June 27, 2025 • 40 mins
As one half of Grammy-award winning house music duo Dirty Vegas, Paul Harris defined a moment in global dance culture; creating music that didn’t just make people move, but made them feel. In our latest episode, Paul opens up about the role that travel plays in his creative process, keeping the beat of spaces and places that have influenced his sound over the years – from Ibiza and Brazil to New York and London. It’s a journey through music, place, and the feelings that linger long after the last track fades.
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Episode Transcript
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Owen Vince (00:01):
You're listening to the Pursuit of Feeling, a
podcast by Black Tomato.
In this new series, we want toexplore not only the world of
travel, but the world of emotionand what it ultimately means to
feel our way through the world.
In each episode, you'll alsoget a Rolodex of recommendations
from our guests on where to go,what to do and where to stay
(00:23):
all around the world.
Tom Marchant (00:26):
A few DJs have mapped emotion onto a dance
floor quite like Paul Harris.
As a founding member of theGrammy Award-winning Dirty Vegas
, paul helped define a moment inglobal dance culture, crafting
tracks that didn't just makepeople move but made them feel.
But behind the beats is alifelong pursuit of something
deeper, a storyteller throughsound.
Paul has produced andcollaborated with global icons
like Calvin Harris, madonna,kylie Minogue and Justin
(00:49):
Timberlake, always bringing atouch shaped as much by
experience as by instinct.
In this episode, paul opens upabout the role travel plays in
his creative process, how thepulse of New York, the beats of
Brazil and the heat of Ibizainfluence his sound.
He talks about the cities,restaurants and nightclubs that
have left an emotional mark andthe memories that resurface
every time he returns, fromhidden spots in Italy to late
(01:11):
nights in London.
It's a journey through music,place and the feelings that
linger long after the last trackfades.
Welcome to another episode ofthe Pursuit of Feeling podcast.
Today I am delighted to bejoined by the Grammy-winning DJ
producer and co-founder of thePursuit of Feeling podcast.
Today I am delighted to bejoined by the Grammy-winning DJ
producer and co-founder of theiconic Dirty Vegas electronic
music group.
Paul Harris is someone who hasshaped the dance music scene for
(01:34):
the last 20 years and hasbecome a pioneer of so many
great musical movements.
I'm honored to have him on thepodcast today.
In his industry he travels.
Of all the people I know, heprobably travels the most, and
it's always so fantastic tocatch up with him and hear
stories from the road and theinspiration he gets.
Pursuit of Feeling is all aboutexploring the connection
between travel and the emotionsit brings, and I think the
(01:55):
combination of travel and musicis a very powerful one.
So, paul, thank you very muchfor coming on to the podcast
today.
Thank you.
Before we sort of get into the,the meat of kind of this, this
relationship of travel andemotion, your thoughts just give
us a little kind of quickoverview of you and what's your
relationship with travel like.
Where did it sort of start andbecome something that means much
?
Paul Harris (02:15):
to you?
Yes, well, initially just fromdj.
And it's like when I firststarted in the early 90s, my
traveling got as far as up anddown em1 once.
Once the band sort of took offlike when it was the early
noughties and everything waslike the world, it had become
worldwide.
Everything was so you'd getbooked all over the place, so
I'd be in Brazil one weekend orItaly or Rome, and then the
(02:38):
world opened up.
And yeah, that's when the wholemusic, travel and things sort
of come together.
Tom Marchant (02:43):
So when you suddenly started getting to see
the world, was that quite arapid kind of from, like you say
, up and down the air one tosuddenly right we're hitting all
these global spots, and wasthat quite overwhelming?
Or was it kind of a gradualintroduction to these places?
Paul Harris (02:57):
yeah, I guess from the start like um from dj in the
uk circuit yeah and then fromdoing that, from making records
sort of met I'll give the storylike met Ben and Steve in the
band and then we sort of had therecord which was Days Go by,
which blew up in the very early2000s.
The record kind of like was anunderground hit in the UK and
(03:18):
then it become a part of anadvert in America which
obviously becomes like lots ofpeople know about that and then
the record sort of it's nowbecome like it's quite
fundamental in the birthplace ofEDM in America because it's
where lots of early DJs sort ofheard of Dirty Vegas or the
music of Dirty Vegas and that'sone of the first times they
heard house music because theydidn't really know what it was
(03:38):
all these kids who was on TV andfrom that the band sort of took
off and then we got offeredgigs in the states in america
quite a lot.
Tom Marchant (03:46):
The early 2000s was lots of traveling to america
and when, with something likedays, go by, when you, when you
made that, you obviously wouldhave known it's a great song,
but the how it was adopted andhow it exploded could you ever
foresee something like thatcoming that quickly?
I mean obviously backing yourtalent, but it was a big moment
right.
Paul Harris (04:04):
It was like lightning in a bottle.
It's like things like this.
You're just really lucky ithappened.
We made the record.
We thought it'd be a big recordfor the djs like sasha digweed
and people like that.
All our peers were playing thisrecord.
We're lucky because pete tonggot hold of the record in
champion and played it for Ithink like 10 to 12 weeks on the
spin.
The record did something.
We got signed to Parlophone andthen, like a big sort of deal
(04:27):
happened.
We signed the record andobviously we did a video and the
video is one of the reasons whythe record sort of blew up,
because we did the video and thevideo was just a super amazing
video by a company called BlueSauce, so that was out in the
ethos.
And someone from Deutsche, whichis like an ad agency in la one
(04:47):
night, was in amsterdam.
So the story has and he watchedtheir video on mtv or something
when mtv was still a thing.
He went back and he had to dothis advert for mitsubishi and
he went.
I've seen this video.
This guy breakdance into thismusic and I think this is the
perfect music for this advertand then obviously the advert
sort of come out and it becomelike a cult thing.
Like you had Jimmy Fallon,david LaChapelle and people like
(05:08):
doing parodies of thecommercial on tv, so in America
just this advert just blew upand blew up and blew up sort of
that year.
Obviously we were the Grammys,we were the MTV awards, we were
like everything and it's comefrom from a record which we
thought would sell 500 copiesout the back of a cart.
We had no expectations or knowanything about the record.
(05:29):
You can't make something likethat happen and it's.
Tom Marchant (05:31):
I think there's it's like a confluence of
reasons, but ultimately it'sstill like it's the old adage
that you know the good willoutright, so something that's
good and and you do get thosebreaks, but what a journey.
I think on the back of thatyou're going over to america.
Were there kind of early gigsthere?
Or maybe, like some of the uk,that left a massive imprint?
Were there certain things whereyou like that stick in your
head is like I'm in this place,this is, this is something
(05:54):
sensational, and you still goback to it, like the things that
take you back to that time forme it's like the very early
memories.
Paul Harris (06:01):
I think the first club I probably went to was
maybe 15 or 16, getting stucklike snuck in with my brother
and walking in seeing this andgoing my god, what, what am I in
?
What is this utopia?
It's like me never seen before.
And then at the time I well,when I started working, I was
working in the city when I waspretty young and then in the
(06:21):
city and trying to dj at thesame time and then obviously one
thing had to give in and thatwas that was the city life.
I know it's like I was prettyspoiled Cause I think I guess
kids now think this time, now isthe best time, and I've sort of
seen all of the journeys andgenerations of clubbing and the
nineties, the two thousands of2000,.
Everything has its thing.
I guess the early start of itwas the 90s and I still think
(06:48):
that holds memories and like themusic does think to me and
sometimes when you're going to acity you'll have memories of
stuff and then you go over NewYork Bridge and you'll just
remember something.
You'll hear a red blade and itgives you like music is
definitely um, it makes youremember things for sure on that
basis.
Tom Marchant (07:02):
So I say with like certain cities, are there
certain whether it's tracks orstyles of music that you connect
with certain cities?
I don't know whether particularscenes that you identify with
certain cities or they're just.
I have this thing where I go tocities and there's it might be
particular types of food or barsor places that are
distinctively that you know theexperience might have in tokyo
is very different than york do.
When you look at cities kind ofconnect to the music there A
(07:25):
hundred percent.
Paul Harris (07:26):
A hundred percent.
Lots of places has itsdifferent sounds.
I think the UK we're quiteeclectic.
We have drum and bass, we havetechno, we have everything here.
Out of all the countries in theworld, we probably have the
biggest cross-section in music.
But then you'll go to Miami,which I was the other week, and
it's on the beach, it's verywhat the Americans call EDM.
(07:46):
It's very guys spending loadsof money and throwing money at
stuff and champagne andsparklers and the music is quite
high energy.
And then you'll go downtown andit's Tecmo and all the cool
kids and, like most cities inthe world have the same thing,
(08:08):
like New York will have the samething.
It'll be like the city would bequite high end and quite stuff
like that, as you know, and thenwould be cool.
But then, yeah, the music wouldbe in australia.
At one point it was quiteelectro and germany's always
been quite techno-y and quiteunderground.
Italy has the same sort ofthing as america.
Tom Marchant (08:19):
There's the super cool kids and like the
underground kids that happens inlike most obviously most cities
in the world has that would yousee when you're in those, those
cities, say, when you've gotthis, the underground, the
emerging, the cooler kids scene,would you see people like, say,
from the the high end, likesort of trying to get into that
scene because they would thinkthat in some way association
(08:40):
with or that's it's often likefor all the money someone might
have, you want to be where thepeople are so effortlessly cool
and would you see, maybe acrossdance floors or stuff or in
certain places, people trying tomove into that and it working
or or it not working well, ornow the underground is the
overground, so I guess it haskind of happened.
Paul Harris (08:57):
It's like everybody wants to see bedouin and years
ago everyone wanted to seecalvin, and it's like there is
sort of definitely a space foreveryone and everything I know.
It's interesting at the momentbecause it's probably never been
so big.
The industry is beyond big andI've just literally I went to
miami music week and every clubis packed and it's like it seems
(09:18):
to be quite american heavy, tobe honest.
But um, it used to be very morelike all europeans would go,
but now you have things like adeand obviously I just there's
been ims in ibiza, but the miamimusic week was very more
american heavy and where do yousee?
Tom Marchant (09:34):
when you're kind of producing or composing, do
you take inspiration from yourtravels or do you like
particular places that mightshape or in terms of, in terms
of your, your, when you yourstructuring and composition or
your producing, does the role oftravel or things you've seen on
your journeys or inspirationalinsights you get from something
new, does that ever play a rolein it?
I guess in my mind.
Paul Harris (09:54):
I know what will work in different countries.
