UK native Paul Dobson aka Refracture has been one of the forefront faces of the breaks scene in Europe for quite sometime, the wonderboy as some refer to him has put together some of the best singles/EPs/Remixes out there and has had more beatport top 10s a hand can count.
His versatility has been praised non-stop, his live skills always impress and some of the top DJs in the world like Paul Oakenfold often can’t get enough of his tracks, join us for this interview as we find out more about his music, his thoughts on the scene, his every day life and his future plans.
1) Hi Paul, Thanks for taking the time to do this interview, you have quite a well established fan base and have been making a name for yourself for some time now but for those now finding out about Refracture, please tell us a bit more about yourself and how you got started in music.
Well, when I was younger I was always into rock music and never really fully understood dance music so didn’t have much time for it. However, when I was around 14 a friend of mine introduced me to Aphex Twin and I couldn’t get enough of it. The extremely complex beats, the melodies, the soundscapes were all new and exciting to me. This made me delve further into electronic music and made me start wanting to make it myself. So I did what any clueless 14 year old kid with no production knowledge would do and got myself a copy of ejay! After fiddling around with that for a while I decided I wanted to make my own sounds and melodies so I purchased a copy of FL and haven’t looked back since.
2) Your new track “Zero Hour” just hit Beatport via the Straight Up! imprint as part of the “We Are Straight Up!” EP project, what can you tell us about how this track came about.
I really wanted to do just something completely off the wall and out of my comfort zone. I had this vocal sample that sounded like it was taken from some sort of military chaos scene and I wanted the track to follow suit. I went for a big, full, epic breakdown and then just wanted to pack as much energy into the drop as I could, with the idea of a chaotic war scene breaking out. It’s difficult to put a label onto what it is. It’s not breaks and it’s not really electro either. it’s just a full on, energetic, bass driven track.
3) You have had great success in the Breaks scene, often we see your tracks at the top of the charts and nominations for the Breakspoll awards rained in but we know you love to be versatile, producing Electro House and even mellow Progressive House, what inspires you on a given day to jump from genre to genre?
I love to make tracks with a broken beat, as, I personally, find them to be less limiting and I find it easier to get more playful with them, but, I don’t like to look too much into whether I should make a track which will fit into a certain genre. I usually mess around on my keyboard for a while and come up with a hook or some nice chords then I start to work around that. I go with what feels right, and, if it so happens that a 4/4 beat feels better with that idea then I’ll go with that as opposed to a broken beat. For example, when I did my remix I did for Shuval’s Un T’Floor earlier in the year, I listened to sounds in the remix pack and immediately knew a 4/4 electro style remix would be the best style for me to go with. I like to think of myself as a bass driven artist rather than being in one particular genre.
4) The EDM world continues to develop new styles and fusions, the explosion of new styles like Moombahton, Moombahcore and Trap makes it refreshing for outsiders looking for a new sound to love, what do you think of the current status of Dance music and specially on the recent popularity and growth in the United States.
I think it’s extremely exciting times for everyone involved in dance music at the moment. I’m a big fan of all of the new sounds coming out of the US and am getting a lot of inspiration out of them for sure. I’m a big fan of Trap and the 110bpm stuff that’s going around at the moment and will definitely be adding my own twist on those styles at some point. The great thing about the growth of EDM is it will only get bigger, as it has now been introduced to people that never would of listened to it before. These people will like what they hear on the radio and then decide they want to go deeper into EDM, into the more underground artists and that has got to be a good thing!
5) Recently you played at the Raveart Summer Festival in Spain and you have also played several other Festivals throughout your career, how does a Festival differ from a club night?
The Raveart Festival was one of my favorite gigs so far. There was a massive sea of people and they were just going for it! Festivals are my preferred choice as it’s outside and everyone is really in the mood to go crazy. Club gigs are also cool though, in a very a different way. They are a lot more intimate. I’ve played a few clubs where I have been close enough to the crowd that people come up to you and shake your hand halfway through, which is really cool. On both platforms you still have to win the audience over and its always important to know that what really hypes everyone up at a festival may not work in a club environment.
6) What can we expect the rest of the year from Refracture? what projects or collaborations are you currently working on or worked on recently?
Lots of exciting new things going on this year. I’ve got a few solo projects and remixes on the go at the moment, really pushing the boundaries of my broken beat style of tracks. I feel like they have been taken to a new level this year as my production quality and ideas have matured so much. I’ve also got an EP on the go with Rektchordz at the moment which we’re both very excited about as well as a 140bpm future jungle collab with US producer Left/Right featuring some absolutely incredible vocals. Lots to look forward to!
7) Outside of EDM, what other genres of music do you enjoy on a day off per say?
I listen to all sorts! I used to be really into Nine Inch Nails and do still listen to them from time to time. Trent is definitely one of my musical heroes. I also like the Cinematic Orchestra. Everytime I listen to their tracks I feel like my mind has been completely refreshed, a really good band to listen to when I’m struggling in the studio. Asides from those, you won’t really find me delving outside of EDM much, it might be into the quieter sub genres but it will generally still be electronic music.
8) What’s a normal “every day” day in the life of Refracture like and what are some of your hobbies?
I treat music as a normal job, so I generally will get out of bed before 9am, get some poached eggs on the go with a cup of tea and then down to business in my studio. Whether it be finishing off a remix, coming up with some new ideas, working out how to make a bass sound like a dog being sick or just working on a new dj mix and a bit of self promotion. On my days off I will generally chill out with my girlfriend or play some golf. I think Its important to remain social and see friends or do some sport when not producing to give your mind and ears some down time from music.
9) What’s something weird most people wouldn’t know about you?
Its not that weird, but, I don’t think many people realize I play golf at a pretty high standard. I used to play for my county and was involved in the national coaching but my love for making music was far superior and when I got more remix jobs and gigs it left less and less time to play golf seriously. I still enjoy it very much as a hobby though.
10) Lets do some word association with current hot topics of discussion in the blog world, ill mention something and you tell me the first word that comes to mind:
a) DJMag Scandal: Unsurprised
b) David Guetta reportedly faking a set at Wonderland: Standard
c) Major acts pulled off stage early because they don’t play requests by VIPs in Vegas: Nazis
d) Trap: TNGHT
Thanks Paul for doing this interview, we wish you the best with your new and future projects.
You guys can visit Refracture at:
http://www.facebook.com/Refracture
https://twitter.com/Refracture
