Being invited to come and play live over here, Paul Arnold is educating the people of Hong Kong, especially those who just canât get enough of breaks and drumân bass, how he started, how he did it, and how he can still do it. Nick and Alyson from HKClubbing.com chilled out with the man right before he left town for a chat, finding out how he feels about the town, and London, and Australia, and more. Read more...
N: Nick
A: Alyson
P: Paul Arnold
A: Welcome to Hong Kong? Howâs it going?
P: Pretty well, thank you.
A: First time here?
P: Yeah, yup, first time being over (here).
A: How dâya find it so far?
P: HOT! Very hot! Not used to the temperature but ah⦠itâs been good, been good fun!
A: Have you seen anything special while youâre here in Hong Kong?
P: Um⦠the buildings! The buildings themselves are pretty special. Itâs all that high riseâ¦
A: Is the vibe pretty much the same of what you expected?
P: Yeah! Theyâre into it! So⦠you know, theyâre keen, and theyâre interested and they know what it is⦠and know the music Iâm playing and stuff⦠so yeah!
A: How about the city itself?
P: Um⦠itâs been busy, just packed! Everythingâs really small! It just squashes you everywhere!
A: (LOL)
P: Weâre going up to the Peak before we go, so weâll have a look down to the city, so thatâll be cool!
A: And I heard over the other side of the city by ferry, so youâve got the chance to really look around!
P: Yeah yeah! That was good.
A: Cool! Done some shopping as well?
P: Yeah⦠trainers and DVDs⦠(giggles) loads of DVDs!
A: I know that youâve been invited to Salem Innovation Session, what made you decide to come and perform at this event?
P: Ummm⦠coz I was asked! And Paul Wong is actually an old friend as well. I think he was one of those whoâs been getting some Dj for a while, but nothingâs been suitable for what heâs done, or likes⦠so itâs good opportunity for him to get everyone like me to come over. I did have a tour before, but it got cancelled, while I was in Australia. So itâs a good start. Iâve done a bit of press as well, so hopefully, weâll build a profile and come again. Next time Iâll go to Australia, probably as well.
A: Sure! Tell us how the party went!
P: Itâs very interesting, weâre also doing an illustrations and I was told about his drawings, which I found really interesting as well. So everything was really good. And then ehhh⦠played some records and it was good. Everyone got very drunk and danced around.
A: Thatâs nice! Now I know that youâre being a DJ, youâre also the founder of Chew The Fat! And Certificate 18 at the same time, you must have a busy life!
P: Itâs been pretty busy! Itâs full on, I mean, itâs just⦠I started Certificate 18 when I was quite young actually, so itâs been going for about 10 years. And Chew the Fat! Came along, itâs actually almost a side thing, itâs more fun. I was doing it really hard on the labels for Certificate 18, and then at the weekends I go and do my Chew The Fat! Gig, which is breakbeat. I wasnât releasing the same sort of stuff on Certificate 18 as I was playing at Chew the Fat! So I can just go out and⦠you know, that was a completely different side of it. And that just sort of built and built and built⦠Iâve actually wounded down on Certificate 18, and now Iâm just focusing on Chew The Fat! And Fat! Records, and Djing, and managing a few of the artists in the label.
A: Now I have to ask you this⦠Do you prefer the intimacy of spinning in front of the crowds, or being the boss, just sitting back there at the grand office?
P: Ummm⦠(LOL) Grand office!! With just packed full of boxes of records all around you! Youâre lucky they donât fall on you! (LOL) Ummm⦠I love Djing, I love totally⦠the feed of it! When you do play a record, they crowd start jumping around, or you can see them lift, lift the crowd⦠thatâs an amazing experience. I played last year in Australia on a tour, we did there, in front of 8,000 screaming Australian people, and I was just having shivers going down my spine⦠you know when you hear what the music⦠what excites the people, then you know what to release, so they work really well together. Djing and releasing a record.
A: Hmmm⦠So tell us which is the hottest song you heard so far?
