April 20, 2025 • 82 mins
In this episode of Like A Muse: Madonna Remixes Culture, dive into the remix journey of Paul Andrews, a talented remixer and recording artist who has officially worked on remixes and written songs for documentaries and Dolly Parton, Gloria Estefan, Basia, Wang Chung, Robyn, and Madonna. He shares insights into his career, remix philosophy, and the stories behind his contributions to the music world. Whether you're a Madonna fan, a remix enthusiast, or just love discovering new music, this episode has something special for you!
Key Highlights:
- Exclusive interview with Paul Andrews on his remixing career and decision to embark on a solo recording career.
- Behind-the-scenes insights into his official remix with Madonna and how she inspired Paul’s solo career, his music production process, and his unique remixing style.
- Listen to audio previews of remixes from Madonna, Adele, Seal, and more
- Enjoy a perfectly mixed set of three mini continuous mix sets solely containing Paul Andrews remixes, courtesy of Kerry John Poynter.
Perfect for:
- Music fans who appreciate remix culture.
- Fans of Dolly Parton, Gloria Estefan, Robyn, Madonna, Adele, and Seal
- Remix aficionados looking for a deep dive into the art of remixing
Release Date: Monday, April 21, 2025.
Choose a favorite player, stream, or download: https://bit.ly/LikeMuse.
Produced and Hosted By: Kerry John Poynter.
Available In: Audio and Full-Length Video Visualizer.
About Paul Andrews: Paul Andrews is a diverse recording artist, remixer, and songwriter with a degree in music. He has produced remixes for iconic artists including Dolly Parton, Gloria Estefan, Robyn, Wang Chung, Basia, and Madonna. His two full-length albums, “Light and Dust” (2019) and “From the Distance” (2022), showcase his extensive skillset in writing, arranging, performing, and producing music.
Memorable Quotes:
"The play aspect when you work, is the most important part of it (music production/remixing), that is where ideas come from." – Paul Andrews
"Just because someone else is successful doesn't mean you are not going to be, like it takes it away from you. It doesn't matter that you know how to use the quantize feature!\ But people don't share in a community thinking its going to take away from them." - Paul Andrews
Connect with Paul Andrews:
- Website: [paulandrews.org](https://paulandrews.org/)
- Instagram: [@officialpaulandrews](https://www.instagram.com/officialpaulandrews/)
- Facebook: [officialpaulandrews](https://www.facebook.com/officialpaulandrews)
- Bandcamp: [Paul Andrews on Bandcamp](https://paulandrews.bandcamp.com/)
About Like A Muse:
Like A Muse aims to honor and document the international subculture of remixing Madonna's songbook. Through interviews with remixers and producers inspired by Madonna, we bring you behind-the-scenes insights, exclusive remix premieres, and continuous mixes. Since launching in early 2023, the podcast debuted at #19 on the U.S. iTunes Music Commentary Chart, achieving top 100 rankings across multiple countries.
Sponsored By:
- VYTHM Music Visualizer App (iOS, Android, Mac) by MK Games 'Art Visuals: Enjoy a 50% discount on your first-year subscription! [Get it here: .css-j9qmi7{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;font-weight:700;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:2.8rem;width:100%;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:start;justify-content:start;padding-left:5rem;}@media only screen and (max-width: 599px){.css-j9qmi7{padding-left:0;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;}}.css-j9qmi7 svg{fill:#27292D;}.css-j9qmi7 .eagfbvw0{-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;color:#27292D;}Mark as PlayedTranscript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
Listened to by thousands, climbing the podcastcharts in multiple countries, across the globe,
on every continent. And now nominated fora 50 over 50 podcast award. This is Like A
Muse, the podcast about Madonna Remix's culture. Featuring producers, remasters, and artists
(00:24):
with the Queen as their muse. My name is KerryJohn Pointer. your producer and host. This
episode, our featured muse, is recording artistand remixer, Paul Andrews. The episode contains
(00:44):
my conversation with Paul. He takes us behindthe remix of Ghost Town, his officially commissioned
remix for Madonna, and how she inspired himto write his own music and believe in his sound.
We also delve into his other remixes of Madonnaand other artists like Adele, Seal, and someone
named Kylie. You The interview is interspersedbetween sections of a DJ continuous mix, heavy
(01:15):
on his Madonna remixes, plus four of whathe considers his essential remixes, and of
course my personal faves. This episode is sponsoredby the Vythen Music Visualizer App by MK Games
Art and Visuals. The Vythen App is an importantpart of the production process for the episode
(01:35):
video visualizers on YouTube. Now you can createyour own unique visuals on the fly as you listen
to my episodes. US listeners use the specialdiscount link for 50 % off the first year.
A generous percentage of your subscription directlysupports my podcast. Make sure to use the
link in the show notes or on the Like A Musepage or the Club Carry NYC Sponsors page. The
(01:58):
Vivid Music Visualizer App for iOS, Androidand Mac. introducing our muse, Paul Andrews.
He has written songs for documentaries andproduced remixes for Dolly Parton, Gloria Estefan,
Robert Basha, Wing Chung and Madonna. And ofcourse many underground remixes of various
artists, some of which you will hear todayin this episode. Paul is now his own recording
(02:19):
artist. and has written, arranged, performed, and produced two full-length albums, Light
and Dust in 2019 and From the Distance in 2022.So Mr. Paul Andrews, welcome to Like a Muse.
Thank you for having me. I'm so glad you'rehere and I've had a really good time getting
(02:40):
to know you in the pre-production for this interview.I have a number of questions for you as you
know, this is a Madonna podcast after all. Andthis is a question I ask everyone. Can you
share a story of your first Madonna relatedmemory? It can be anything, perhaps a song
or an image or a video, anything, anything atall. I encourage you to go way back. Okay.
Well, I grew up in the 80s. So MTV, allof that stuff. I remember seeing her videos,
(03:07):
but it wasn't until Borderline came out. I rememberher spray painting the walls and I think a
car or something. I'm like, oh, this is goodsong. think Reggie Lucas wrote that. I'm like,
oh. Yes, Reggie. That's when I started noticingMadonna with that song. OK. But it wasn't
until True Blue when I really got into her becauseshe wants to be an artist. She was growing,
(03:31):
you know? Becoming more mature artists in herlyrics and in the writing. It was Pat Leonard
she was working with. A little Stephen Braystill. Yeah, Stephen Bray. Like A Prayer
2, those two. Oh gosh, from True Blue to LikeA Prayer, huge artistic jumps, most definitely.
And I tell them that we're getting off of abusy road. I'm always going to go back and
think about that time. Her critics never wantedto give her anything. Think about those songs
(03:55):
that came out like that, Live To Tell and LikeA Prayer and... Yeah, they were like really
good pop songs. Major pop songs and just goodsongwriting. They should have had Grammy Awards.
She got nothing. It wasn't until Ray of Lightthat she got it. Almost 20 years later. That's
good to hear about your memory, but can youtalk a little bit about how you might have
(04:15):
been inspired by her? Again, the more of her,where she was getting mature with her writing,
I thought, you know what? She's actually doingthe writing. She's writing about interesting
topics. She has a real knack for melody too,which is one reason why I wanted to remix
her stuff is because there's an actual melodythere. A lot of songs nowadays just repeat
notes and stuff, but She had a way to writewhere you wanted to sing along with her. For
(04:41):
me, that's good writing. Let's dive into yourMadonna remixes. Your Ghost Town remix was
an official commissioned remix approved by Madonnaherself. Can you take us behind the remix
and tell us the story and how did this opportunityaffect you personally or professionally? There
is a story around Ghost Town. I was headingback from work and I got a call from my friend
(05:04):
Michael who said, hey, one of Madonna's remix A &R guys Orlando Puerta is really interested
in having you remix Madonna's next single GhostTown. I was on the train and I was like what?
He said is it okay to give him your numberand all the stuff and I said yes of course.
(05:24):
So a few minutes later I did get a call fromOrlando. He had heard my Living for Love remix.
(05:52):
and wanted me to do a spec remix. They wouldsee if they could use it or not. So I started
thinking of ideas immediately for the mix.The other thing about this, I only had two
days to work on the mix because I was leavingfor vacation. Send it over to him and I wouldn't
know anything about it after that. I startedto arrange the remix in my head on the train.