You know what a German recordwill sound like compared to an
American record or Italianrecord.
You just know what sounds tohave in it.
So that would happen.
And also I'm lucky enough totravel a lot with making music.
I've just been in Ibiza with aband I work with, Arco.
We just rented a house for aweek making some new music for
(10:15):
them and obviously you'resurrounded in Ibiza and you make
different music because you'rethere and a couple of weeks ago
I was in LA making records andbecause you're in America and LA
you're trying to chase biggerrecords, which is a bit bizarre
because everyone wantseverything to be massive and
you're making more poppier sortof sounding records and we're
(10:37):
trying to.
They like us because we're theEnglish and we come and we're
still quite cool, like theAmericans.
See, dance records are stillbeing quite pop and we
definitely make it a little bitcooler to them.
But go, no, just it doesn'thave to have so much stuff going
on that's really interesting.
Tom Marchant (10:53):
So, like there's, there's these.
So there's one thing where youare, when you're in place as
well, one thing where you're,you're maybe producing records,
when you're thinking aboutparticular territory that might
stuff they might like, but thenalso you're saying that you
recognize that the influence ofthe environment you're in, like
you see that, and actuallythere's a noticeable difference
between, like, when you're, say,writing or producing in Ibiza,
(11:15):
there's, it feels different tobeing in LA, which obviously,
yeah, geographically that'sfunny.
Paul Harris (11:18):
But actually to say that there, well, to recognize,
there is a well, there's arecognizable thing happening
there for sure, like um, no, Iwas in Ibiza, in like there's
lots of writing camps happeningaround the world, but the one in
Ibiza there was people fromAmerica there, people from
Canada, like all over the world.
But they're making differentrecords to what they would make
at home because of theenvironment, because of the
(11:38):
people they're with, and it'slike I guess, if they're at home
, you're just surrounded bywhat's around you, aren't you?
The music on the radio, whatyou hear and what you feel, and
it's like everyone's sort ofmaking similar sounding records.
But as soon as you get yourselfout of that and go somewhere
else, you hear different sounds.
Tom Marchant (11:57):
And that's one of the things I talk about.
We talk about one of the joysof what traveling.
Traveling means, right, youknow, because it's by traveling
you open yourself up todifferent stimulation, different
cultures and just just by thepurismosis of it, sometimes you
don't even, it's even almostlike a subconscious thing.
But if you're, if you'reconstantly within one space or
one bubble, it's inevitable thatyou're gonna, it's gonna be
(12:18):
hard to get much other kind ofinspiration or challenging
thought outside of it.
The power that travel has, orthe power that it has to make
you say, right, I'm, I'm goingto be curious, I'm going to go
somewhere, open my mind and letstuff wash over me and see how
that inspires me, I think justreinforces why so many people
get inspired by travel andrecognize what it does yeah,
because you're like when worldmusic become like a huge thing,
(12:41):
it's like people would travelsomewhere and you'd hear a
pattern flute in Chile and nextthing you know someone will put
their own dance record or you'dhear something being played in
like an unusual.
Paul Harris (12:55):
Obviously the king of it was someone like Damon
Uban Gorillas, who travels theworld with his DAP machine or
his little iPad and just records, Cause I got a studio at his
space and they were like inIndia just recording random
things around the world, just torecord stuff and just to come
back with it.
It's obviously everywhere hasits own unique sounds, which
(13:16):
that is part of their culture.
It's not just part of the music, it's part of the history and
the culture of these places.
Tom Marchant (13:22):
Yeah, we often talk about.
You travel often as amanifestation of your other
passions.
You might not necessarilyrealize it, but say, if you're,
like I don't know, reading abook that's set it's not a guide
, but it's set in a particularplace so there's this literature
coming in, or you're listeningto stuff that has notes from a
different country or anexoticism for content it just
starts planting things in yourhead which is I'm sort of
(13:42):
there's parts of the world thatare being introduced to me
through my other kind of passionpoints and slowly that starts
seeping into kind of your needto go and explore it further.
Music is such a powerfulmotivator.
I mean I'm speaking to theexpert on it, but I I remember
like when I was younger I'd readabout certain bands recording
albums in certain places.
You know and you want to go andbe there, yeah, yeah, and you
(14:04):
just be like you know because it, you know it might be like a
massively like rugged, windsweptplace and it feels all ethereal
and like that's interesting.
Then there might be someonewho's citing like the influence
of the frenetic energy of a citythat's informing them, and and
then you see it kind of comingto the music and you think, well
, this is inspiring, like if youread how, like kerouac whites
about music and on the road, theway he captures sounds of
(14:26):
cities, it just pulls you in andit's almost like music acts as
this vehicle to pull you intoplaces I was obsessed by house
music so I knew I had to go tonew york.
Paul Harris (14:35):
Same thing.
It's like I wanted to go tothese shops or see these things,
or be to go to these clubs andhear this music at this place.
And it's the same.
Obviously, you and every singleone of our friends, everyone
does the pilgrimage to Ibizabecause you have to go there and
if you hear the right piece ofmusic in the right place, at the
right time and the right thing,it's just like there's nothing
(14:56):
like it when every star'scollided.
Tom Marchant (14:58):
And so with that, say, like that New York thing,
when you knew you had to go toNew york into house, like what
was that first visit, that firstexperience of seeing house in
your life for you, if you takeyourself back to that, what
feelings that evoking you?
Was it like I've come home?
Was it like, yeah, this isdifferent.
Tell me about that.
Paul Harris (15:16):
I just thought it was the most insane place I've
ever been to in my life.
At the time I don't, I can'tremember what year, like 94
maybe obviously heard abouteverything and read about
everything and then coming overthe bridge, coming into the city
and seeing the skyline, youknow, oh, my god, I'm here and
yeah it's like.
(15:36):
And then I went because it'sobviously music was my thing by
then and it's like huntingaround all the record shops I've
heard about and just goingwalking down the streets and
seeing everything.
It was amazing.
It's like.
So stuff you've read about andseen on tv and then you go and
experience it and it not onlymet, but exceeded expectations
right yeah, I still.
I haven't actually been for aminute, I think the last time I
(15:58):
was in new york I saw you.
So, um, I need to go back forsure.
My, my memory and my feelingsare still.
Tom Marchant (16:08):
It's probably like the best city in the world to
visit yeah, yeah, I, I, you know, as you know, I was lucky to
live there for a period andstill travel there a lot with
our you know, with our officersover there, but it just has a.
You know, some people have saidNew York's changed since COVID
and stuff, but I think it's beenreborn in different ways and it
just has an energy that I thinkis incomparable to anywhere
(16:29):
else.
If you haven't spent time inthere, it's for me, it's like
it'd be a huge gap in that kindof travel tapestry you need to
fill in.
It is.
I don't think you can ever failto be inspired or challenged
about how you think about thingsafter spending time in New York
On the Dirty Vegas journey.
(16:49):
Are there any kind of maybeit's Ibiza, or maybe it was LA
like any kind of destinationsthat had real significance for
you?
Paul Harris (16:57):
You know, like you know, when you look at your
incredibly successful andinfluential journey like you
know, when you look look at your, you know incredibly successful
and influential journey.
I think it might have been likea hiatus of the band, so I sort
of went off and I just went offand dj'd around the world again
because I really needed to doit, and I found myself in south
america quite a bit.
I was in brazil quite a lotover the space of a couple of
(17:18):
years and it's a place I'd neverdreamt I'd or thought I'd ever
get to.
And then I'm there once a monthfor a year or something
ridiculous like that, um, and Ifell in love with the place and
the people and the culture andeverything, and that was
something that, yeah, it wasamazing for like a couple of
years were there particularparts, or was it just the blend,
(17:40):
the mix of people, because youknow you talk about people parts
?
Tom Marchant (17:42):
or was it just the blend, the mix of people,
Because you know you talk aboutpeople making places?
Or is it just everything rolledinto one that just felt so
different?
Paul Harris (17:46):
Yeah, it's like because obviously it has so many
sort of things, you go up northand then you can, it's been
snowing and then it can be at abeach.
It's like, yeah, I just had agreat feeling about it.
And again, it's because there'sa mix of portuguese, german,
(18:08):
italian.
It's like a it's.
It's very sort of it feelsquite european, even though it's
american it's truly a blend,isn't it?
Tom Marchant (18:15):
and you wouldn't say that with that brazil
example, did you pick brazilbecause your interest or
opportunities, and whethercertain things you were seeking
out through, you know, usingmusic as your vehicle to see the
world, whether things likeright, I need to go and spend
time in this country becauseI've heard things are great, or
were you just open to what mightcome at you?
Paul Harris (18:34):
no, I had like a radio record so I had something
which was going on from radioand then phone calls, like an
agent called me one day, wentI'd like to represent you in
brazil.
Well, I've never been, I'd loveto come and then literally got
off the plane, met him and metlots of people and it just you
want to come back again andagain.
And then I become I got likelots of groups of friends there
(18:54):
and they like they love music,they love going out, they love
having fun but to your earlierpoint.
Tom Marchant (19:00):
Would you, when you're producing a writing over
there, would you be tailoring itbecause that that audience's
taste or desire slightly?
I don't know.
Is it different to what youknow?
The audience we wanting in, say, north America?
Paul Harris (19:11):
or parts of Europe.
I didn't aim to make thatrecord big in Brazil, that's for
sure.
I did it with a friend fromAustralia and next thing you
know it's on radio in Brazil.
That was just like it happened.
There's no rhyme or reason whythat happened, but then it did.
Then I went to Brazil and thenI'm sort of playing a certain
(19:31):
sound, but then after I finished, I'm going to different clubs
and then start to get immersedin their sounds and their music
and their way of being and thenthat sort of turned me on to
different things.
It's just constant stimulation,certain things that are feeding
into your creative process,obviously, we're so lucky to
travel and, like my job, is myhobby, so it's insane.
(19:51):
But then at that sort of time Iwould always see what else is
on or see who else is playing intown and always go somewhere or
look to see.
You know how much I love food.
I love food.
I go where's the bestrestaurant or the best local
restaurant in this area.
So every time I'd get off aplane I would make sure.
If I'm in sappala, I'd gowherever.
Or if I'm in florinopolis, Iwould look up and go to these
(20:14):
best or they just the coolestplaces being the same, with
beaches or restaurants or barsor clubs I'd try and search out.
Obviously people like you aregreat at doing stuff like that.
It clubs, I'd try and searchout.
Obviously people like you aregreat at doing stuff like that.