P: (Thought for 10 seconds) Oh, I got one of my artists, Friendly, heâs on the label, heâs Australian, actually as well. Breakbeat is massive in Australia, but he moved over to London, and he started releasing stuff on my label. And he just done an album, thereâs a track from there which is called â2Black2Gayâ, which is a monster. Itâs a big big big tune!
A: Alright, so we gotta check it out here, yeah? I know you have collaborated with quite a lot of big names, like James Lavelle, Steve Lawler, Fabio⦠who works the chemistry best with you?
P: It depends on how you program the night. How the night goes. Whoâs playing before and after. And theyâre all⦠sort of fit it in to the night somewhere, so theyâre all in their own way, and do their way really.
A: How about producers?
P: Umm⦠I donât actually make music myself, I kind of just release it. So Iâve gone and seen a lot of guys to do a remix for me and work for me. So yeah⦠Iâve done a lot of different styles through Certificate 18 to Fat! Kinda tried. I mean Certificate 18 was very⦠whatâs the word⦠ummm⦠it was just new, drumân bass was just the newest form of music (thatâs) been around since Punk or something, so itâs really exciting. But I always try to do it from a different angle, by getting other guys to write⦠Our influences are like plattered, to encourage them to just do remixes of drumân bass, to take it the other way around. Instead of us (teaching) the sound of making drumân bass, give them a chance to do something different really. So weâre very sort of innovative⦠if that is the word⦠(Giggles)
A: Meat Katie was here by the beginning of the month, any particular artist from your Fat! Records, apart from Friendly, who you mentioned, that you would like us in Hong Kong to pay more attention to?
P: All the breaks guys are kind of pretty on at the moment, I mean, like Adam Freeland, Iâm sure heâs been over here. (Niknak: A lot!) Yeah, okâ¦
N: Lee Coombs is coming back again. Pretty much everyone from Fingerlickingâ¦
P: Is he? Right right⦠yeah thatâs huge, as well as the Plump DJs⦠itâs massive. Anyone small but worth checking out⦠there are so many of them in London, there are hundreds of hundreds of DJs and artists now, coming through, but⦠Meat Katieâs been really busy, heâs in a lot of stuff⦠heâs just about to release an album, which Iâm sure would be superb, his stuff are really good.
N: He just came to do the launch of the CD, thatâs what the party was forâ¦
P: Oh really? Excellent!
A: What do you look for in a new artist? What makes you determine that this is potential?
P: Just originality, just⦠I really like some of the raw sound, something like really⦠it doesnât have to be made in a really good studio, just something with a raw element come through, just original, and something different. Yeah⦠anything like that really. And then you can take them, and develop with them, and if they have that edge, that original edge, you kind of⦠as they go on⦠the first recordâs gonna be good, everything will get better. I hope.
A: Being on the road, traveling from countries to countries, would you be a little bit home sick?
P: Urghâ¦Nothing like home sick, I HATE airports though. I absolutely hate them, I just hate sitting around at the airport. And Iâm always really paranoid that Iâm always gonna miss the plane. So I get there really early. I try to if Iâm not late. But⦠I love traveling, itâs just the airport⦠drives me madâ¦
A: What do you miss the most when you get on the plane?
P: From London? I love going back to London, wherever I go, I love London. Itâs just a pace of live there, the music scene is amazing. Thereâs so much to do. So when I say Iâm going around to Australia to do a 7 week tour, when you go back, you just sink back into it. Itâs really really nice. Just the pace, and the vibe and all sort of stuff.
A: Before we let you move on to your next stop, tell us what your planâs like for the rest of the year!
P: Itâs Chew the Fat!âs 7th birthday in October, Iâm trying to work out a different venue, trying to do something different for it. I havenât sort of sorted that out yet. In a new venue, or just something a little bit different. With that, weâll release a double album, a mix album. Iâll do one side and Friendly will do the other. Thatâs about it really. That will keep me busy enough. (Giggles) There are loads of other releases going on, and Iâm hoping more DJs, there are so many more DJs, and getting a studio myself actually, thatâs what I wanted to do. I just never had time.
A: Thank you so much for joining us today. Hope you had fun in Hong Kong!
P: Sure we had! Brilliant!
Find out more about Paul and what he is up to at:
