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ESSENTIAL MIX WITH TALL PAUL Broadcast 09/05/99 : 02:00 - 04:00 |
In 1987 a
16-year-old wide boy by the name Paul Newman somehow managed to blag his way onto the
turntables at Turnmills. Three years later he finally secured a residency at Trade, a gay
hedonistic all nighter, renowned for its thumping music policy. Renamed ‘Tall
Paul’ because of his six foot six frame, he established his name as a jock that liked
it hard at a time when handbag house was the nation’s favourite Saturday night
soundtrack. His club sets were hard, fast and unrelenting, a music policy that wasn’t
popular but he wasn’t prepared to dilute his style for anybody. In 1994 he releases
‘Rok Da House’, a future anthem that was years ahead of its time. Reissued two
years later it became the massive hit it always deserved to be; the clubbers were suddenly
coming to his way of thinking. His Top 5 hit under the name Camisra vindicated his
decision to push hard music and his Muzik Award for DJ Of The Year last year was the
ultimate reward for sticking to his guns.
It has been a big year for Tall Paul. What has been the highlight?
Winning the Muzik magazine DJ of the year award.
Why was that so special?
Well first of all because it was voted for by the readers. It is what you set out to do really. It is what you aspire to and if the readers of Muzik recognise that then it is something very special.
It has been a good year for you musically with Camisra chart success and a couple of stunning mixes of Nalin and Kane and Bizarre Inc.
‘Camisra’ was a massive hit for me, it got to Number 5 in the national charts. Following that up has been really difficult though. What I am doing at the moment is releasing a new ‘Camisra’ single and a new ‘Tall Paul’ single which will be the first ‘Tall Paul’ single since Rok Da House’. That is called ‘Be There’ and will be on my own ‘Duty Free’ label, I’m a bit apprehensive about it but the initial reactions have been good.
You have ‘ Clap Your Hand’ by Camisra coming out soon. I read an interview late last year where you said that your next Camisra single wasn’t going to be as mad as the others; It is even madder so what happened there then?
Well I was working on it for six months, I did have different ideas in the pipeline but it just didn’t work out. I had that many demos in the end that I thought "forget it, I’ll just do something
You always talk fondly about the Gallery, your Friday night residency. What is so special about it?
It is just a special venue I suppose. It has never been one of those glitzy type of venues. It is quite a strange room that is a sub-basement. It is quite dark too. It has that kinda of aura about it where you can get really good night. The crowd is great. It is the only night where I get to play the kind of music I wouldn’t get to play anywhere else in the country. When I come here I know that I can experiment more with the music, play what I want and get away with it. You can create something really special with the crazy lighting system and the venue itself.
Is it true that your dad does the lighting in the club when you play?
Well he does sometimes, yeah. He used to do it all the time when I played at Trade three or four years ago. He doesn’t do it so much these days though.
Being ‘the people’s DJ’ you must have to put up with expectant fans every time you play. Does it ever get you down?
It does sometimes. I mean it is nice but sometimes you just don’t realise how big you are. I have a cousin in Ireland and some of his friends have signed pictures and autographed CDs of mine. For some people it is a really big thing. I just know that I have to keep my feet firmly on the ground.
And how do you do that?
Having the people around me that I have helps. They are people that have been around me for years. My girlfriend, my family and my friends have all been around for years and they have been through it all. A lot of them would rather take the piss out off me rather than hear me play, me being a star is all a laugh to them.
What is the best part of being Tall Paul?
Just being able to go out and play records, and give clubbers my version of what is out there, plus all the trips that go with it. Trips to Ibiza and around the world.
You’ve been around for years and slowly worked your way up to the top. Why do you think you are flavour of the month?
The music that I have always played has been on the harder tip and a lot of it wasn’t that popular a couple of years back. It was big on the gay scene and at the Trade where I played. Over the last few years though people have grown to like it more and it seems as though it was just my turn, it was time for people to start liking the music I have always been playing. It was never a girly sound, it was more of a guy’s sound but now you get equal amounts of boys and girls in the crowd. There used to be a time when the girls really used to like the vocally stuff but now they will go for the harder stuff. If you go to Gods Kitchen or Cream you will find that the girls like it hammered out just as much as the guys do.
The Gallery aside, what other UK clubs do you enjoy playing most?
Well it changes all the time. Gatecrasher has good nights; Gods Kitchen has good ones too. Sundissential is fantastic, especially on the bank holidays. The Zap in Brighton and Passion in Coalville are a couple of others worth mentioning. I have great memories of all of them.
When you released ‘Let Me Show You’ you got a bit of grief from Deep Dish for using their bassline from Sandy B’s ‘Make The World Go Round’. Did it get you down?
It didn’t get me down, no. You see I knew it was going to happen and I knew it was going to get messy. I was trying to be cool about it and so was Virgin, my record company, but the guy who owns Champion records is a bit notorious for being difficult, and he was being difficult and certain things were said. To be honest I can’t be arsed with it all. If Deep Dish want to hold grudges then that is up to them, but if they want to have it out I’m more than willing to have it out with them.
What do you have planned for the Essential Mix?
I’m actually doing it as we speak. It is going to be really good. There are going to be some little film snippets in-between some old stuff and some new stuff. It is going to be good one.
And finally, is Arsenal going to snatch the Premiership again?
I think so yes. I think they have closed down that goal difference and that gives them a big advantage
The Track Listings....
Intro - ‘The Long Good Friday’ (The Freezer Scene)
Chemical Brothers - ‘Heyboy Heygirl’ (Virgin)
Soulgrabber 4 - ‘So Ulero (Stickman)
Underworld - ‘Rez’ (JBO)
Mauro Picotto - ‘Pulsar’ (Knukleuz)
Sabres Of Paradise - ‘Smokebelch’ (Sabres of Paradise)
Chicane - ‘Saltwater’ (Extraviganza)
Katcha - ‘Touched By God’ (Hooj Choons)
Basement Jaxx - ‘Same Old Show’ (XL)
Circle Sounds - ‘Higher Statement’ (JBO)
Sun Club - ‘Wet Suit’ (Incredible)
‘Boogie Nights’ (Last Scene)
Art of Trance - ‘Madagascar’ (Platipus)
AMP - ‘The Future Is Ours’ (Pure Records)
Camisra - ‘Let Me Show You’ (Jonesy Remix) (VC Recordings)
The Who - ‘Pinball Wizard’ (Epic)
Mauro Picotto - ‘Lizard’ (VC Recordings)
Binary Finary - ‘1999’ (Positiva)
V-one - ‘Dead Cities’ (Green Martian Recordings)
DJ Jean - ‘The Launch’ (Digidance)
Youmanda - ‘Synth &Strings’ (Manifesto)
Tall Paul - ‘Be There’ (Duty Free Recordings)
Laurent Garnier - ‘Crispy Bacon’ (F.Com)
The Beatles - ‘Taxman’ (Apple)
Jam & Spoon - ‘Odyessey 2 Anyoona (Sony)
‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest’ (Sink Scene)
Blanks&Jones - ‘Cream’ (Paul Van Dyk Remix)
Baby Blue - ‘Too Loud’ (Duty Free)
Space Brothers - ‘Legacy’ (Manifesto)