(06:13):
I knew the tempo was one of those tricky temposwhere you could speed it up, you could slow
it down. Didn't know what to do with it. Everytime I was coming up with ideas it was more
of an expansion of what the original was tomake it more orchestral sounding. So I reached
out to Orlando and I asked what is she lookingfor? And he said, we want you to do what you
(06:34):
think would be best for the song. And I said,well, I'm hearing this sort of slower and
not necessarily a dance mix. And he said, thengo for it. Like if that's what you're hearing.
So I went with my gut and I did something slowand somehow I came up with everything in the
two days, not even during work. I still hadto go into work the next day. So everything
(06:56):
happened after work. I mixed it down. Tom listenedto it. My husband, he got emotional. At the
same points that I did and I knew that's likea good sign, I hit the right tone for it. And
I sent it off. I didn't hear anything from it.until I was actually at volleyball practice
I don't know how many weeks later could havebeen a month Orlando called and he said that
(07:19):
they want to use my mix Madonna approved minespecifically that she loved it but it would
be a title exclusive remix of course I was overthe moon I took that as a sign for me as
an artist to start going with my gut Like therewas something behind the fact that Madonna
appreciated my work and wanted it the way itwas that made me believe in myself a little
(07:42):
bit more. That's when I decided I wanted tobe my own artist after that. It was basically
because of Madonna's approval that I becamemy own recording artist.
(08:03):
And it goes
You're
On to each other
Two souls in a ghost town Thank you for sharinga little about. I've been inspired by her
(08:29):
and where he began in terms of Madonna. We'regonna talk a little bit about more Madonna
in terms of your remixes, but also some otherartists as well. And I've been listening to
your remixes as well as your original productionsas a recording artist. And I think I want to
talk about your sound. I'm gonna ask you todescribe it. Let me try to describe it a little
bit. And we'll see how well I do. And then I'dlove to hear you in some detail, your sound.
(08:53):
And then we'll also talk about a little bityour production style. So your style, your
sound, I would call it try to describe it assomething about physically retro but it a vintage
sound to it. The sound is definitely modernin terms of its production style. A little
bit of soul. not exactly retro, but vintagein style. And when I think about, I'm thinking
about your remixes, when people hear about a song that's being remixed, they oftentimes,
(09:16):
I think, think of it as a upbeat, high tempodance song. That's what they expect it's gonna
be. And although I think your songs definitelyhave a groove to them, for sure, and I could
say you could move to them. It's not necessarilya high energy dance. There's where I am with
your sound. Let's keep talking about it littlebit. How would you describe it? You know what?
I tend to be more traditional, I guess, witharrangements. I like taking a song and reinventing
(09:43):
it. I don't necessarily just want to add abeat to it. a song or remix has sort of
like a journey to it. Where you hear somethingand then, oh, this is something a little different.
And then it sort of takes you, oh, like Ididn't expect that. But I want... you to still
move to it, you know? So I tend to be, I likebigger arrangements. I like using sometimes
(10:08):
like orchestra sounds and sometimes synths. And I like that experience because I'm comfortable
with it. I'm not going to do this club slamming track because other people do it a lot better
than I do. Yeah, I'm having fun doing it. And part of the fun is how you get like the creative
part of you out. It's just playing aroundwith. These remixes so being creative about
(10:32):
it. I hear you saying you're trying to reinventthe sound Take the listener on a bit of a journey
musically I really understand what you're tryingto say and I part of reason why I wanted to
have you and one of many reasons I wanted tohave you on this podcast and have the listeners
hear from you because I Want them to be exposedto how a remix can be reinvented? Let's talk
about a Madonna remix of yours, and I have alittle bit of a story I've come across your
(10:54):
stuff before over the years last few years,but I was reminded of you friend of mine, were
just playing around on YouTube and posing eachother to different remixes, but they weren't
at the time. he have you heard of Paul Andrews?I'm like, I can't remember. I'll be honest,
I couldn't remember. he said, oh my favoriteVogue remixes is by Paul Andrews. So we started
(11:14):
listening to it. was like, oh, this is reallyfreaking good. And then we just started listening
to all of your remixes. You've got know, onYouTube and you've got some webpages where
you've got them all listed. And then we juststarted downloading, I started downloading
like crazy, because you make that available.And it's like, oh, the sound, he has a sound
to himself. But that Vogue remix, you say youdon't have high energy, then I wouldn't call
(11:36):
it high energy. But if there was one, thisis it.
You know it, you know
(12:01):
There's a couple other. There's a Whitney remixof yours that think is a higher-end. Yeah,
that one's just okay. Talk about this Vogueremix. How did this come about? It seems to
me there might be a story there. There is astory. Okay. Actually, there's so many little
things about it. My friends were Chef PettyBone and I would try to coax a few stories
out from him, like, you know, oh, how is itworking in the studio with this person and
(12:24):
that person? had so many stories, he's greatwith those stories I get a message one day,
hey, here's a link he sent me the vocals forVogue I'm like, my god how lucky are you? and
then he said I know and he said, you know mybirthday's next week and I'm like, you want
me to do a whole remix by next week? which soundsmore like a record label than a friend I'm
(12:49):
like, let me see what I can do and then I started,I mean flew the vocals in and first of all
just hearing what the original was like howall the parts work is like that's more like
oh my god you know like nerding out to it Iwanted to approach Vogue with respect because
it's such a classic song and it had it hadelements of elegance already to it with the
(13:13):
strings and stuff like that and I thought oh let me concentrate on that side of it I liked
the idea of starting on something that everyonewas familiar with and then like hinting, oh,
it's going to go somewhere else. And the furtheralong it get, the further away it got from
the original mix. I mean, I remember when Iplayed it for my husband, that one part at
(13:35):
the end, I call it beautiful.
Oh yeah, right, right, right. Because I sortof created a new chorus with the background
vocals and I started tearing up with it andI turned around and Tom was crying and I'm
like, yes! I got it. That's awesome. What agreat feeling. What an awesome feeling that
(13:59):
must have been. Yeah, I was so happy withhow it came out and Shep loved it. He said
it was one of his best birthday gifts ever. And then someone did a video for it. He edited
old Hollywood stuff and B roll from the Voguevideo. Did a really good job. I was really
(14:19):
happy with how it turned out. I didn't changethe tempo. I kept it. I think it's 114 or something.
Because again, I wanted to respect the original.In some way, it just really does. You're right.
If you think about the sound that you createdwith that remix, and once again, you reconstructed
it, reinvented it as a term Madonna would use,it does take you on a bit of a journey before
(14:40):
you realize it. I really loved hearing yourstory about you and your husband and how he
hurt the first time and became emotional. Moreof my conversation with Paul later in the episode.
Let's listen to some of his remixes. This isMix 1, Reinvention. A mini continuous mix.
It kicks off with Vogue. And includes more Madonna.Paul's lucky star and living through love.
(15:03):
Plus Adele, Fleetwood Mac, and Sylvia Dionne.
you
(15:39):
Right?
(16:13):
Everywhere you turn is heartache It's everywherethat you go
Everything you can to escape the pain of lifethat you know, life that you love When all
else fails and you long to be something betterthan you are today You can get away, it's
(16:41):
It's what's so
(17:02):
Use your own imagination, so use it, that'swhat it's for
Your finest inspiration Your dreamful
(18:06):
Beauty's where you find it Not just where you bump and grind it Soul is in the music, come,
that's where I'll
(18:29):
I'm fine,
(19:14):
Beauty's where you find me Go, wait for flow!Reddit Garble and Monroe Dietrich and DiMaggio
Marlon Brando, Jimmy Dean on the cover of amagazine Grace Kelly, Harlow Jean, picture
of a beauty queen Jean Kelly, Fred Astaire,Ginger Rogers, dance on air They had style,
(19:36):
they had grace Rita Hayworth, Gabe Goodface,Lauren Kaplan, Manitou Betty Davis, We Love
You, ladies with an attitude Fellas that werein the mood Don't just stand there, let's get
to it Strike a pose, there's nothing to invoke
(20:45):
You gotta just let your body go, make it
To you you
(21:17):
Don't you remember? Sure!