It's like I try to search outwhere would be I guess not the
most expensive or just what thelocals think is like the best.
Tom Marchant (20:33):
I'd like to experience what they so that's
what I was going to ask.
So, like, I wanted to talk toyou about food because I know
you know how passionate you areabout it, but, on that thing,
what, what you're seeking out,so that feeling you're finding
for food, is that about, whichis what I identify with, as you
know, like having something thatfeels genuinely connected to
locals, that you are seeing itkind of experience it as they
would.
So it's not feeling like you'rebeing plonked into kind of a
(20:55):
restaurant, bar that's beendreamt up for tourists, but
you're looking for somethingthat has the genuine kind of
soul of the local place.
Paul Harris (21:00):
I guess I kind of try and do all the versions.
I will try and find thebackstreet food stall and have
like street food and it's likeincredible.
And then I'll try and find thelocal restaurant where everyone
goes to and then I'll try and dothe high end one.
So I'll try and do all thedifferent genres and it's
because most of the reason thatI just obsessed by good food and
(21:24):
it's sometimes the street foodis the best food.
There's no reason behind what'sthe best or what's the worst,
and it's obviously down to tasteas well.
Tom Marchant (21:36):
You DJ and play a lot out in Asia.
Do you have a love affair withthat part of the world as well?
I used to spend, I guess, thisis world as well.
Paul Harris (21:42):
I used to spend I guess this is a strange one I
used to spend a lot of time inSingapore and it's probably not
the place lots of people wouldgo.
Oh Singapore.
I've had some amazing times.
I've got some great friends inSingapore.
I just got really used toliking it Like super clean,
super nice.
Tom Marchant (22:03):
Obviously nice.
Obviously it's super safe.
But again, I've seen food insingapore as well, isn't?
Paul Harris (22:05):
it like you can find amazing food in singapore.
Incredible like um again.
I've probably been going therefor 20 years on and off, so I've
seen it change from not beingvery westernized to now being
everything sort of there.
Yeah, I'd like, and the rest ofit obviously.
I've spent like all your phuketand thailand's, which I like I
don't know if I've ever lovedfor some reason.
I don't don't know why.
Tom Marchant (22:23):
It's like everyone sort of sold me the story as
paradise and I've probably goneto the new ireland I do like
that part of the world, but Iknow what you mean by the miss
sell, because sometimes it's, um, the stuff that gets talked up
as like this is the paradisespot.
You see someone's photo and yourealize about the photoshopped,
about a thousand people out ofit, or you know they just
cropped it out the edges.
Paul Harris (22:44):
I wouldn't think it's that, but I guess saying
that I don't know if I've everfound paradise, I don't know
what I'm looking for.
Tom Marchant (22:51):
Do you have that?
On that question, that'sinteresting.
Like when you travel, say notfor work, or if you're traveling
before you plan a trip, you sitand say this is what I'm
looking for, or like you know,because we big thing for us is
we get a lot of people who don'tnecessarily know where they
want to go, but then they knowhow they want to feel, right,
and that that can change fromlike I want to go and have an
(23:13):
adventure and challenge myselfto.
I want to disconnect and feellike like I'm totally just with
myself and in silence.
Does that?
You know?
I know you've got you've got akid, so you have family travel,
but your personal traveling, atwork travel, are there any
things?
That kind of drive you say,when you're not doing music
although that's because it'sbecause it's because it's like a
passion as well it's, it'squite a motivating thing.
I doubt you know.
(23:33):
You see it, although it can betiring when you're not traveling
for work.
I'm doing air quotes what arethe things that motivate you to
travel?
What matters to you?
Paul Harris (23:42):
well, I love to think I could go lay on the
beach for a week, but I can't.
Maybe four hours and then I'mI'm done.
If I travel, I normally travelas horrible as it is, or
whatever I.
I go to cities just because Ineed, I guess, the stimulation.
I just need my senses, I needthe art galleries, I need the
(24:04):
people, I need the food, I needthe music, I need to drink.
I just need, I need to beengulfed in it all and not
laying on a beach reading thebook and swimming with the yeah,
orphans.
Tom Marchant (24:15):
I just I can't, I can't do it and also because I
think, yeah, you're such acurious person.
I think part of all that youdescribed there is almost like
it's stuff that satisfies thecuriosity.
I think I'm very similar.
I could appreciate the idea oflying on a beach for a bit and
doing it, but the idea for somepeople to say it's relaxing to
lie on a beach for three days,for me my mind's still going and
(24:36):
all I'm doing is thinking about.
I'm not actually relaxing from,say, the day-to-day at home,
because I'm just thinking aboutit, because my mind is not being
stimulated.
I mean, as much as I enjoy abook but, like you say, you go
into a city and you'reoverwhelmed by the sights and
noises and the culture and thedifference of it.
That in a way, becomes actuallyrelaxing because your mind's
(24:58):
fully distracted or fullyengaged into that.
Paul Harris (25:00):
Yeah, of course it is.
Then I guess you don't have tothink because everything's
coming at you.
Your eyes are just overwhelmedby everything you know, your
senses, your smell, likeeverything is bombarded.
So you're like you're probablyrelaxing because you don't have
to think about anything I lovethat you don't have to think
because everything's coming out.
Tom Marchant (25:15):
Yeah, I think that's just a great description.
Are there any like you talkedabout new york?
Talk to the place.
Are there any other city?
When you talk about a city thatyou'd go to to give you that,
that kind of blended fix thatyou've talked about there, which
which other cities spring tomind?
If?
Paul Harris (25:29):
it's a country.
I love italy as a country andall parts of it.
If we're going to have afavorite country, I'd go for
italy, just because I thinkthey're the luckiest people.
They have everything they have.
They have skiing, they havebeach wineries, they have the
food.
They have everything.
Tom Marchant (25:45):
I mean you wonder why they never really travel
yeah, I mean you have to say if,as as places that are hard to
leave, I'd imagine that's rightup there.
You know you talked about art.
You've all you know.
I know you're big into art andcollect art when you're on the
road with world travel do youever collect things, bring it
(26:05):
home to remind you of thetravels.
Is that something that'simportant to you?
Paul Harris (26:08):
I don't ever really collect things to travel Like
one year I collected air tags.
Tom Marchant (26:13):
Did you create a piece of art from that?
Paul Harris (26:15):
Yeah, exactly.
Yeah, I remember that For somereason I was flying a lot.
I For some reason I was flyinga lot, I could see my diets for
no sort of reason.
And I had a studio at my oldhouse and I come off a plane one
night and then just stuck thetag on the wall.
And then I got on another planeand stuck the tag on the wall
and it was like probably a fewweeks and for some reason I must
(26:35):
have been like so stupid.
I was probably in America justflying around everywhere and did
like 10 flights, so I had thesetags on my wall.
I was like, okay, I'm going todo a year's worth.
Amazing, I collected like ayear's worth of airline tags and
it's now a piece of art in myliving room.
Yeah, it's quite scary to lookat and just think about how many
plane rides I went on.
Tom Marchant (26:55):
In those days, maybe even now.
I mean, I know you've just comeback from a couple of weeks in
Ibiza and I know you also knowplaces well now.
So you know I know how well youknow LA.
I mean, when I used to go to LAbefore I moved there I'd be
messaging you going.
You know, give me your recordsfor it.
So you know places now.
But when you were first touringand or being called up all
around the world to go, did youget much chance to kind of be?
Would it be in play?
(27:17):
Could you ever build in or askfor time to kind of stay?
I mean, I know the actualexperience of playing is going
to be a phenomenal way ofconnecting with that place, much
more so than you know.
Your cliche travellingbusinesswoman or businessman who
goes in, goes to the boardroom,gets the flight and leaves.
But did you get other chances tokind of sink into the place a
bit more, or was it often quitein and out.
Paul Harris (27:36):
Sometimes, if you was touring for quite a bit,
you'd have down days, like you'dbe in a city Friday, saturday,
sunday maybe, and then not haveto work till Thursday or
Wednesday or Thursday.
So you have a few days to gosomewhere but you're trying to
end up in a city that you wantedto be in.
You try and plan your schedulearound being end up in New York
for three days or end up in,like Chicago for a few days, and
(27:58):
you try and plan your schedulearound it very early on in the
early days of touring.
After doing a gig, I'd probablyjust be in bed and then wait
till the pickup and I waited somuch time of seeing places.
It's like travesty now thinkingback and like steve from the
band would be up nine or ten inthe morning and running around
the cities and seeing everythingand go, get the fuck out of bed
(28:19):
and come, just come see it withme, which I didn't to start
with.
And then I started to and likewhy didn't I do this?
Like we're in these great likekansas city, missouris and like
all these places that you'dnever really see again, and some
of them I spent in bed and justdidn't bother doing it and then
, once the penny dropped, oflike why didn't I just walk
around the cities and just soakit all in?
(28:40):
Yeah, I've probably lost.
There's probably a couple ofplaces in the world which I've
been to, but I've never been to.
Tom Marchant (28:46):
Yeah, so you can tick them off in a game of
places I've been to.
Paul Harris (28:49):
Exactly.
It's like have you been to thiscompany?
Yeah, I've been to all of them.
Owen Vince (28:52):
Technically.
Tom Marchant (28:57):
I've seen a car, I've seen a club and I've seen
an airport.
Does it ever get tiring?
I mean, ever since I've knownyou, I've known your love for
travel and, like I say, you'resuch a curious person so it
seems like you're tailor-madefor it.
But the demands you know.
Someone being in such demand asyou are, did it ever come a
time where you're like look, Ineed to take a break from
traveling this much or changethe approach to it?
Paul Harris (29:18):
I think the most.
I know it's bizarre, but Ithink the most tiring bit is
doing nothing.
When you're waiting at a hotelroom, or you're waiting for your
hotel to be done, or you'rewaiting at the airport or you're
waiting for your flight, orthat seems to be the most tiring
place is like when you're doingnothing.
(29:39):
If you keep going, it's fine,but my schedule, even at a
higher our schedule, was hecticenough.
If you look at people nowadays,they're doing a show nearly
every day in the summer.
I can't imagine obviously now,and it's like when we were big,
not even like we were makinggood money, but it's the
equivalent of us making probablylike 80s footballers money, and
(30:01):
now they're making like Ronaldomoney.
So there's definitely zerosbeing added to fees nowadays and
they're able to fly privatejets.
But to be honest, it seems likeit's an extravagance and a
thing.
But to some of them it's anecessity because otherwise they
wouldn't be able to do itphysically, physically yeah,
(30:23):
it's just physically impossibleand it would just drain them.
