip, there is Richard Seaborne’s ‘ Is This Acid?’ which topped the Paper best ever sellers on Beatport for months, Richard Norris’s ‘Glow’ is textbook space disco, the low slung sludge of James Rod & Aleito’s ‘Raum 909’ and the Speak & Spell narrated Acidisco by Andy Buchan. There are also two brand new cuts from TTW family members Boblebad & D.S.D., plus more killer music than we can shake a disco stick at. The phrase ‘all hitters and no shitters’ has never been more apt.

Paper Recordings · Various – Trash The Wax – A Decade Of Nu Disco

Out The Box: Jason Boardman

A DJ, promoter, artist manager and most recently label manager, Jason Boardman lives, breathes, sleeps & drinks the good tonic music! He has been a pillar of the Northern club scene for nearly three decades and is part of the Paper family, having released on the label as part of Truant and Tribadelics on our Paper and Repap imprints. His DJ resume reads like a Yellow Pages of brilliance with appearances at legendary sweat pits like The Electric Chair and Bugged Out. He was resident DJ at Manchester’s ‘acid out’ disco night Yellow alongside Dave Haslam and a backroom pilot at superclub Hard Times in the 90s and 00s. But it was his Aficionado parties alongside Moonboots where he cemented his reputation. Originally a Sunday night party for after the after-party, it became a byword in Balearic excellence, spinning off a record label of the same name. Today he is the selector of choice all over the North, bringing his deep record collection to life behind two turntables. His ‘Before I Die’ label is one of the most exciting & forward-thinking labels to appear, and the collab parties with SK1 Records are fast helping cement Stockport as ‘the new Berlin’.

Jason Boardman

PLACE

Annoyingly and unnecessarily retitled Underbank’s for marketing purposes, this is a ten-minute trip from home for me; I have history here, having initially worked here from 1980 for Joe Moss and Janet Aynge at cult clothing store Crazy Face, my first job as a teenager, and it’s nice to see how its redeveloped recently. SK1 Records is undoubtedly the best Record shop in the North West, and I should know, having visited most of them, Joe and Gareth have created a beautiful community hub and some legendary street parties! There are lots of cool independent businesses here, The Spinn Off next door to SK1 is a friendly bar, and then there’s Plant Shop, All Night Flight, Rare Mags, Wineboy, Old Town General Store and some top places to eat, Mekong Cat and up the steps the marvellous Columbian Cafe San Juan.

SK1 Records, Stockport

FOOD

Our consistent go to is Sugo in Ancoats, and I really cannot recommend it highly enough; pretty sure Germaine and I visit every month; it’s a Southern Italian Pasta Kitchen, and the specials are always on point, as is the House Sugo, a nice place to eat, drink a jug of vinho verde and watch the world go by if you get a window seat. I’m also obsessed, like most Mancunians, with Rice & Three, the staple workers’ lunch of the Northern Quarter. My top three are Café Yadgar, Café Marhaba and This ‘n’ That.

Sugo Pasta Kitchen in Ancoats

BOOKS

I’m currently reading ‘Totally Wired – The Rise & Fall of the Music Press‘ by Paul Gorman, who also assembled the amazing ‘The Wild World of Barney Bubbles: Graphic Design‘ and the ‘Art of Music‘. I’m not really a fiction person, so also in my current reading pile are Chris Blackwell’s, ‘The Islander’ and Trevor Horn’s, ‘Adventures in Modern Recording‘.

Paul Gorman

FILMS
We recently went to see Aftersun at Home, which really blew my mind; so much to unpack and being a father to two daughters, it resonated with me.

I also recently watched a fantastic Korean film, ‘Memories Of Murder’, a serial killer thing based on a true story; I highly recommend it. My favourite films are Escape From New York (What a cast), The Warriors (teenage heroes) and David Lean’s ‘Great Expectations’.

Aftersun – 2023

MUSIC
As many will know, I’m a complete music obsessive, always on the proverbial perennial hunt for the perfect beat. I’ve recently fallen back in love with reggae and all its subgenres, so I have been listening to many dub sides.

My Current 5
1. Lee Perry – King Scratch Box Set (Trojan)
2. Om Unit – Acid Dub Studies Volumes I & II (No Label)
3. Dubkasm – Enter The Dub (Mad Professor Mix) (Dubkasm)
4. Adrian Sherwood Presents – Dub No Frontiers (On U Sound)
5. Fire (Feat Adrian Sherwood) – Fire (Salgari Records)

Tonarunur & Private Agenda tell us about their fab collab ‘Suspended In Motion’

Chris Massey talks to Tonarunur about his brilliant collaboration ‘Suspended in Motion’ with Private Agenda and how the project came together with a tease about future projects I feel, bring it on, Gauti!