Bringing it down
(22:05):
Show She is half your age But I'm guessingthat's the reason that you stay
You've been telling people
(23:24):
Cause you shine on me wherever you are I justthink of you and I start to glow And I need
your you
(23:58):
So far
(24:29):
Shine your heavenly body tonight
I know you're gonna make everything alright
Shine your heavenly body tonight Cause I know you're gonna make everything alright
(24:56):
And you me a lucky star
(25:28):
Yeah
Shine your heavenly body tonight
(25:49):
Shine your heavenly body tonight
And we'll make everything alright
(26:33):
It's all around that you should play the wayyou feel it But listen carefully to the
Still, I still remember what you had And whatyou lost And what you had And what you lost
(27:37):
you
(28:00):
Here I go again, I see the crystal vision Ikeep my visions to myself So let me know what's
to wrap around your dreams and Dreams you liketo sell Dreams of loneliness like a heartbeat
(28:34):
Still as I remember
And what you
To love
(29:07):
you
Yes, you're free
(29:52):
Watch me stomp
(30:29):
Let's get caught up in better not dwelling onthis crazy mess I found freedom in the ugly
truths I deserve the best and it's not you You'rebroken my heart but you can't break it down
Now falling apart, this was lost now I'm comingHit up my crown, put it back on my head I can't
(30:56):
move you but I will never forget
Please don't I'm gonna carry on
(31:34):
Let's go!
(33:16):
Woke me up one touch and I felt alive You lockedme back to life, back to life, thought I'd
die But voices inside were so quiet
(34:15):
Strong hands, thick skin, and an open heart You saw through the pain, saw through the
mass You'll never give up on me
(35:50):
if you could talk about how you producing theseremixes and your original music. Talk a little
bit about the secret sauce that you're into. Well, every time I approach a new remix,
sometimes something just hits me with it andI go with it. Like I did Kylie Minogue's Slow.
Remember that song? you
(36:25):
Yeah, yeah, oh, sky Keep the feeling low tothe body, yeah, let's go
And all of a sudden like a bossa nova thingcame out from there and so I did it like a
(36:48):
live band sort of like the frozen I did forMadonna and I'm like, wow, this really works
and I was just having fun doing it I didn'tcare if it did anything or not, but I mean
I get positive feedback on it But again theplay aspect when you work is the most important
part of it because that's where ideas come fromI mean you do learn from copying other people,
(37:12):
you learn from reading tutorials online, butyou don't get to who you are unless you start
playing. I love the idea of playing with melody and new harmony, with new rhythms,
with textures, combining different sounds. just, for me, that makes it interesting.
(37:34):
I don't want to, like I mentioned before, Idon't want to have a song just to hear the
beat. I want to have an experience where Iput it on the headphones. And then you can
appreciate the experience. So my production, I want it to be an experience. Trevor Horn
is a huge influence for me. I can see thatactually. can, I can hear that. He, he provides
(38:01):
an experience. And that's why people go to himand like, hey, I need a classic album. And
he delivers it. does that though translateto some, I'm going to talk about some of your
other remixes. You have a couple of Adele remixes,I think that are fantastic. I think you're
fan as well of her. Yeah, I am a fan. AndI suspect there'll be a lot of fans of her
(38:23):
on this podcast as well, on this podcast andlisten to this podcast. So you interpreted
those remixes and what went into the productionof those? Anything you can share? So picking
a song by a vocalist, like if you're gonnaremix, automatically it's gonna make it sound
better because their voice is just so good. It doesn't matter what's in the background
(38:43):
as much. But with that, actually set fireto the rain.
sit bored as I touch your face When it burns,will I cry? Cause I heard it screaming out
(39:03):
your name, your name
I remember buying a sample pack and it hadthat Princess Sam, your number one, Simmonds
snare drum on it and I thought, hmm, I wonderwhat the song would sound like in that same
arrangement. So I started doing Sam, your numberone, but different chords. didn't copy the
(39:29):
original. And it turned out I was really happywith it. And then my friend Larry Flick at
Sirius, He's like, oh my God, I love this.And he started playing it on his channel. Then
he started playing all these other remixes Ihad. That was really nice to hear that. With
the, what's the other one? Rumor has it? Thatone, I just had a groove going and I did this
(39:53):
thing with the bass. I'm like, oh, that soundslike a low down by Boss Gags. And then I'm
like, oh my God, can I work in that middle section into the song? fit perfectly and oh my god
I was so happy with that and it was somethingdifferent because all the other remixes were
(40:15):
the dance remixes for it and I had my own thinggoing. you've done this one a few of the remixes
I noticed not just Adele but a few other onesI'm trying to remember the names now but suddenly
I realized that wait a minute I'm hearing somethingthat is reminiscent of a different song he's
recreated it here I'm trying to remember wasit a seal song? Yeah, see how I did paradise
(40:38):
by charday? I'm hearing a little charday.
We're never gonna survive unless we get a littlecrazy No, never gonna survive unless we are
(41:01):
a little
I really love that. It's probably going to bein the mix.
You do that surprisingly well in a few otherplaces too. It's not a mashup. It's something
(41:22):
new. Yeah, it's not exactly a mashup. Harkensback to another song like, alright. Because
I do play all the parts, I don't take the original. But you know what? This is good for people
who want to get into remixing. Sometimes Ipick a song and I said, okay, I'm going to
challenge myself and do it in this style. Doit in And then you learn about that style
(41:45):
by doing it. Yeah, like I learned, oh, okay,there's space in this mix. That's the important
part. Or, oh, this has the bass is movingit along. And then I mean just by challenging
yourself you learn. So a lot of that was learningproduction. Yeah, you did it really well there.
And if you do release it, why not? Like puttingit out there like this is what I did. Right.
(42:08):
And then you get feedback. Absolutely. Iwant to also say that you bring a point that
I find interesting. Sometimes I hear from peoplelike, these unofficial remixes or underground
remixes are sometimes not so good. I'm like,well actually, know, think about it. They're
taking a huge leap and a huge risk by puttingtheir work out there on the internet to share
with the public worldwide. That's a huge risk.I respect that for one. And that's one of the
(42:33):
part of the many reasons why I do this podcastis a bit of an uplift people and remasters
that I'm listening to. And there's a risk there.I wonder what that's been like for you. You
need some people that I'm familiar with, butwhat's it been like for you to get feedback
from the populace? What's it been like? Hasit been challenging? It's been great. I'm sure
there's been some really great feedback, butWhat's it been like for you? I have been very
(42:55):
fortunate that people involved with the original productions of the songs have reached out
to me. I don't know the word. It's not vindicated. But I feel seen that I understand the musicality
there, or that they understand that I understandit. Does that make sense? It sounds like you
(43:18):
feel a bit supported and encouraged. Yeah, like,oh, this is... Like I did that remix, the Donna
Summer remix, and the songwriter who wrote itwith her contacted me and said, you know, this
is how we actually wrote it. It didn't end uplike this on the album, but she would have
loved this because this is how we wrote it.And that made me... I didn't care if anyone
(43:41):
else liked it. Cause that for me, made my day.Sweet vindication. I like vindication. Definitely.
But that has the connotation. I didn't wantit to sound like that. More of an understanding.
Yeah, understanding is good. Support understanding. The only way you get better at something is
by actually doing the work. Yeah. So you can'tshortcut. I mean, to Madonna's old stuff.
(44:05):
Like her vocals early on. You know, I meanthey had soul to it. It was a little rough.
It was her own thing. But we'll heard howshe developed, you know, and she didn't care.
She released everything. She went with it and, you know, I look at her. So kind of lead
me to some of my final questions. Why did youpick Madonna to remix of all people? First
(44:28):
of all, I found vocals. Yeah, right. No, butagain, it goes back to the songwriting where
there's a melody that you want to sing alongto and like, okay, let me change it up a bit,
but there's something familiar to it still.I mean, they still play her music. That's how
(44:51):
great the melodies were, you know? So it's definitelyhow strong her melodies, even her word choice,
her coming up with these hooks, you know? She'sa master, absolute master at that. Just doesn't
get the credit for it, don't think. No, shedoesn't. Her songwriting is severely overlooked.
(45:15):
Coming up, the final part of our conversationabout his original songwriting and his productions.