To some of them it's anecessity because otherwise they
wouldn't be able to do itphysically, physically yeah,
it's just physically impossibleand it would just drain them.
Tom Marchant (30:31):
They just wouldn't be able to do it, because just
the time it schedules and theamount of time it takes to do
these things, it would beimpossible.
Yeah, it is relentless.
I mean, I think a lot of theworld looks in on your industry
particularly and sees theglamour and the adulation and
stuff and whilst that's great,but behind the scenes and the
slog going by, it seems thatit's yeah, you can see why a lot
of people get burnt up orchewed up and spat out.
Paul Harris (30:51):
Yeah, especially now, because obviously it's all
social media and at our time itdidn't exist.
Yeah, it's all different now.
It's like, yeah, as you'resaying, if you're going to a
different city every day andsometimes different time zones,
and people will fly from asia tola to europe like in three days
, like on your body, it'spunishing and like people are
(31:13):
just seeing, obviously they willsnap pictures of them in their
private jet.
I'm saying that, but they'renot seeing them laying on the
floor going.
Oh, my god, I don't know if Icould do this.
Yeah, you see the tip of theiceberg, not the bottom of it
yeah, that makes a lot of sense.
Tom Marchant (31:34):
It's a big question.
But why do you think this, thisconnection between music and
travel, it's just so powerful.
I mean, I think we touched uponit earlier about the influence
of different culture thing, but,like there's so many times you
can talk about certain songs,that soundtracks, trips you to
and people traveling for,whether it's festivals or for
epic gigs in certain places, itall seems to be like this really
kind of sort of hand in gloverelationship between the two.
(31:56):
Do you see that connection?
I mean, it's been your world.
Why do you think it's such apowerful link?
I guess it's.
Paul Harris (32:02):
If it's like, if you're traveling to certain
scenes, let's say that you'llget, everybody in the world
wants to go to Glastonbury tosee Glastonbury and see the
thing, and so they willobviously travel to England and
then go to there.
Like they will obviously travelto england and then go to there
, like if you're involved oryou're, if you're, you'll follow
a band around, won't you?
And then the bands will go todifferent cities and you'll, you
(32:23):
can travel with them and seethe cities and see the places
and see the cultures.
It's a nice thing to do,because otherwise people would
never do that.
A band went on tour and youfollowed a band, your favorite
band, round and they playedbudapest one night.
It's like that person wouldmaybe never have gone to
budapest yeah, unless that bandplayed.
it's making people go experiencethe place because a band's
(32:46):
playing and then the next nightthey may go somewhere else and
they jump in a car and travel tothrough to another city and see
something else and on the wayyou're, you'll see things which
you've never seen before.
You're only going because yourfavourite band has gone from
there to there, so you're likefollowing them.
Tom Marchant (33:03):
It's brilliant, though.
It's like you're followingsomething you're incredibly
passionate about, but in doingso you're also getting this
additional experience and Ithink, like you see, you have
that.
And then you say also well,music is almost like a window
into the soul of the place aswell.
So you're seeing that band andthen you're being exposed to it.
It's just for me it's alwaysbeen as well like to see a
beating heart of a place orunderstand what makes a place
(33:23):
it's live music or the musicthere.
I remember when I was younggoing and watching British bands
that were big here trying tobreak America, and it was really
interesting because it might be.
I remember a band called LasVegas from years ago and you
know they were covering the NME.
They were all kind of faded butthey didn't know, knew them in
America, and I remember I knewthey were going on a tour, so I
(33:45):
bought tickets, plane ticketsand tickets to be my brother.
We went over, we watched them.
You know, at that time theywere playing to like thousands
and thousands of people in theUK and and in that show it was a
couple hundred people they wereplaying like they were playing
for their lives on stage becausethey really wanted to make a
statement.
It was an amazing thing becauseyou're in New York, which is
like you.
It's one of the very places inthe world watching this band
(34:05):
trying to break America.
It's just a really.
There's so many powerfulfeelings that that evokes.
Paul Harris (34:10):
It's a very, very sort of heady and compelling
industry to be in which you werein, mr harris, and I guess they
were big pre-internet blow upand I guess all that now, if it
happened, the place would havebeen packed, people would have
known of them.
But then it's, you had to sortof find things, to hear about
things.
It's like um it's a lot easiernow to know about music from
(34:33):
different countries or differentplaces and see.
Obviously everyone films stufflike live, like boiler rooms, do
them inside.
But then there's like anamazing production company out
of france called circ who dothese amazing shows like the
pyramids and stuff like that,with djs, and you just see the
music being played.
(34:53):
So this, these backdrops, butthen years ago you you'd had to
what and it's.
Tom Marchant (34:59):
That's an interesting one, isn't it?
Because back in the day, orwhen, you didn't have, like the,
the proliferation of socialmedia and stuff, discovering
things I'm not sure if it madeit more special, but it was, I
don't know, maybe you had towork harder to find things.
But then, conversely, thesedays, although there's so much
more accessible, it's theparadox of choice.
It's almost almost moreoverwhelming.
I don't know, I'm not surewhich is better.
(35:19):
I'm not saying either is worse.
I mean probably spoiled forchoice these days, but sometimes
that can be overwhelming aswell.
So you need to be able to relyon people like yourself to
create the things that are great, but it's, um, sometimes feels
quite overwhelming yeah, I guess, the too much choice.
Paul Harris (35:33):
it's hard for people to latch on to just one
thing you can have that, you canhave this, you can have.
It's hard for people to latchon to just one thing you can
have that, you can have this,you can have that.
It's like for someone to sortof be there and be, say, like a
Carl Cox or something like that,who's been at the forefront of
his game forever.
For someone to do that whenthere's so much choice is like
(35:56):
nigh on impossible.
Tom Marchant (35:58):
Does that changed?
I mean, you used to get bandsthat were like two, three, four
album bands, right, and it'sbecome increasingly hard for a
band to maintain that momentumor that level of devotion
because so much other stuff'scoming out, and so now it's more
about creating singles that areradio friendly and less about
the long play album, right, andso the lifetime of certain
musical acts is not as long asit used to be.
Are you still seeing that?
(36:19):
Because there's just so muchelse out there.
Paul Harris (36:21):
It's hard because it is as much as I don't want it
to be.
The whole instant music is runby TikTok.
There's no doubt about it.
It's like if something blows upon TikTok becomes viral,
whatever the kids call it, itcould become a hit and record
labels chase these hits.
They will sign them.
They will have their one TikTokrecord which will be a massive
(36:43):
hit.
They'll try to do another one.
It won't and they discard itand then the next one will come
along and they'll do the same.
There hasn't been that manyartists being developed, because
record companies are a bitscared of it.
If a band can do it allthemselves and develop
themselves and have a followingand have something social media
which is as horrible as it is ifyou've got big numbers they
(37:06):
might go and support you, but ifnot, they're just chased the
tiktok it's like which way thewind's blowing at that time will
work for that and they sign itfor loads of money and if it
doesn't work, that's it.
They're going to the next oneand that that person's like.
Some of these obviously aretiktok records, but there'd be
someone who's been working forages and something will blow up
and then, if it doesn't work,it's just, they're left.
The music world is it's likebrutal out there, just just.
Tom Marchant (37:29):
It's so ephemeral right.
I was reading this thing theother day about you know those
ghost artists on spotify.
Paul Harris (37:35):
They're even writing fake bios for but
there's also stuff like um,obviously I'm surrounded by
people and like there's so muchmusic that we, we can't it's
impossible to discover probablylike two percent of it.
But, um, someone would tell youabout a song and I've, I think
I sort of know quite a lot aboutwhat's going on.
I've never heard about that onepop up spotify and it's like
(37:57):
500, 600 million streams.
You're like what are they?
And like it's a good record andit's maybe a band from South
America or a band from Germanyor whatever, and you've never
even heard of them or the recordor anything.
By the numbers it's like itmust be massive.
So there's music all around theworld.
We've really got to dig deep,because the mountain of music
(38:19):
out there is trying to find aneedle in a haystack.
Tom Marchant (38:26):
I won't keep you too long.
I want to finish with a fewjust little questions for you,
just to pick your brain and justsay what comes to mind.
What's one club, the one clubthat feels like home to you?
Paul Harris (38:36):
Nowadays I don't know, because I don't really go
to clubs can I have from myyouth?
Tom Marchant (38:40):
from your youth, yeah, yeah, yeah, like over your
lifetime.
One club, the milk bar, bestcrowd you've ever played to see.
Paul Harris (38:48):
I, I can't, I can't be quick.
My time in South America usedto be amazing, incredible.
So I used to play at this tinyclub in London called Cabaret,
which held like 250 people, andit used to be the wildest
parties in there every week.
I was like resident, so I knowit's.
I always like to see the whitesof people's eyes.
Do you know what I mean inclubs?
If you're in a festival whereit's 50,000 people and you can't
(39:11):
see anything, I don't know, ifthere's no connection, you can't
feel the people like you can ina small club.
Tom Marchant (39:16):
This will be a toughie.
Favourite bar in the world mylocal pub at the moment.
Paul Harris (39:21):
Name it the King's Arms in Tootie Street.
Tom Marchant (39:23):
A restaurant you would fly back to in a heartbeat
.
Paul Harris (39:26):
There's one in Florence I think it's Tristanza,
Tortoria Tristanza which doesthe best butter chicken I've
ever had in my life, and Iactually have made a diversion
to go there once best hotel.
Tom Marchant (39:36):
This is hard, because hotels for all occasions
, but just one that sticks inyour mind blendido in porto vino
very nice.
Last one the most unexpectedplace you might fall in love
with is there, somewhere thatperhaps before you went didn't
hold much high hopes, but um Idon't know if it's unexpected,
but, um london, I can't leave.
Paul Harris (39:53):
This city doesn't matter where.
I am always drawn back to itand it's.
You go somewhere for amount oftime and you think you're in the
most amazing place.
Then you come home, it's.
Tom Marchant (40:03):
Yeah, I try to leave, but I can't yeah, I I
agree it feels lucky when you'recoming back to somewhere that
you can't wait to come back to.
Paul, thank you so much forcoming on the podcast really
enlightening, really inspiringand, um, what a journey.
I know it's, uh's been a greatone.
It's continued to be a greatone.
So, thank you, paul, reallyhonoured to have you on and
thanks for your time.
No problem, thank you.
Owen Vince (40:23):
You've been listening to the Pursuit of
Feeling, a podcast by BlackTomato.
If you've enjoyed this episode,then please hit the subscribe
button.
We've got a lot more episodeson the way and if you're feeling
inspired by what you've heardtoday, then visit blacktomatocom
.
We'll help you to travel whereyour heart is.
Thanks for listening.
You're listening to the Pursuit of Feeling, a
podcast by Black Tomato.
In this new series, we want toexplore not only the world of
travel, but the world of emotionand what it ultimately means to
feel our way through the world.
In each episode, you'll alsoget a Rolodex of recommendations
from our guests on where to go,what to do and where to stay
(00:23):
all around the world.
Tom Marchant (00:26):
A few DJs have mapped emotion onto a dance
floor quite like Paul Harris.
As a founding member of theGrammy Award-winning Dirty Vegas
, paul helped define a moment inglobal dance culture, crafting
tracks that didn't just makepeople move but made them feel.
But behind the beats is alifelong pursuit of something
deeper, a storyteller throughsound.
Paul has produced andcollaborated with global icons
like Calvin Harris, madonna,kylie Minogue and Justin
(00:49):
Timberlake, always bringing atouch shaped as much by
experience as by instinct.
In this episode, paul opens upabout the role travel plays in
his creative process, how thepulse of New York, the beats of
Brazil and the heat of Ibizainfluence his sound.
He talks about the cities,restaurants and nightclubs that
have left an emotional mark andthe memories that resurface
every time he returns, fromhidden spots in Italy to late
(01:11):
nights in London.
It's a journey through music,place and the feelings that
linger long after the last trackfades.
Welcome to another episode ofthe Pursuit of Feeling podcast.
Today I am delighted to bejoined by the Grammy-winning DJ
producer and co-founder of thePursuit of Feeling podcast.
Today I am delighted to bejoined by the Grammy-winning DJ
producer and co-founder of theiconic Dirty Vegas electronic
music group.
Paul Harris is someone who hasshaped the dance music scene for
(01:34):
the last 20 years and hasbecome a pioneer of so many
great musical movements.
I'm honored to have him on thepodcast today.
In his industry he travels.
Of all the people I know, heprobably travels the most, and
it's always so fantastic tocatch up with him and hear
stories from the road and theinspiration he gets.
Pursuit of Feeling is all aboutexploring the connection
between travel and the emotionsit brings, and I think the
(01:55):
combination of travel and musicis a very powerful one.
So, paul, thank you very muchfor coming on to the podcast
today.
Thank you.
Before we sort of get into the,the meat of kind of this, this
relationship of travel andemotion, your thoughts just give
us a little kind of quickoverview of you and what's your
relationship with travel like.
Where did it sort of start andbecome something that means much
?
Paul Harris (02:15):
to you?
Yes, well, initially just fromdj.
And it's like when I firststarted in the early 90s, my
traveling got as far as up anddown em1 once.
Once the band sort of took offlike when it was the early
noughties and everything waslike the world, it had become
worldwide.
Everything was so you'd getbooked all over the place, so
I'd be in Brazil one weekend orItaly or Rome, and then the
(02:38):
world opened up.
And yeah, that's when the wholemusic, travel and things sort
of come together.
Tom Marchant (02:43):
So when you suddenly started getting to see
the world, was that quite arapid kind of from, like you say
, up and down the air one tosuddenly right we're hitting all
these global spots, and wasthat quite overwhelming?
Or was it kind of a gradualintroduction to these places?
Paul Harris (02:57):
yeah, I guess from the start like um from dj in the
uk circuit yeah and then fromdoing that, from making records
sort of met I'll give the storylike met Ben and Steve in the
band and then we sort of had therecord which was Days Go by,
which blew up in the very early2000s.
The record kind of like was anunderground hit in the UK and
(03:18):
then it become a part of anadvert in America which
obviously becomes like lots ofpeople know about that and then
the record sort of it's nowbecome like it's quite
fundamental in the birthplace ofEDM in America because it's
where lots of early DJs sort ofheard of Dirty Vegas or the
music of Dirty Vegas and that'sone of the first times they
heard house music because theydidn't really know what it was
(03:38):
all these kids who was on TV andfrom that the band sort of took
off and then we got offeredgigs in the states in america
quite a lot.
Tom Marchant (03:46):
The early 2000s was lots of traveling to america
and when, with something likedays, go by, when you, when you
made that, you obviously wouldhave known it's a great song,
but the how it was adopted andhow it exploded could you ever
foresee something like thatcoming that quickly?
I mean obviously backing yourtalent, but it was a big moment
right.
Paul Harris (04:04):
It was like lightning in a bottle.
It's like things like this.
You're just really lucky ithappened.
We made the record.
We thought it'd be a big recordfor the djs like sasha digweed
and people like that.
All our peers were playing thisrecord.
We're lucky because pete tonggot hold of the record in
champion and played it for Ithink like 10 to 12 weeks on the
spin.
The record did something.
We got signed to Parlophone andthen, like a big sort of deal
(04:27):
happened.
We signed the record andobviously we did a video and the
video is one of the reasons whythe record sort of blew up,
because we did the video and thevideo was just a super amazing
video by a company called BlueSauce, so that was out in the
ethos.
And someone from Deutsche, whichis like an ad agency in la one
(04:47):
night, was in amsterdam.
So the story has and he watchedtheir video on mtv or something
when mtv was still a thing.
He went back and he had to dothis advert for mitsubishi and
he went.
I've seen this video.
This guy breakdance into thismusic and I think this is the
perfect music for this advertand then obviously the advert
sort of come out and it becomelike a cult thing.
Like you had Jimmy Fallon,david LaChapelle and people like
(05:08):
doing parodies of thecommercial on tv, so in America
just this advert just blew upand blew up and blew up sort of
that year.
Obviously we were the Grammys,we were the MTV awards, we were
like everything and it's comefrom from a record which we
thought would sell 500 copiesout the back of a cart.
We had no expectations or knowanything about the record.
(05:29):
You can't make something likethat happen and it's.
Tom Marchant (05:31):
I think there's it's like a confluence of
reasons, but ultimately it'sstill like it's the old adage
that you know the good willoutright, so something that's
good and and you do get thosebreaks, but what a journey.
I think on the back of thatyou're going over to america.
Were there kind of early gigsthere?
Or maybe, like some of the uk,that left a massive imprint?
Were there certain things whereyou like that stick in your
head is like I'm in this place,this is, this is something
(05:54):
sensational, and you still goback to it, like the things that
take you back to that time forme it's like the very early
memories.
Paul Harris (06:01):
I think the first club I probably went to was
maybe 15 or 16, getting stucklike snuck in with my brother
and walking in seeing this andgoing my god, what, what am I in
?
What is this utopia?
It's like me never seen before.
And then at the time I well,when I started working, I was
working in the city when I waspretty young and then in the
(06:21):
city and trying to dj at thesame time and then obviously one
thing had to give in and thatwas that was the city life.
I know it's like I was prettyspoiled Cause I think I guess
kids now think this time, now isthe best time, and I've sort of
seen all of the journeys andgenerations of clubbing and the
nineties, the two thousands of2000,.
Everything has its thing.
I guess the early start of itwas the 90s and I still think
(06:48):
that holds memories and like themusic does think to me and
sometimes when you're going to acity you'll have memories of
stuff and then you go over NewYork Bridge and you'll just
remember something.
You'll hear a red blade and itgives you like music is
definitely um, it makes youremember things for sure on that
basis.
Tom Marchant (07:02):
So I say with like certain cities, are there
certain whether it's tracks orstyles of music that you connect
with certain cities?
I don't know whether particularscenes that you identify with
certain cities or they're just.
I have this thing where I go tocities and there's it might be
particular types of food or barsor places that are
distinctively that you know theexperience might have in tokyo
is very different than york do.
When you look at cities kind ofconnect to the music there A
(07:25):
hundred percent.
Paul Harris (07:26):
A hundred percent.
Lots of places has itsdifferent sounds.
I think the UK we're quiteeclectic.
We have drum and bass, we havetechno, we have everything here.
Out of all the countries in theworld, we probably have the
biggest cross-section in music.
But then you'll go to Miami,which I was the other week, and
it's on the beach, it's verywhat the Americans call EDM.
(07:46):
It's very guys spending loadsof money and throwing money at
stuff and champagne andsparklers and the music is quite
high energy.
And then you'll go downtown andit's Tecmo and all the cool
kids and, like most cities inthe world have the same thing,
(08:08):
like New York will have the samething.
It'll be like the city would bequite high end and quite stuff
like that, as you know, and thenwould be cool.
But then, yeah, the music wouldbe in australia.
At one point it was quiteelectro and germany's always
been quite techno-y and quiteunderground.
Italy has the same sort ofthing as america.
Tom Marchant (08:19):
There's the super cool kids and like the
underground kids that happens inlike most obviously most cities
in the world has that would yousee when you're in those, those
cities, say, when you've gotthis, the underground, the
emerging, the cooler kids scene,would you see people like, say,
from the the high end, likesort of trying to get into that
scene because they would thinkthat in some way association
(08:40):
with or that's it's often likefor all the money someone might
have, you want to be where thepeople are so effortlessly cool
and would you see, maybe acrossdance floors or stuff or in
certain places, people trying tomove into that and it working
or or it not working well, ornow the underground is the
overground, so I guess it haskind of happened.
Paul Harris (08:57):
It's like everybody wants to see bedouin and years
ago everyone wanted to seecalvin, and it's like there is
sort of definitely a space foreveryone and everything I know.
It's interesting at the momentbecause it's probably never been
so big.
The industry is beyond big andI've just literally I went to
miami music week and every clubis packed and it's like it seems
(09:18):
to be quite american heavy, tobe honest.
But um, it used to be very morelike all europeans would go,
but now you have things like adeand obviously I just there's
been ims in ibiza, but the miamimusic week was very more
american heavy and where do yousee?
Tom Marchant (09:34):
when you're kind of producing or composing, do
you take inspiration from yourtravels or do you like
particular places that mightshape or in terms of, in terms
of your, your, when you yourstructuring and composition or
your producing, does the role oftravel or things you've seen on
your journeys or inspirationalinsights you get from something
new, does that ever play a rolein it?
I guess in my mind.
Paul Harris (09:54):
I know what will work in different countries.
You know what a German recordwill sound like compared to an
American record or Italianrecord.
You just know what sounds tohave in it.
So that would happen.
And also I'm lucky enough totravel a lot with making music.
I've just been in Ibiza with aband I work with, Arco.
We just rented a house for aweek making some new music for
(10:15):
them and obviously you'resurrounded in Ibiza and you make
different music because you'rethere and a couple of weeks ago
I was in LA making records andbecause you're in America and LA
you're trying to chase biggerrecords, which is a bit bizarre
because everyone wantseverything to be massive and
you're making more poppier sortof sounding records and we're
(10:37):
trying to.
They like us because we're theEnglish and we come and we're
still quite cool, like theAmericans.
See, dance records are stillbeing quite pop and we
definitely make it a little bitcooler to them.
But go, no, just it doesn'thave to have so much stuff going
on that's really interesting.
Tom Marchant (10:53):
So, like there's, there's these.
So there's one thing where youare, when you're in place as
well, one thing where you're,you're maybe producing records,
when you're thinking aboutparticular territory that might
stuff they might like, but thenalso you're saying that you
recognize that the influence ofthe environment you're in, like
you see that, and actuallythere's a noticeable difference
between, like, when you're, say,writing or producing in Ibiza,
(11:15):
there's, it feels different tobeing in LA, which obviously,
yeah, geographically that'sfunny.
Paul Harris (11:18):
But actually to say that there, well, to recognize,
there is a well, there's arecognizable thing happening
there for sure, like um, no, Iwas in Ibiza, in like there's
lots of writing camps happeningaround the world, but the one in
Ibiza there was people fromAmerica there, people from
Canada, like all over the world.
But they're making differentrecords to what they would make
at home because of theenvironment, because of the
(11:38):
people they're with, and it'slike I guess, if they're at home
, you're just surrounded bywhat's around you, aren't you?
The music on the radio, whatyou hear and what you feel, and
it's like everyone's sort ofmaking similar sounding records.
But as soon as you get yourselfout of that and go somewhere
else, you hear different sounds.
Tom Marchant (11:57):
And that's one of the things I talk about.
We talk about one of the joysof what traveling.
Traveling means, right, youknow, because it's by traveling
you open yourself up todifferent stimulation, different
cultures and just just by thepurismosis of it, sometimes you
don't even, it's even almostlike a subconscious thing.
But if you're, if you'reconstantly within one space or
one bubble, it's inevitable thatyou're gonna, it's gonna be
(12:18):
hard to get much other kind ofinspiration or challenging
thought outside of it.
The power that travel has, orthe power that it has to make
you say, right, I'm, I'm goingto be curious, I'm going to go
somewhere, open my mind and letstuff wash over me and see how
that inspires me, I think justreinforces why so many people
get inspired by travel andrecognize what it does yeah,
because you're like when worldmusic become like a huge thing,
(12:41):
it's like people would travelsomewhere and you'd hear a
pattern flute in Chile and nextthing you know someone will put
their own dance record or you'dhear something being played in
like an unusual.
Paul Harris (12:55):
Obviously the king of it was someone like Damon
Uban Gorillas, who travels theworld with his DAP machine or
his little iPad and just records, Cause I got a studio at his
space and they were like inIndia just recording random
things around the world, just torecord stuff and just to come
back with it.
It's obviously everywhere hasits own unique sounds, which
(13:16):
that is part of their culture.
It's not just part of the music, it's part of the history and
the culture of these places.
Tom Marchant (13:22):
Yeah, we often talk about.
You travel often as amanifestation of your other
passions.
You might not necessarilyrealize it, but say, if you're,
like I don't know, reading abook that's set it's not a guide
, but it's set in a particularplace so there's this literature
coming in, or you're listeningto stuff that has notes from a
different country or anexoticism for content it just
starts planting things in yourhead which is I'm sort of
(13:42):
there's parts of the world thatare being introduced to me
through my other kind of passionpoints and slowly that starts
seeping into kind of your needto go and explore it further.
Music is such a powerfulmotivator.
I mean I'm speaking to theexpert on it, but I I remember
like when I was younger I'd readabout certain bands recording
albums in certain places.
You know and you want to go andbe there, yeah, yeah, and you
(14:04):
just be like you know because it, you know it might be like a
massively like rugged, windsweptplace and it feels all ethereal
and like that's interesting.
Then there might be someonewho's citing like the influence
of the frenetic energy of a citythat's informing them, and and
then you see it kind of comingto the music and you think, well
, this is inspiring, like if youread how, like kerouac whites
about music and on the road, theway he captures sounds of
(14:26):
cities, it just pulls you in andit's almost like music acts as
this vehicle to pull you intoplaces I was obsessed by house
music so I knew I had to go tonew york.
Paul Harris (14:35):
Same thing.
It's like I wanted to go tothese shops or see these things,
or be to go to these clubs andhear this music at this place.
And it's the same.
Obviously, you and every singleone of our friends, everyone
does the pilgrimage to Ibizabecause you have to go there and
if you hear the right piece ofmusic in the right place, at the
right time and the right thing,it's just like there's nothing
(14:56):
like it when every star'scollided.
Tom Marchant (14:58):
And so with that, say, like that New York thing,
when you knew you had to go toNew york into house, like what
was that first visit, that firstexperience of seeing house in
your life for you, if you takeyourself back to that, what
feelings that evoking you?
Was it like I've come home?
Was it like, yeah, this isdifferent.
Tell me about that.
Paul Harris (15:16):
I just thought it was the most insane place I've
ever been to in my life.
At the time I don't, I can'tremember what year, like 94
maybe obviously heard abouteverything and read about
everything and then coming overthe bridge, coming into the city
and seeing the skyline, youknow, oh, my god, I'm here and
yeah it's like.
(15:36):
And then I went because it'sobviously music was my thing by
then and it's like huntingaround all the record shops I've
heard about and just goingwalking down the streets and
seeing everything.
It was amazing.
It's like.
So stuff you've read about andseen on tv and then you go and
experience it and it not onlymet, but exceeded expectations
right yeah, I still.
I haven't actually been for aminute, I think the last time I
(15:58):
was in new york I saw you.
So, um, I need to go back forsure.
My, my memory and my feelingsare still.
Tom Marchant (16:08):
It's probably like the best city in the world to
visit yeah, yeah, I, I, you know, as you know, I was lucky to
live there for a period andstill travel there a lot with
our you know, with our officersover there, but it just has a.
You know, some people have saidNew York's changed since COVID
and stuff, but I think it's beenreborn in different ways and it
just has an energy that I thinkis incomparable to anywhere
(16:29):
else.
If you haven't spent time inthere, it's for me, it's like
it'd be a huge gap in that kindof travel tapestry you need to
fill in.
It is.
I don't think you can ever failto be inspired or challenged
about how you think about thingsafter spending time in New York
On the Dirty Vegas journey.
(16:49):
Are there any kind of maybeit's Ibiza, or maybe it was LA
like any kind of destinationsthat had real significance for
you?
Paul Harris (16:57):
You know, like you know, when you look at your
incredibly successful andinfluential journey like you
know, when you look look at your, you know incredibly successful
and influential journey.
I think it might have been likea hiatus of the band, so I sort
of went off and I just went offand dj'd around the world again
because I really needed to doit, and I found myself in south
america quite a bit.
I was in brazil quite a lotover the space of a couple of
(17:18):
years and it's a place I'd neverdreamt I'd or thought I'd ever
get to.
And then I'm there once a monthfor a year or something
ridiculous like that, um, and Ifell in love with the place and
the people and the culture andeverything, and that was
something that, yeah, it wasamazing for like a couple of
years were there particularparts, or was it just the blend,
(17:40):
the mix of people, because youknow you talk about people parts
?
Tom Marchant (17:42):
or was it just the blend, the mix of people,
Because you know you talk aboutpeople making places?
Or is it just everything rolledinto one that just felt so
different?
Paul Harris (17:46):
Yeah, it's like because obviously it has so many
sort of things, you go up northand then you can, it's been
snowing and then it can be at abeach.
It's like, yeah, I just had agreat feeling about it.
And again, it's because there'sa mix of portuguese, german,
(18:08):
italian.
It's like a it's.
It's very sort of it feelsquite european, even though it's
american it's truly a blend,isn't it?
Tom Marchant (18:15):
and you wouldn't say that with that brazil
example, did you pick brazilbecause your interest or
opportunities, and whethercertain things you were seeking
out through, you know, usingmusic as your vehicle to see the
world, whether things likeright, I need to go and spend
time in this country becauseI've heard things are great, or
were you just open to what mightcome at you?
Paul Harris (18:34):
no, I had like a radio record so I had something
which was going on from radioand then phone calls, like an
agent called me one day, wentI'd like to represent you in
brazil.
Well, I've never been, I'd loveto come and then literally got
off the plane, met him and metlots of people and it just you
want to come back again andagain.
And then I become I got likelots of groups of friends there
(18:54):
and they like they love music,they love going out, they love
having fun but to your earlierpoint.
Tom Marchant (19:00):
Would you, when you're producing a writing over
there, would you be tailoring itbecause that that audience's
taste or desire slightly?
I don't know.
Is it different to what youknow?
The audience we wanting in, say, north America?
Paul Harris (19:11):
or parts of Europe.
I didn't aim to make thatrecord big in Brazil, that's for
sure.
I did it with a friend fromAustralia and next thing you
know it's on radio in Brazil.
That was just like it happened.
There's no rhyme or reason whythat happened, but then it did.
Then I went to Brazil and thenI'm sort of playing a certain
(19:31):
sound, but then after I finished, I'm going to different clubs
and then start to get immersedin their sounds and their music
and their way of being and thenthat sort of turned me on to
different things.
It's just constant stimulation,certain things that are feeding
into your creative process,obviously, we're so lucky to
travel and, like my job, is myhobby, so it's insane.
(19:51):
But then at that sort of time Iwould always see what else is
on or see who else is playing intown and always go somewhere or
look to see.
You know how much I love food.
I love food.
I go where's the bestrestaurant or the best local
restaurant in this area.
So every time I'd get off aplane I would make sure.
If I'm in sappala, I'd gowherever.
Or if I'm in florinopolis, Iwould look up and go to these
(20:14):
best or they just the coolestplaces being the same, with
beaches or restaurants or barsor clubs I'd try and search out.
Obviously people like you aregreat at doing stuff like that.
It clubs, I'd try and searchout.
Obviously people like you aregreat at doing stuff like that.
It's like I try to search outwhere would be I guess not the
most expensive or just what thelocals think is like the best.
Tom Marchant (20:33):
I'd like to experience what they so that's
what I was going to ask.
So, like, I wanted to talk toyou about food because I know
you know how passionate you areabout it, but, on that thing,
what, what you're seeking out,so that feeling you're finding
for food, is that about, whichis what I identify with, as you
know, like having something thatfeels genuinely connected to
locals, that you are seeing itkind of experience it as they
would.
So it's not feeling like you'rebeing plonked into kind of a
(20:55):
restaurant, bar that's beendreamt up for tourists, but
you're looking for somethingthat has the genuine kind of
soul of the local place.
Paul Harris (21:00):
I guess I kind of try and do all the versions.
I will try and find thebackstreet food stall and have
like street food and it's likeincredible.
And then I'll try and find thelocal restaurant where everyone
goes to and then I'll try and dothe high end one.
So I'll try and do all thedifferent genres and it's
because most of the reason thatI just obsessed by good food and
(21:24):
it's sometimes the street foodis the best food.
There's no reason behind what'sthe best or what's the worst,
and it's obviously down to tasteas well.
Tom Marchant (21:36):
You DJ and play a lot out in Asia.
Do you have a love affair withthat part of the world as well?
I used to spend, I guess, thisis world as well.
Paul Harris (21:42):
I used to spend I guess this is a strange one I
used to spend a lot of time inSingapore and it's probably not
the place lots of people wouldgo.
Oh Singapore.
I've had some amazing times.
I've got some great friends inSingapore.
I just got really used toliking it Like super clean,
super nice.
Tom Marchant (22:03):
Obviously nice.
Obviously it's super safe.
But again, I've seen food insingapore as well, isn't?
Paul Harris (22:05):
it like you can find amazing food in singapore.
Incredible like um again.
I've probably been going therefor 20 years on and off, so I've
seen it change from not beingvery westernized to now being
everything sort of there.
Yeah, I'd like, and the rest ofit obviously.
I've spent like all your phuketand thailand's, which I like I
don't know if I've ever lovedfor some reason.
I don't don't know why.
Tom Marchant (22:23):
It's like everyone sort of sold me the story as
paradise and I've probably goneto the new ireland I do like
that part of the world, but Iknow what you mean by the miss
sell, because sometimes it's, um, the stuff that gets talked up
as like this is the paradisespot.
You see someone's photo and yourealize about the photoshopped,
about a thousand people out ofit, or you know they just
cropped it out the edges.
Paul Harris (22:44):
I wouldn't think it's that, but I guess saying
that I don't know if I've everfound paradise, I don't know
what I'm looking for.
Tom Marchant (22:51):
Do you have that?
On that question, that'sinteresting.
Like when you travel, say notfor work, or if you're traveling
before you plan a trip, you sitand say this is what I'm
looking for, or like you know,because we big thing for us is
we get a lot of people who don'tnecessarily know where they
want to go, but then they knowhow they want to feel, right,
and that that can change fromlike I want to go and have an
(23:13):
adventure and challenge myselfto.
I want to disconnect and feellike like I'm totally just with
myself and in silence.
Does that?
You know?
I know you've got you've got akid, so you have family travel,
but your personal traveling, atwork travel, are there any
things?
That kind of drive you say,when you're not doing music
although that's because it'sbecause it's because it's like a
passion as well it's, it'squite a motivating thing.
I doubt you know.
(23:33):
You see it, although it can betiring when you're not traveling
for work.
I'm doing air quotes what arethe things that motivate you to
travel?
What matters to you?
Paul Harris (23:42):
well, I love to think I could go lay on the
beach for a week, but I can't.
Maybe four hours and then I'mI'm done.
If I travel, I normally travelas horrible as it is, or
whatever I.
I go to cities just because Ineed, I guess, the stimulation.
I just need my senses, I needthe art galleries, I need the
(24:04):
people, I need the food, I needthe music, I need to drink.
I just need, I need to beengulfed in it all and not
laying on a beach reading thebook and swimming with the yeah,
orphans.
Tom Marchant (24:15):
I just I can't, I can't do it and also because I
think, yeah, you're such acurious person.
I think part of all that youdescribed there is almost like
it's stuff that satisfies thecuriosity.
I think I'm very similar.
I could appreciate the idea oflying on a beach for a bit and
doing it, but the idea for somepeople to say it's relaxing to
lie on a beach for three days,for me my mind's still going and
(24:36):
all I'm doing is thinking about.
I'm not actually relaxing from,say, the day-to-day at home,
because I'm just thinking aboutit, because my mind is not being
stimulated.
I mean, as much as I enjoy abook but, like you say, you go
into a city and you'reoverwhelmed by the sights and
noises and the culture and thedifference of it.
That in a way, becomes actuallyrelaxing because your mind's
(24:58):
fully distracted or fullyengaged into that.
Paul Harris (25:00):
Yeah, of course it is.
Then I guess you don't have tothink because everything's
coming at you.
Your eyes are just overwhelmedby everything you know, your
senses, your smell, likeeverything is bombarded.
So you're like you're probablyrelaxing because you don't have
to think about anything I lovethat you don't have to think
because everything's coming out.
Tom Marchant (25:15):
Yeah, I think that's just a great description.
Are there any like you talkedabout new york?
Talk to the place.
Are there any other city?
When you talk about a city thatyou'd go to to give you that,
that kind of blended fix thatyou've talked about there, which
which other cities spring tomind?
If?
Paul Harris (25:29):
it's a country.
I love italy as a country andall parts of it.
If we're going to have afavorite country, I'd go for
italy, just because I thinkthey're the luckiest people.
They have everything they have.
They have skiing, they havebeach wineries, they have the
food.
They have everything.
Tom Marchant (25:45):
I mean you wonder why they never really travel
yeah, I mean you have to say if,as as places that are hard to
leave, I'd imagine that's rightup there.
You know you talked about art.
You've all you know.
I know you're big into art andcollect art when you're on the
road with world travel do youever collect things, bring it
(26:05):
home to remind you of thetravels.
Is that something that'simportant to you?
Paul Harris (26:08):
I don't ever really collect things to travel Like
one year I collected air tags.
Tom Marchant (26:13):
Did you create a piece of art from that?
Paul Harris (26:15):
Yeah, exactly.
Yeah, I remember that For somereason I was flying a lot.
I For some reason I was flyinga lot, I could see my diets for
no sort of reason.
And I had a studio at my oldhouse and I come off a plane one
night and then just stuck thetag on the wall.
And then I got on another planeand stuck the tag on the wall
and it was like probably a fewweeks and for some reason I must
(26:35):
have been like so stupid.
I was probably in America justflying around everywhere and did
like 10 flights, so I had thesetags on my wall.
I was like, okay, I'm going todo a year's worth.
Amazing, I collected like ayear's worth of airline tags and
it's now a piece of art in myliving room.
Yeah, it's quite scary to lookat and just think about how many
plane rides I went on.
Tom Marchant (26:55):
In those days, maybe even now.
I mean, I know you've just comeback from a couple of weeks in
Ibiza and I know you also knowplaces well now.
So you know I know how well youknow LA.
I mean, when I used to go to LAbefore I moved there I'd be
messaging you going.
You know, give me your recordsfor it.
So you know places now.
But when you were first touringand or being called up all
around the world to go, did youget much chance to kind of be?
Would it be in play?
(27:17):
Could you ever build in or askfor time to kind of stay?
I mean, I know the actualexperience of playing is going
to be a phenomenal way ofconnecting with that place, much
more so than you know.
Your cliche travellingbusinesswoman or businessman who
goes in, goes to the boardroom,gets the flight and leaves.
But did you get other chances tokind of sink into the place a
bit more, or was it often quitein and out.
Paul Harris (27:36):
Sometimes, if you was touring for quite a bit,
you'd have down days, like you'dbe in a city Friday, saturday,
sunday maybe, and then not haveto work till Thursday or
Wednesday or Thursday.
So you have a few days to gosomewhere but you're trying to
end up in a city that you wantedto be in.
You try and plan your schedulearound being end up in New York
for three days or end up in,like Chicago for a few days, and
(27:58):
you try and plan your schedulearound it very early on in the
early days of touring.
After doing a gig, I'd probablyjust be in bed and then wait
till the pickup and I waited somuch time of seeing places.
It's like travesty now thinkingback and like steve from the
band would be up nine or ten inthe morning and running around
the cities and seeing everythingand go, get the fuck out of bed
(28:19):
and come, just come see it withme, which I didn't to start
with.
And then I started to and likewhy didn't I do this?
Like we're in these great likekansas city, missouris and like
all these places that you'dnever really see again, and some
of them I spent in bed and justdidn't bother doing it and then
, once the penny dropped, oflike why didn't I just walk
around the cities and just soakit all in?
(28:40):
Yeah, I've probably lost.
There's probably a couple ofplaces in the world which I've
been to, but I've never been to.
Tom Marchant (28:46):
Yeah, so you can tick them off in a game of
places I've been to.
Paul Harris (28:49):
Exactly.
It's like have you been to thiscompany?
Yeah, I've been to all of them.
Owen Vince (28:52):
Technically.
Tom Marchant (28:57):
I've seen a car, I've seen a club and I've seen
an airport.
Does it ever get tiring?
I mean, ever since I've knownyou, I've known your love for
travel and, like I say, you'resuch a curious person so it
seems like you're tailor-madefor it.
But the demands you know.
Someone being in such demand asyou are, did it ever come a
time where you're like look, Ineed to take a break from
traveling this much or changethe approach to it?
Paul Harris (29:18):
I think the most.
I know it's bizarre, but Ithink the most tiring bit is
doing nothing.
When you're waiting at a hotelroom, or you're waiting for your
hotel to be done, or you'rewaiting at the airport or you're
waiting for your flight, orthat seems to be the most tiring
place is like when you're doingnothing.
(29:39):
If you keep going, it's fine,but my schedule, even at a
higher our schedule, was hecticenough.
If you look at people nowadays,they're doing a show nearly
every day in the summer.
I can't imagine obviously now,and it's like when we were big,
not even like we were makinggood money, but it's the
equivalent of us making probablylike 80s footballers money, and
(30:01):
now they're making like Ronaldomoney.
So there's definitely zerosbeing added to fees nowadays and
they're able to fly privatejets.
But to be honest, it seems likeit's an extravagance and a
thing.
But to some of them it's anecessity because otherwise they
wouldn't be able to do itphysically, physically yeah,
(30:23):
it's just physically impossibleand it would just drain them.
To some of them it's anecessity because otherwise they
wouldn't be able to do itphysically, physically yeah,
it's just physically impossibleand it would just drain them.
Tom Marchant (30:31):
They just wouldn't be able to do it, because just
the time it schedules and theamount of time it takes to do
these things, it would beimpossible.
Yeah, it is relentless.
I mean, I think a lot of theworld looks in on your industry
particularly and sees theglamour and the adulation and
stuff and whilst that's great,but behind the scenes and the
slog going by, it seems thatit's yeah, you can see why a lot
of people get burnt up orchewed up and spat out.
Paul Harris (30:51):
Yeah, especially now, because obviously it's all
social media and at our time itdidn't exist.
Yeah, it's all different now.
It's like, yeah, as you'resaying, if you're going to a
different city every day andsometimes different time zones,
and people will fly from asia tola to europe like in three days
, like on your body, it'spunishing and like people are
(31:13):
just seeing, obviously they willsnap pictures of them in their
private jet.
I'm saying that, but they'renot seeing them laying on the
floor going.
Oh, my god, I don't know if Icould do this.
Yeah, you see the tip of theiceberg, not the bottom of it
yeah, that makes a lot of sense.
Tom Marchant (31:34):
It's a big question.
But why do you think this, thisconnection between music and
travel, it's just so powerful.
I mean, I think we touched uponit earlier about the influence
of different culture thing, but,like there's so many times you
can talk about certain songs,that soundtracks, trips you to
and people traveling for,whether it's festivals or for
epic gigs in certain places, itall seems to be like this really
kind of sort of hand in gloverelationship between the two.
(31:56):
Do you see that connection?
I mean, it's been your world.
Why do you think it's such apowerful link?
I guess it's.
Paul Harris (32:02):
If it's like, if you're traveling to certain
scenes, let's say that you'llget, everybody in the world
wants to go to Glastonbury tosee Glastonbury and see the
thing, and so they willobviously travel to England and
then go to there.
Like they will obviously travelto england and then go to there
, like if you're involved oryou're, if you're, you'll follow
a band around, won't you?
And then the bands will go todifferent cities and you'll, you
(32:23):
can travel with them and seethe cities and see the places
and see the cultures.
It's a nice thing to do,because otherwise people would
never do that.
A band went on tour and youfollowed a band, your favorite
band, round and they playedbudapest one night.
It's like that person wouldmaybe never have gone to
budapest yeah, unless that bandplayed.
it's making people go experiencethe place because a band's
(32:46):
playing and then the next nightthey may go somewhere else and
they jump in a car and travel tothrough to another city and see
something else and on the wayyou're, you'll see things which
you've never seen before.
You're only going because yourfavourite band has gone from
there to there, so you're likefollowing them.
Tom Marchant (33:03):
It's brilliant, though.
It's like you're followingsomething you're incredibly
passionate about, but in doingso you're also getting this
additional experience and Ithink, like you see, you have
that.
And then you say also well,music is almost like a window
into the soul of the place aswell.
So you're seeing that band andthen you're being exposed to it.
It's just for me it's alwaysbeen as well like to see a
beating heart of a place orunderstand what makes a place
(33:23):
it's live music or the musicthere.
I remember when I was younggoing and watching British bands
that were big here trying tobreak America, and it was really
interesting because it might be.
I remember a band called LasVegas from years ago and you
know they were covering the NME.
They were all kind of faded butthey didn't know, knew them in
America, and I remember I knewthey were going on a tour, so I
(33:45):
bought tickets, plane ticketsand tickets to be my brother.
We went over, we watched them.
You know, at that time theywere playing to like thousands
and thousands of people in theUK and and in that show it was a
couple hundred people they wereplaying like they were playing
for their lives on stage becausethey really wanted to make a
statement.
It was an amazing thing becauseyou're in New York, which is
like you.
It's one of the very places inthe world watching this band
(34:05):
trying to break America.
It's just a really.
There's so many powerfulfeelings that that evokes.
Paul Harris (34:10):
It's a very, very sort of heady and compelling
industry to be in which you werein, mr harris, and I guess they
were big pre-internet blow upand I guess all that now, if it
happened, the place would havebeen packed, people would have
known of them.
But then it's, you had to sortof find things, to hear about
things.
It's like um it's a lot easiernow to know about music from
(34:33):
different countries or differentplaces and see.
Obviously everyone films stufflike live, like boiler rooms, do
them inside.
But then there's like anamazing production company out
of france called circ who dothese amazing shows like the
pyramids and stuff like that,with djs, and you just see the
music being played.
(34:53):
So this, these backdrops, butthen years ago you you'd had to
what and it's.
Tom Marchant (34:59):
That's an interesting one, isn't it?
Because back in the day, orwhen, you didn't have, like the,
the proliferation of socialmedia and stuff, discovering
things I'm not sure if it madeit more special, but it was, I
don't know, maybe you had towork harder to find things.
But then, conversely, thesedays, although there's so much
more accessible, it's theparadox of choice.
It's almost almost moreoverwhelming.
I don't know, I'm not surewhich is better.
(35:19):
I'm not saying either is worse.
I mean probably spoiled forchoice these days, but sometimes
that can be overwhelming aswell.
So you need to be able to relyon people like yourself to
create the things that are great, but it's, um, sometimes feels
quite overwhelming yeah, I guess, the too much choice.
Paul Harris (35:33):
it's hard for people to latch on to just one
thing you can have that, you canhave this, you can have.
It's hard for people to latchon to just one thing you can
have that, you can have this,you can have that.
It's like for someone to sortof be there and be, say, like a
Carl Cox or something like that,who's been at the forefront of
his game forever.
For someone to do that whenthere's so much choice is like
(35:56):
nigh on impossible.
Tom Marchant (35:58):
Does that changed?
I mean, you used to get bandsthat were like two, three, four
album bands, right, and it'sbecome increasingly hard for a
band to maintain that momentumor that level of devotion
because so much other stuff'scoming out, and so now it's more
about creating singles that areradio friendly and less about
the long play album, right, andso the lifetime of certain
musical acts is not as long asit used to be.
Are you still seeing that?
(36:19):
Because there's just so muchelse out there.
Paul Harris (36:21):
It's hard because it is as much as I don't want it
to be.
The whole instant music is runby TikTok.
There's no doubt about it.
It's like if something blows upon TikTok becomes viral,
whatever the kids call it, itcould become a hit and record
labels chase these hits.
They will sign them.
They will have their one TikTokrecord which will be a massive
(36:43):
hit.
They'll try to do another one.
It won't and they discard itand then the next one will come
along and they'll do the same.
There hasn't been that manyartists being developed, because
record companies are a bitscared of it.
If a band can do it allthemselves and develop
themselves and have a followingand have something social media
which is as horrible as it is ifyou've got big numbers they
(37:06):
might go and support you, but ifnot, they're just chased the
tiktok it's like which way thewind's blowing at that time will
work for that and they sign itfor loads of money and if it
doesn't work, that's it.
They're going to the next oneand that that person's like.
Some of these obviously aretiktok records, but there'd be
someone who's been working forages and something will blow up
and then, if it doesn't work,it's just, they're left.
The music world is it's likebrutal out there, just just.
Tom Marchant (37:29):
It's so ephemeral right.
I was reading this thing theother day about you know those
ghost artists on spotify.
Paul Harris (37:35):
They're even writing fake bios for but
there's also stuff like um,obviously I'm surrounded by
people and like there's so muchmusic that we, we can't it's
impossible to discover probablylike two percent of it.
But, um, someone would tell youabout a song and I've, I think
I sort of know quite a lot aboutwhat's going on.
I've never heard about that onepop up spotify and it's like
(37:57):
500, 600 million streams.
You're like what are they?
And like it's a good record andit's maybe a band from South
America or a band from Germanyor whatever, and you've never
even heard of them or the recordor anything.
By the numbers it's like itmust be massive.
So there's music all around theworld.
We've really got to dig deep,because the mountain of music
(38:19):
out there is trying to find aneedle in a haystack.
Tom Marchant (38:26):
I won't keep you too long.
I want to finish with a fewjust little questions for you,
just to pick your brain and justsay what comes to mind.
What's one club, the one clubthat feels like home to you?
Paul Harris (38:36):
Nowadays I don't know, because I don't really go
to clubs can I have from myyouth?
Tom Marchant (38:40):
from your youth, yeah, yeah, yeah, like over your
lifetime.
One club, the milk bar, bestcrowd you've ever played to see.
Paul Harris (38:48):
I, I can't, I can't be quick.
My time in South America usedto be amazing, incredible.
So I used to play at this tinyclub in London called Cabaret,
which held like 250 people, andit used to be the wildest
parties in there every week.
I was like resident, so I knowit's.
I always like to see the whitesof people's eyes.
Do you know what I mean inclubs?
If you're in a festival whereit's 50,000 people and you can't
(39:11):
see anything, I don't know, ifthere's no connection, you can't
feel the people like you can ina small club.
Tom Marchant (39:16):
This will be a toughie.
Favourite bar in the world mylocal pub at the moment.
Paul Harris (39:21):
Name it the King's Arms in Tootie Street.
Tom Marchant (39:23):
A restaurant you would fly back to in a heartbeat
.
Paul Harris (39:26):
There's one in Florence I think it's Tristanza,
Tortoria Tristanza which doesthe best butter chicken I've
ever had in my life, and Iactually have made a diversion
to go there once best hotel.
Tom Marchant (39:36):
This is hard, because hotels for all occasions
, but just one that sticks inyour mind blendido in porto vino
very nice.
Last one the most unexpectedplace you might fall in love
with is there, somewhere thatperhaps before you went didn't
hold much high hopes, but um Idon't know if it's unexpected,
but, um london, I can't leave.
Paul Harris (39:53):
This city doesn't matter where.
I am always drawn back to itand it's.
You go somewhere for amount oftime and you think you're in the
most amazing place.
Then you come home, it's.
Tom Marchant (40:03):
Yeah, I try to leave, but I can't yeah, I I
agree it feels lucky when you'recoming back to somewhere that
you can't wait to come back to.
Paul, thank you so much forcoming on the podcast really
enlightening, really inspiringand, um, what a journey.
I know it's, uh's been a greatone.
It's continued to be a greatone.
So, thank you, paul, reallyhonoured to have you on and
thanks for your time.
No problem, thank you.
Owen Vince (40:23):
You've been listening to the Pursuit of
Feeling, a podcast by BlackTomato.
If you've enjoyed this episode,then please hit the subscribe
button.
We've got a lot more episodeson the way and if you're feeling
inspired by what you've heardtoday, then visit blacktomatocom
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We'll help you to travel whereyour heart is.
Thanks for listening.
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