With such a distance between all 3 of you, can you let us know how this collaboration came about and a little about the working practice?

I had been following PA’s work for some time. One day I decided to contact them to see if they were willing to provide vocals for one of my tracks. Much to my amusement, they were willing to do so. Not only did they sing, but they also co-wrote the track. The melody and lyrics are entirely theirs.

Did you each bring something individual regards experience or specific studio skills, or was it very much a collaboration all along the way?

I made the instrumental version, and PA took it from there on…The initial version was slightly different, though, way more “fruity”. Fortunately, we did some cut-downs for the track, and as a result, the track has this “minimal, dreamy and floaty” vibe. Or I certainly hope that is the case!

What would you say your influences (if any!) had been when working on Suspended In Motion?

When I started working on the instrumental version I was going for some “Imagination’s Just An Illusion but heard from a distance” vibe…If that makes any sense. The track sounds like it could work well in some form of live set-up & performance, is that something that had/has been considered? That hasn’t been discussed, but who knows…

Is it the first of many collaborations between Tonarunur & Private Agenda?

The same goes for that one. We haven’t talked about it, but since it was a pleasure working with PA, I wouldn’t say no to another collaboration!

Lastly, favourite studio snacks to crunch on whilst working?

I try to avoid snacks whilst working because it tends to distract me from the music. But if I had to choose one it would be some sort of chocolate filled with liquorice.

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Marius Sommerfeldt – UnPlugged

Marius Sommerfeldt, Norwegian electronic producer, marketer and event promoter, was interviewed last week about what is floating his boat. Thanks, Marius, your EP rocks!

1. You’ve had a few different production aliases, with each one being pretty significantly diverse from the other. From the deeper acid squelch of the De Fantastiske To productions to the Garage-esque sounds of Trudee Nite, where would you say you get your influences from, and where does the Sommerfeldt project differ from previous?

Yeah, it’s been a few over the years. The inspiration comes from my record collection, DJ style, taste in music and my surroundings. The Sommerfeldt alias is 100% my playground as a solo producer, and it’s a bit more straight-up house and atmospheric than the other productions. I figured I needed a name to put out my productions and not hide behind just another weird alias.

2. The new E.P. (for us!) definitely carries what we call that ‘classic Paper sound’, yet it still retains something that is quintessentially Norwegian about it. Where do you see the Norway sound now, and would you say there are any specific characteristics that you personally work into your productions?

Thank you, guys! I’m a huge Paper fan, you know. The Norwegian sound is slowly taking its turn towards a new generation of producers and DJs; their non-existing boundaries of how to do stuff and what is «right» or «not» is refreshing! All the club genres are melting in house, techno, trance, UK-garage, breakbeat and even hardcore & jungle.. everything is allowed!

3. What is your work ethic in the studio? Do you just tend to go with the flow, or do you try to get certain elements done each day/session?

First of all, I always start with the groove, I like to fiddle with the drum machines for an hour or two just to make that perfect drum loop. Then I add the bassline, which I have a tendency to keep pretty groovy and minimal to play in the melodies and atmospheres on top. When it comes to finishing a track I usually swear a lot for the next few hours and probably grab a cold one in the fridge while philosophizing about the meaning of life. Making music has ups and downs, but I always manage to land on both my feet in the end.

4. On this release, you feature both Sigmund Floyd & Nora on some stunning vocal duties. How did those relationships come about, and what was the process of creating the lyrics/vocals? Did you have a specific vibe, or was it very much a ‘do what you want’ scenario?

The tracks were pretty much an instrumental demo when I sent them to Nora and Sigmund. Then a few projects were sent back and forth before we met in the studio for a couple of writing and vocal sessions, and we quickly found the vibe we were looking for, I love them both, they are so professional, creative and fun to work with!

5. Lastly, studio snacks are a necessity for me, and I always like to know what other like-minded music makers munch on when doing a session! Are there any specific Norwegian delicacies you stock up on before hiding away in the studio all day?

Have you tried Norwegian milk chocolate? One cup of coffee, a large plate of Freia milk-chocolate… say no more!

Photo: Thomas Ekström