And he gives some blunt advice. This is ContinuousMix 2 Cruising for Bruising. It includes Baja,
Robin, With a Taste of Journey, Someone namedKylie, Frankie goes to Hollywood, Paul Andrews'
(45:37):
original song, Dream State, and Adele. you Come to me and cry I know, I know, I know
it's not easy Your heart is aching But so ismine, oh so is mine Can I tell you why? It's
(46:10):
so long, so long, so long I've been thinkingNow I know I can live a lie can live a life
that's true and last forever if we want itthere we'll be waiting a second chance baby
(46:40):
but now meantime time to learn time to understandwhere we belong Life is too strong, we are
cruising, we're cruising from baby, the secondchild Baby, but now we will die in time to
(47:00):
learn time to understand Where we were bornLife is too strong, we are cruising, we're
from Let you go Don't stop, don't stop Poisonsspread and now we're Wasted love, you don't
(47:24):
say goodbye Don't say goodbye They say truelove lasts forever If we wanted, there would
be waiting I'm like I'm a child, but where bethe power? We need time, time to learn, time
(47:51):
to understand. I know it's stupid, but justgotta see it for myself. I'm in the corner,
watching you kiss her.
I'm right over here. Can't you see me? Oh, ohI'm giving it my all But I'm not the guy you're
(48:21):
taking home Ooh, ooh, I keep dancing on my own
I'm just gonna dance all night I'm all messedup, I'm so out of line Stilettos and broken
(48:59):
bottles I'm spending the found in I'm in thecorner watching you kiss her I'm right over
here, why can't you see me?
(49:22):
I'm giving it my all
I keep dancing on my own
(49:55):
Far away
I put my best dress on, boy I was so right Our eyes connected Now nothing's how it used
(50:20):
to be Don't second guess it Tracking on thisfeeling Full focus, close up, you and me Nobody's
leaving Got me So electric Slow down
(51:52):
do it, relax, don't do it, when you wanna come.Relax, don't do it, when you wanna suck it
to it. Relax, don't do it, when you wanna
(52:14):
Don't do it
Don't do it when you wanna come, Don't doit when you wanna suck to it, relax
(52:54):
You
(53:59):
Don't do it when you wanna go to it relaxdon't do
Don't do it when you wanna suck it to it Relax,don't
(55:16):
Tell the songs, world the stories
(56:00):
limitations
(56:20):
I feel like
(56:43):
Sounds of songs, world and story
(57:52):
you
You me
But my knees will fall to you
(58:18):
you
I set fire to the rain Watch it pour as Idash to face When it burn will I cry cause
(58:45):
I heard it screaming out your name
you
(59:44):
I heard it scream in the gym name
(01:00:13):
I must be waiting for her Even
(01:00:52):
Something
One more talk, a little more question aboutremixes, then I want talk a little bit about
(01:01:13):
your own original productions. I've noticedthat there hasn't been anything new recently
in last... Are you still remixing? No, not really.I do special projects where I... How do I answer
this? Well, it is a lot of work to put in todo a remix. It is. But the shelf life isn't
(01:01:37):
like it used to be. Sure. And like after twoweeks, people just aren't interested in it
as much. They'll move on, right? Yeah. I mean,and that's our society now with TikTok and
all that stuff where people want something quickand then they're onto the next thing. Right.
So that gets a little frustrating. Also, I realized I was coming up with all these
(01:01:57):
good ideas, but for someone else's work. Solike, can't I do it for my, my own work?
And there's something, there's something. aboutcreating everything on your own that is just
so satisfying. And I know this podcast is, you know, a lot of people listening is because
(01:02:18):
they want to get into remixing. And I bet a lot of people here when they hit a certain
point, they're going to be, know what? I needto do my own thing. Absolutely. That doesn't
mean they still can't remix, but they're goingto hit that point where that creativity just
takes over like, you know what? I could do myown thing here. my own thing here. And that's
(01:02:40):
what I wanted. I wanted to do my own thing.I had two albums. Yes. My COVID album. Yes.
I had to do something during Yes. We all did. Yeah, there's something really satisfying
about that. And I'm still learning it, you know. The only difference is that I'm putting it
out there. You have to put it out. You can'tjust keep stuff for yourself. You've moved
(01:03:03):
on to doing your own original production ofthe two albums now and I have been diving
into them. We talked a little bit about yoursound and I think you continue that to a degree
with your original productions. Would you saythat?
(01:03:53):
Yeah, definitely. I want the experience. Iwant it to be an experience. I mean, I have
been since the last album heavily influencedon other types of music. I don't know how
it's going to come out for me. I've been writing, I'm playing around, I don't have any definite
(01:04:19):
I don't have a path and I'm okay with thatbecause maybe I should just really singles
maybe I should do an EP my friend Larry toldme I should do an EP and I I want to keep
on seeing what else I can do so who knowsif I'll sound like Suzy and the Banshees next.
(01:04:46):
That's unlikely. love Suzy and the Banshees. But that's whole different influence if you
know what I mean. It's not like the Pet ShopBoys influence they might have or ABC and stuff
like that.
(01:05:33):
ABC, alright. I love ABC. Yes. A final question.You talked a lot about your sound. Artists
that you enjoy, the vocalists that you enjoy,and the remixes that you've created. We've
talked a few about them in depth. Some of thechallenges you've had and how you've developed
as a producer and a musician. Some of the friendsthat you have in the industry have learned
(01:05:55):
a lot about you. There's a lot of history here.Is there any final thing that you'd like to
say to the public? Whether they're listeninghere or not. they're listening here or not.
Something that you want to send, a messageyou want to send, people you want to thank,
I don't know. Just because someone else issuccessful doesn't mean that you're not going
to be successful or it takes it away from you.And I feel like some people don't want to share
(01:06:17):
like how they, like the secret sauce and whatyou were talking about. And the whole thing
is about, this is your representation of yourself. It doesn't matter that you know how to use
the quantize feature. Right? So I think it'shelpful. I use it all the time. But I feel
(01:06:40):
like sometimes people don't share in a communitybecause they're thinking it's going to take
away from their six months. Thank you for that.I really appreciate that. This is continuous
mix three frozen crazy driving rain in a ghosttown. Yes, that's the title. It has three remixes
from Paul of Madonna. It starts with Frozen,then some Seal with a little taste of Charday,
(01:07:03):
Everything But The Girl, then this remix ofRain, and Paul's official remix of Ghost Town.
(01:07:28):
You only see what your eyes want to see Howcan life be what you want it to be? You're
frozen when your heart's not open You'reso consumed with how much you get You waste
(01:07:50):
your time with hate and regret You're broken When your heart's not
(01:08:17):
You
yourself to me
(01:08:53):
You should know I suffer the same if I loseyou
There's a bird she needs to fly Inside of youdie, you're frozen
(01:09:46):
to me
(01:10:29):
If I could melt your
yourself to me.
(01:11:20):
after 70 years that's it goes there for is tounlock the around and criticize and sleep
Until on a breaking wall I see you my friend And touch your face again Miracles will happen
(01:11:48):
as we dream
We get a little
(01:12:23):
you
You are
(01:12:45):
You'll have my nights with me
(01:13:41):
So
Another boy
(01:14:10):
It's coming to you
I you too well, and all of my lonely secretsto you I tell The highest of highs, the lowest
(01:14:32):
of lows I'll come driving with
I'll come down, I'll come down, I'll come comedown, I'll I'll I'll I'll I'll I'll down, I'll
(01:15:49):
Feel it on
life's coming down like rain Wash away mysorrow Take away my pain Your life's coming
down like rain You're so burning mine andyou take the time to tell me how you feel.
(01:16:18):
you listen to my words and I know you heard, I know it's real rain. It's what this thunder
brings for the first time. I can hear my heartsing.
(01:16:38):
Stand out here on the mountain top, till I feelyour... Hearing all the window pane Your
love's coming out like rain Wash away my sorrowTake away my pain Your love's coming out like
(01:17:04):
rain When you looked through my eyes And yousaid goodbye Could you see my tears? Then
I turned real away Did you hear me say I'dwait for all the dark clouds bursting in a
perfect sky You promised me when you saidgoodbye That you'd return when the snow was
(01:17:34):
done And now I wait for the light I'll waitfor the sun And I feel your rain Feel it
on
love's coming down like rain Wash away my sorrowTake away my pain Your love's coming down like
(01:18:00):
rain
Here comes the sun
Stay with me
(01:18:24):
Maybe it was all too much, too much for a manto take Everything's bound to break, sooner
or later, sooner or later You're all that Ican trust, facing the darkest days Everyone
ran away We're gonna stay here, we're gonnastay here Ah, ah, I know you're scared tonight
(01:18:54):
Ah, ah, I'll never leave your side When itall falls, when it all falls down I'll be your
fire when the lights go out When there's noone, no one else around We'll be two souls
in a ghost town When the world gets...
(01:19:24):
Just When it all falls, when it all fallsdown We'll be two souls in a ghost town
Tell me how we got this far Every man for himself Everything's gone to hell We gotta stay strong
(01:19:51):
We're gonna hold on This world has turned todust All we've got left is love Might as
well stop with us Singing a new song Somethingto build on
(01:20:15):
When it all falls, when it all falls down
To the souls in a
(01:20:35):
Let's just hold on
Two souls in a ghost town
(01:21:02):
This mad, mad world, even with no Shine likegold in this mad, in this mad, mad world
(01:21:23):
When it all falls down I'll be your fire whenthe lights go out When there's no one going
else around We'll be two souls in a ghost town
(01:22:02):
Two souls in a ghost town You've been listeningto Like Amuse, Madonna, Renas's culture, the
podcast. I would like to thank my special guest,featured muse, Mr. Paul Andrews. My name is
(01:22:26):
Kerry John Pointer. Thanks for listening.
Listened to by thousands, climbing the podcastcharts in multiple countries, across the globe,
on every continent. And now nominated fora 50 over 50 podcast award. This is Like A
Muse, the podcast about Madonna Remix's culture. Featuring producers, remasters, and artists
(00:24):
with the Queen as their muse. My name is KerryJohn Pointer. your producer and host. This
episode, our featured muse, is recording artistand remixer, Paul Andrews. The episode contains
(00:44):
my conversation with Paul. He takes us behindthe remix of Ghost Town, his officially commissioned
remix for Madonna, and how she inspired himto write his own music and believe in his sound.
We also delve into his other remixes of Madonnaand other artists like Adele, Seal, and someone
named Kylie. You The interview is interspersedbetween sections of a DJ continuous mix, heavy
(01:15):
on his Madonna remixes, plus four of whathe considers his essential remixes, and of
course my personal faves. This episode is sponsoredby the Vythen Music Visualizer App by MK Games
Art and Visuals. The Vythen App is an importantpart of the production process for the episode
(01:35):
video visualizers on YouTube. Now you can createyour own unique visuals on the fly as you listen
to my episodes. US listeners use the specialdiscount link for 50 % off the first year.
A generous percentage of your subscription directlysupports my podcast. Make sure to use the
link in the show notes or on the Like A Musepage or the Club Carry NYC Sponsors page. The
(01:58):
Vivid Music Visualizer App for iOS, Androidand Mac. introducing our muse, Paul Andrews.
He has written songs for documentaries andproduced remixes for Dolly Parton, Gloria Estefan,
Robert Basha, Wing Chung and Madonna. And ofcourse many underground remixes of various
artists, some of which you will hear todayin this episode. Paul is now his own recording
(02:19):
artist. and has written, arranged, performed, and produced two full-length albums, Light
and Dust in 2019 and From the Distance in 2022.So Mr. Paul Andrews, welcome to Like a Muse.
Thank you for having me. I'm so glad you'rehere and I've had a really good time getting
(02:40):
to know you in the pre-production for this interview.I have a number of questions for you as you
know, this is a Madonna podcast after all. Andthis is a question I ask everyone. Can you
share a story of your first Madonna relatedmemory? It can be anything, perhaps a song
or an image or a video, anything, anything atall. I encourage you to go way back. Okay.
Well, I grew up in the 80s. So MTV, allof that stuff. I remember seeing her videos,
(03:07):
but it wasn't until Borderline came out. I rememberher spray painting the walls and I think a
car or something. I'm like, oh, this is goodsong. think Reggie Lucas wrote that. I'm like,
oh. Yes, Reggie. That's when I started noticingMadonna with that song. OK. But it wasn't
until True Blue when I really got into her becauseshe wants to be an artist. She was growing,
(03:31):
you know? Becoming more mature artists in herlyrics and in the writing. It was Pat Leonard
she was working with. A little Stephen Braystill. Yeah, Stephen Bray. Like A Prayer
2, those two. Oh gosh, from True Blue to LikeA Prayer, huge artistic jumps, most definitely.
And I tell them that we're getting off of abusy road. I'm always going to go back and
think about that time. Her critics never wantedto give her anything. Think about those songs
(03:55):
that came out like that, Live To Tell and LikeA Prayer and... Yeah, they were like really
good pop songs. Major pop songs and just goodsongwriting. They should have had Grammy Awards.
She got nothing. It wasn't until Ray of Lightthat she got it. Almost 20 years later. That's
good to hear about your memory, but can youtalk a little bit about how you might have
(04:15):
been inspired by her? Again, the more of her,where she was getting mature with her writing,
I thought, you know what? She's actually doingthe writing. She's writing about interesting
topics. She has a real knack for melody too,which is one reason why I wanted to remix
her stuff is because there's an actual melodythere. A lot of songs nowadays just repeat
notes and stuff, but She had a way to writewhere you wanted to sing along with her. For
(04:41):
me, that's good writing. Let's dive into yourMadonna remixes. Your Ghost Town remix was
an official commissioned remix approved by Madonnaherself. Can you take us behind the remix
and tell us the story and how did this opportunityaffect you personally or professionally? There
is a story around Ghost Town. I was headingback from work and I got a call from my friend
(05:04):
Michael who said, hey, one of Madonna's remix A &R guys Orlando Puerta is really interested
in having you remix Madonna's next single GhostTown. I was on the train and I was like what?
He said is it okay to give him your numberand all the stuff and I said yes of course.
(05:24):
So a few minutes later I did get a call fromOrlando. He had heard my Living for Love remix.
(05:52):
and wanted me to do a spec remix. They wouldsee if they could use it or not. So I started
thinking of ideas immediately for the mix.The other thing about this, I only had two
days to work on the mix because I was leavingfor vacation. Send it over to him and I wouldn't
know anything about it after that. I startedto arrange the remix in my head on the train.
(06:13):
I knew the tempo was one of those tricky temposwhere you could speed it up, you could slow
it down. Didn't know what to do with it. Everytime I was coming up with ideas it was more
of an expansion of what the original was tomake it more orchestral sounding. So I reached
out to Orlando and I asked what is she lookingfor? And he said, we want you to do what you
(06:34):
think would be best for the song. And I said,well, I'm hearing this sort of slower and
not necessarily a dance mix. And he said, thengo for it. Like if that's what you're hearing.
So I went with my gut and I did something slowand somehow I came up with everything in the
two days, not even during work. I still hadto go into work the next day. So everything
(06:56):
happened after work. I mixed it down. Tom listenedto it. My husband, he got emotional. At the
same points that I did and I knew that's likea good sign, I hit the right tone for it. And
I sent it off. I didn't hear anything from it.until I was actually at volleyball practice
I don't know how many weeks later could havebeen a month Orlando called and he said that
(07:19):
they want to use my mix Madonna approved minespecifically that she loved it but it would
be a title exclusive remix of course I was overthe moon I took that as a sign for me as
an artist to start going with my gut Like therewas something behind the fact that Madonna
appreciated my work and wanted it the way itwas that made me believe in myself a little
(07:42):
bit more. That's when I decided I wanted tobe my own artist after that. It was basically
because of Madonna's approval that I becamemy own recording artist.
(08:03):
And it goes
You're
On to each other
Two souls in a ghost town Thank you for sharinga little about. I've been inspired by her
(08:29):
and where he began in terms of Madonna. We'regonna talk a little bit about more Madonna
in terms of your remixes, but also some otherartists as well. And I've been listening to
your remixes as well as your original productionsas a recording artist. And I think I want to
talk about your sound. I'm gonna ask you todescribe it. Let me try to describe it a little
bit. And we'll see how well I do. And then I'dlove to hear you in some detail, your sound.
(08:53):
And then we'll also talk about a little bityour production style. So your style, your
sound, I would call it try to describe it assomething about physically retro but it a vintage
sound to it. The sound is definitely modernin terms of its production style. A little
bit of soul. not exactly retro, but vintagein style. And when I think about, I'm thinking
about your remixes, when people hear about a song that's being remixed, they oftentimes,
(09:16):
I think, think of it as a upbeat, high tempodance song. That's what they expect it's gonna
be. And although I think your songs definitelyhave a groove to them, for sure, and I could
say you could move to them. It's not necessarilya high energy dance. There's where I am with
your sound. Let's keep talking about it littlebit. How would you describe it? You know what?
I tend to be more traditional, I guess, witharrangements. I like taking a song and reinventing
(09:43):
it. I don't necessarily just want to add abeat to it. a song or remix has sort of
like a journey to it. Where you hear somethingand then, oh, this is something a little different.
And then it sort of takes you, oh, like Ididn't expect that. But I want... you to still
move to it, you know? So I tend to be, I likebigger arrangements. I like using sometimes
(10:08):
like orchestra sounds and sometimes synths. And I like that experience because I'm comfortable
with it. I'm not going to do this club slamming track because other people do it a lot better
than I do. Yeah, I'm having fun doing it. And part of the fun is how you get like the creative
part of you out. It's just playing aroundwith. These remixes so being creative about
(10:32):
it. I hear you saying you're trying to reinventthe sound Take the listener on a bit of a journey
musically I really understand what you're tryingto say and I part of reason why I wanted to
have you and one of many reasons I wanted tohave you on this podcast and have the listeners
hear from you because I Want them to be exposedto how a remix can be reinvented? Let's talk
about a Madonna remix of yours, and I have alittle bit of a story I've come across your
(10:54):
stuff before over the years last few years,but I was reminded of you friend of mine, were
just playing around on YouTube and posing eachother to different remixes, but they weren't
at the time. he have you heard of Paul Andrews?I'm like, I can't remember. I'll be honest,
I couldn't remember. he said, oh my favoriteVogue remixes is by Paul Andrews. So we started
(11:14):
listening to it. was like, oh, this is reallyfreaking good. And then we just started listening
to all of your remixes. You've got know, onYouTube and you've got some webpages where
you've got them all listed. And then we juststarted downloading, I started downloading
like crazy, because you make that available.And it's like, oh, the sound, he has a sound
to himself. But that Vogue remix, you say youdon't have high energy, then I wouldn't call
(11:36):
it high energy. But if there was one, thisis it.
You know it, you know
(12:01):
There's a couple other. There's a Whitney remixof yours that think is a higher-end. Yeah,
that one's just okay. Talk about this Vogueremix. How did this come about? It seems to
me there might be a story there. There is astory. Okay. Actually, there's so many little
things about it. My friends were Chef PettyBone and I would try to coax a few stories
out from him, like, you know, oh, how is itworking in the studio with this person and
(12:24):
that person? had so many stories, he's greatwith those stories I get a message one day,
hey, here's a link he sent me the vocals forVogue I'm like, my god how lucky are you? and
then he said I know and he said, you know mybirthday's next week and I'm like, you want
me to do a whole remix by next week? which soundsmore like a record label than a friend I'm
(12:49):
like, let me see what I can do and then I started,I mean flew the vocals in and first of all
just hearing what the original was like howall the parts work is like that's more like
oh my god you know like nerding out to it Iwanted to approach Vogue with respect because
it's such a classic song and it had it hadelements of elegance already to it with the
(13:13):
strings and stuff like that and I thought oh let me concentrate on that side of it I liked
the idea of starting on something that everyonewas familiar with and then like hinting, oh,
it's going to go somewhere else. And the furtheralong it get, the further away it got from
the original mix. I mean, I remember when Iplayed it for my husband, that one part at
(13:35):
the end, I call it beautiful.
Oh yeah, right, right, right. Because I sortof created a new chorus with the background
vocals and I started tearing up with it andI turned around and Tom was crying and I'm
like, yes! I got it. That's awesome. What agreat feeling. What an awesome feeling that
(13:59):
must have been. Yeah, I was so happy withhow it came out and Shep loved it. He said
it was one of his best birthday gifts ever. And then someone did a video for it. He edited
old Hollywood stuff and B roll from the Voguevideo. Did a really good job. I was really
(14:19):
happy with how it turned out. I didn't changethe tempo. I kept it. I think it's 114 or something.
Because again, I wanted to respect the original.In some way, it just really does. You're right.
If you think about the sound that you createdwith that remix, and once again, you reconstructed
it, reinvented it as a term Madonna would use,it does take you on a bit of a journey before
(14:40):
you realize it. I really loved hearing yourstory about you and your husband and how he
hurt the first time and became emotional. Moreof my conversation with Paul later in the episode.
Let's listen to some of his remixes. This isMix 1, Reinvention. A mini continuous mix.
It kicks off with Vogue. And includes more Madonna.Paul's lucky star and living through love.
(15:03):
Plus Adele, Fleetwood Mac, and Sylvia Dionne.
you
(15:39):
Right?
(16:13):
Everywhere you turn is heartache It's everywherethat you go
Everything you can to escape the pain of lifethat you know, life that you love When all
else fails and you long to be something betterthan you are today You can get away, it's
(16:41):
It's what's so
(17:02):
Use your own imagination, so use it, that'swhat it's for
Your finest inspiration Your dreamful
(18:06):
Beauty's where you find it Not just where you bump and grind it Soul is in the music, come,
that's where I'll
(18:29):
I'm fine,
(19:14):
Beauty's where you find me Go, wait for flow!Reddit Garble and Monroe Dietrich and DiMaggio
Marlon Brando, Jimmy Dean on the cover of amagazine Grace Kelly, Harlow Jean, picture
of a beauty queen Jean Kelly, Fred Astaire,Ginger Rogers, dance on air They had style,
(19:36):
they had grace Rita Hayworth, Gabe Goodface,Lauren Kaplan, Manitou Betty Davis, We Love
You, ladies with an attitude Fellas that werein the mood Don't just stand there, let's get
to it Strike a pose, there's nothing to invoke
(20:45):
You gotta just let your body go, make it
To you you
(21:17):
Don't you remember? Sure!
Bringing it down
(22:05):
Show She is half your age But I'm guessingthat's the reason that you stay
You've been telling people
(23:24):
Cause you shine on me wherever you are I justthink of you and I start to glow And I need
your you
(23:58):
So far
(24:29):
Shine your heavenly body tonight
I know you're gonna make everything alright
Shine your heavenly body tonight Cause I know you're gonna make everything alright
(24:56):
And you me a lucky star
(25:28):
Yeah
Shine your heavenly body tonight
(25:49):
Shine your heavenly body tonight
And we'll make everything alright
(26:33):
It's all around that you should play the wayyou feel it But listen carefully to the
Still, I still remember what you had And whatyou lost And what you had And what you lost
(27:37):
you
(28:00):
Here I go again, I see the crystal vision Ikeep my visions to myself So let me know what's
to wrap around your dreams and Dreams you liketo sell Dreams of loneliness like a heartbeat
(28:34):
Still as I remember
And what you
To love
(29:07):
you
Yes, you're free
(29:52):
Watch me stomp
(30:29):
Let's get caught up in better not dwelling onthis crazy mess I found freedom in the ugly
truths I deserve the best and it's not you You'rebroken my heart but you can't break it down
Now falling apart, this was lost now I'm comingHit up my crown, put it back on my head I can't
(30:56):
move you but I will never forget
Please don't I'm gonna carry on
(31:34):
Let's go!
(33:16):
Woke me up one touch and I felt alive You lockedme back to life, back to life, thought I'd
die But voices inside were so quiet
(34:15):
Strong hands, thick skin, and an open heart You saw through the pain, saw through the
mass You'll never give up on me
(35:50):
if you could talk about how you producing theseremixes and your original music. Talk a little
bit about the secret sauce that you're into. Well, every time I approach a new remix,
sometimes something just hits me with it andI go with it. Like I did Kylie Minogue's Slow.
Remember that song? you
(36:25):
Yeah, yeah, oh, sky Keep the feeling low tothe body, yeah, let's go
And all of a sudden like a bossa nova thingcame out from there and so I did it like a
(36:48):
live band sort of like the frozen I did forMadonna and I'm like, wow, this really works
and I was just having fun doing it I didn'tcare if it did anything or not, but I mean
I get positive feedback on it But again theplay aspect when you work is the most important
part of it because that's where ideas come fromI mean you do learn from copying other people,
(37:12):
you learn from reading tutorials online, butyou don't get to who you are unless you start
playing. I love the idea of playing with melody and new harmony, with new rhythms,
with textures, combining different sounds. just, for me, that makes it interesting.
(37:34):
I don't want to, like I mentioned before, Idon't want to have a song just to hear the
beat. I want to have an experience where Iput it on the headphones. And then you can
appreciate the experience. So my production, I want it to be an experience. Trevor Horn
is a huge influence for me. I can see thatactually. can, I can hear that. He, he provides
(38:01):
an experience. And that's why people go to himand like, hey, I need a classic album. And
he delivers it. does that though translateto some, I'm going to talk about some of your
other remixes. You have a couple of Adele remixes,I think that are fantastic. I think you're
fan as well of her. Yeah, I am a fan. AndI suspect there'll be a lot of fans of her
(38:23):
on this podcast as well, on this podcast andlisten to this podcast. So you interpreted
those remixes and what went into the productionof those? Anything you can share? So picking
a song by a vocalist, like if you're gonnaremix, automatically it's gonna make it sound
better because their voice is just so good. It doesn't matter what's in the background
(38:43):
as much. But with that, actually set fireto the rain.
sit bored as I touch your face When it burns,will I cry? Cause I heard it screaming out
(39:03):
your name, your name
I remember buying a sample pack and it hadthat Princess Sam, your number one, Simmonds
snare drum on it and I thought, hmm, I wonderwhat the song would sound like in that same
arrangement. So I started doing Sam, your numberone, but different chords. didn't copy the
(39:29):
original. And it turned out I was really happywith it. And then my friend Larry Flick at
Sirius, He's like, oh my God, I love this.And he started playing it on his channel. Then
he started playing all these other remixes Ihad. That was really nice to hear that. With
the, what's the other one? Rumor has it? Thatone, I just had a groove going and I did this
(39:53):
thing with the bass. I'm like, oh, that soundslike a low down by Boss Gags. And then I'm
like, oh my God, can I work in that middle section into the song? fit perfectly and oh my god
I was so happy with that and it was somethingdifferent because all the other remixes were
(40:15):
the dance remixes for it and I had my own thinggoing. you've done this one a few of the remixes
I noticed not just Adele but a few other onesI'm trying to remember the names now but suddenly
I realized that wait a minute I'm hearing somethingthat is reminiscent of a different song he's
recreated it here I'm trying to remember wasit a seal song? Yeah, see how I did paradise
(40:38):
by charday? I'm hearing a little charday.
We're never gonna survive unless we get a littlecrazy No, never gonna survive unless we are
(41:01):
a little
I really love that. It's probably going to bein the mix.
You do that surprisingly well in a few otherplaces too. It's not a mashup. It's something
(41:22):
new. Yeah, it's not exactly a mashup. Harkensback to another song like, alright. Because
I do play all the parts, I don't take the original. But you know what? This is good for people
who want to get into remixing. Sometimes Ipick a song and I said, okay, I'm going to
challenge myself and do it in this style. Doit in And then you learn about that style
(41:45):
by doing it. Yeah, like I learned, oh, okay,there's space in this mix. That's the important
part. Or, oh, this has the bass is movingit along. And then I mean just by challenging
yourself you learn. So a lot of that was learningproduction. Yeah, you did it really well there.
And if you do release it, why not? Like puttingit out there like this is what I did. Right.
(42:08):
And then you get feedback. Absolutely. Iwant to also say that you bring a point that
I find interesting. Sometimes I hear from peoplelike, these unofficial remixes or underground
remixes are sometimes not so good. I'm like,well actually, know, think about it. They're
taking a huge leap and a huge risk by puttingtheir work out there on the internet to share
with the public worldwide. That's a huge risk.I respect that for one. And that's one of the
(42:33):
part of the many reasons why I do this podcastis a bit of an uplift people and remasters
that I'm listening to. And there's a risk there.I wonder what that's been like for you. You
need some people that I'm familiar with, butwhat's it been like for you to get feedback
from the populace? What's it been like? Hasit been challenging? It's been great. I'm sure
there's been some really great feedback, butWhat's it been like for you? I have been very
(42:55):
fortunate that people involved with the original productions of the songs have reached out
to me. I don't know the word. It's not vindicated. But I feel seen that I understand the musicality
there, or that they understand that I understandit. Does that make sense? It sounds like you
(43:18):
feel a bit supported and encouraged. Yeah, like,oh, this is... Like I did that remix, the Donna
Summer remix, and the songwriter who wrote itwith her contacted me and said, you know, this
is how we actually wrote it. It didn't end uplike this on the album, but she would have
loved this because this is how we wrote it.And that made me... I didn't care if anyone
(43:41):
else liked it. Cause that for me, made my day.Sweet vindication. I like vindication. Definitely.
But that has the connotation. I didn't wantit to sound like that. More of an understanding.
Yeah, understanding is good. Support understanding. The only way you get better at something is
by actually doing the work. Yeah. So you can'tshortcut. I mean, to Madonna's old stuff.
(44:05):
Like her vocals early on. You know, I meanthey had soul to it. It was a little rough.
It was her own thing. But we'll heard howshe developed, you know, and she didn't care.
She released everything. She went with it and, you know, I look at her. So kind of lead
me to some of my final questions. Why did youpick Madonna to remix of all people? First
(44:28):
of all, I found vocals. Yeah, right. No, butagain, it goes back to the songwriting where
there's a melody that you want to sing alongto and like, okay, let me change it up a bit,
but there's something familiar to it still.I mean, they still play her music. That's how
(44:51):
great the melodies were, you know? So it's definitelyhow strong her melodies, even her word choice,
her coming up with these hooks, you know? She'sa master, absolute master at that. Just doesn't
get the credit for it, don't think. No, shedoesn't. Her songwriting is severely overlooked.
(45:15):
Coming up, the final part of our conversationabout his original songwriting and his productions.
And he gives some blunt advice. This is ContinuousMix 2 Cruising for Bruising. It includes Baja,
Robin, With a Taste of Journey, Someone namedKylie, Frankie goes to Hollywood, Paul Andrews'
(45:37):
original song, Dream State, and Adele. you Come to me and cry I know, I know, I know
it's not easy Your heart is aching But so ismine, oh so is mine Can I tell you why? It's
(46:10):
so long, so long, so long I've been thinkingNow I know I can live a lie can live a life
that's true and last forever if we want itthere we'll be waiting a second chance baby
(46:40):
but now meantime time to learn time to understandwhere we belong Life is too strong, we are
cruising, we're cruising from baby, the secondchild Baby, but now we will die in time to
(47:00):
learn time to understand Where we were bornLife is too strong, we are cruising, we're
from Let you go Don't stop, don't stop Poisonsspread and now we're Wasted love, you don't
(47:24):
say goodbye Don't say goodbye They say truelove lasts forever If we wanted, there would
be waiting I'm like I'm a child, but where bethe power? We need time, time to learn, time
(47:51):
to understand. I know it's stupid, but justgotta see it for myself. I'm in the corner,
watching you kiss her.
I'm right over here. Can't you see me? Oh, ohI'm giving it my all But I'm not the guy you're
(48:21):
taking home Ooh, ooh, I keep dancing on my own
I'm just gonna dance all night I'm all messedup, I'm so out of line Stilettos and broken
(48:59):
bottles I'm spending the found in I'm in thecorner watching you kiss her I'm right over
here, why can't you see me?
(49:22):
I'm giving it my all
I keep dancing on my own
(49:55):
Far away
I put my best dress on, boy I was so right Our eyes connected Now nothing's how it used
(50:20):
to be Don't second guess it Tracking on thisfeeling Full focus, close up, you and me Nobody's
leaving Got me So electric Slow down
(51:52):
do it, relax, don't do it, when you wanna come.Relax, don't do it, when you wanna suck it
to it. Relax, don't do it, when you wanna
(52:14):
Don't do it
Don't do it when you wanna come, Don't doit when you wanna suck to it, relax
(52:54):
You
(53:59):
Don't do it when you wanna go to it relaxdon't do
Don't do it when you wanna suck it to it Relax,don't
(55:16):
Tell the songs, world the stories
(56:00):
limitations
(56:20):
I feel like
(56:43):
Sounds of songs, world and story
(57:52):
you
You me
But my knees will fall to you
(58:18):
you
I set fire to the rain Watch it pour as Idash to face When it burn will I cry cause
(58:45):
I heard it screaming out your name
you
(59:44):
I heard it scream in the gym name
(01:00:13):
I must be waiting for her Even
(01:00:52):
Something
One more talk, a little more question aboutremixes, then I want talk a little bit about
(01:01:13):
your own original productions. I've noticedthat there hasn't been anything new recently
in last... Are you still remixing? No, not really.I do special projects where I... How do I answer
this? Well, it is a lot of work to put in todo a remix. It is. But the shelf life isn't
(01:01:37):
like it used to be. Sure. And like after twoweeks, people just aren't interested in it
as much. They'll move on, right? Yeah. I mean,and that's our society now with TikTok and
all that stuff where people want something quickand then they're onto the next thing. Right.
So that gets a little frustrating. Also, I realized I was coming up with all these
(01:01:57):
good ideas, but for someone else's work. Solike, can't I do it for my, my own work?
And there's something, there's something. aboutcreating everything on your own that is just
so satisfying. And I know this podcast is, you know, a lot of people listening is because
(01:02:18):
they want to get into remixing. And I bet a lot of people here when they hit a certain
point, they're going to be, know what? I needto do my own thing. Absolutely. That doesn't
mean they still can't remix, but they're goingto hit that point where that creativity just
takes over like, you know what? I could do myown thing here. my own thing here. And that's
(01:02:40):
what I wanted. I wanted to do my own thing.I had two albums. Yes. My COVID album. Yes.
I had to do something during Yes. We all did. Yeah, there's something really satisfying
about that. And I'm still learning it, you know. The only difference is that I'm putting it
out there. You have to put it out. You can'tjust keep stuff for yourself. You've moved
(01:03:03):
on to doing your own original production ofthe two albums now and I have been diving
into them. We talked a little bit about yoursound and I think you continue that to a degree
with your original productions. Would you saythat?
(01:03:53):
Yeah, definitely. I want the experience. Iwant it to be an experience. I mean, I have
been since the last album heavily influencedon other types of music. I don't know how
it's going to come out for me. I've been writing, I'm playing around, I don't have any definite
(01:04:19):
I don't have a path and I'm okay with thatbecause maybe I should just really singles
maybe I should do an EP my friend Larry toldme I should do an EP and I I want to keep
on seeing what else I can do so who knowsif I'll sound like Suzy and the Banshees next.
(01:04:46):
That's unlikely. love Suzy and the Banshees. But that's whole different influence if you
know what I mean. It's not like the Pet ShopBoys influence they might have or ABC and stuff
like that.
(01:05:33):
ABC, alright. I love ABC. Yes. A final question.You talked a lot about your sound. Artists
that you enjoy, the vocalists that you enjoy,and the remixes that you've created. We've
talked a few about them in depth. Some of thechallenges you've had and how you've developed
as a producer and a musician. Some of the friendsthat you have in the industry have learned
(01:05:55):
a lot about you. There's a lot of history here.Is there any final thing that you'd like to
say to the public? Whether they're listeninghere or not. they're listening here or not.
Something that you want to send, a messageyou want to send, people you want to thank,
I don't know. Just because someone else issuccessful doesn't mean that you're not going
to be successful or it takes it away from you.And I feel like some people don't want to share
(01:06:17):
like how they, like the secret sauce and whatyou were talking about. And the whole thing
is about, this is your representation of yourself. It doesn't matter that you know how to use
the quantize feature. Right? So I think it'shelpful. I use it all the time. But I feel
(01:06:40):
like sometimes people don't share in a communitybecause they're thinking it's going to take
away from their six months. Thank you for that.I really appreciate that. This is continuous
mix three frozen crazy driving rain in a ghosttown. Yes, that's the title. It has three remixes
from Paul of Madonna. It starts with Frozen,then some Seal with a little taste of Charday,
(01:07:03):
Everything But The Girl, then this remix ofRain, and Paul's official remix of Ghost Town.
(01:07:28):
You only see what your eyes want to see Howcan life be what you want it to be? You're
frozen when your heart's not open You'reso consumed with how much you get You waste
(01:07:50):
your time with hate and regret You're broken When your heart's not
(01:08:17):
You
yourself to me
(01:08:53):
You should know I suffer the same if I loseyou
There's a bird she needs to fly Inside of youdie, you're frozen
(01:09:46):
to me
(01:10:29):
If I could melt your
yourself to me.
(01:11:20):
after 70 years that's it goes there for is tounlock the around and criticize and sleep
Until on a breaking wall I see you my friend And touch your face again Miracles will happen
(01:11:48):
as we dream
We get a little
(01:12:23):
you
You are
(01:12:45):
You'll have my nights with me
(01:13:41):
So
Another boy
(01:14:10):
It's coming to you
I you too well, and all of my lonely secretsto you I tell The highest of highs, the lowest
(01:14:32):
of lows I'll come driving with
I'll come down, I'll come down, I'll come comedown, I'll I'll I'll I'll I'll I'll down, I'll
(01:15:49):
Feel it on
life's coming down like rain Wash away mysorrow Take away my pain Your life's coming
down like rain You're so burning mine andyou take the time to tell me how you feel.
(01:16:18):
you listen to my words and I know you heard, I know it's real rain. It's what this thunder
brings for the first time. I can hear my heartsing.
(01:16:38):
Stand out here on the mountain top, till I feelyour... Hearing all the window pane Your
love's coming out like rain Wash away my sorrowTake away my pain Your love's coming out like
(01:17:04):
rain When you looked through my eyes And yousaid goodbye Could you see my tears? Then
I turned real away Did you hear me say I'dwait for all the dark clouds bursting in a
perfect sky You promised me when you saidgoodbye That you'd return when the snow was
(01:17:34):
done And now I wait for the light I'll waitfor the sun And I feel your rain Feel it
on
love's coming down like rain Wash away my sorrowTake away my pain Your love's coming down like
(01:18:00):
rain
Here comes the sun
Stay with me
(01:18:24):
Maybe it was all too much, too much for a manto take Everything's bound to break, sooner
or later, sooner or later You're all that Ican trust, facing the darkest days Everyone
ran away We're gonna stay here, we're gonnastay here Ah, ah, I know you're scared tonight
(01:18:54):
Ah, ah, I'll never leave your side When itall falls, when it all falls down I'll be your
fire when the lights go out When there's noone, no one else around We'll be two souls
in a ghost town When the world gets...
(01:19:24):
Just When it all falls, when it all fallsdown We'll be two souls in a ghost town
Tell me how we got this far Every man for himself Everything's gone to hell We gotta stay strong
(01:19:51):
We're gonna hold on This world has turned todust All we've got left is love Might as
well stop with us Singing a new song Somethingto build on
(01:20:15):
When it all falls, when it all falls down
To the souls in a
(01:20:35):
Let's just hold on
Two souls in a ghost town
(01:21:02):
This mad, mad world, even with no Shine likegold in this mad, in this mad, mad world
(01:21:23):
When it all falls down I'll be your fire whenthe lights go out When there's no one going
else around We'll be two souls in a ghost town
(01:22:02):
Two souls in a ghost town You've been listeningto Like Amuse, Madonna, Renas's culture, the
podcast. I would like to thank my special guest,featured muse, Mr. Paul Andrews. My name is
(01:22:26):
Kerry John Pointer. Thanks for listening.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Therapy Gecko
An unlicensed lizard psychologist travels the universe talking to strangers about absolutely nothing. TO CALL THE GECKO: follow me on https://www.twitch.tv/lyleforever to get a notification for when I am taking calls. I am usually live Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but lately a lot of other times too. I am a gecko.