Psycatron Interview
Psycatron have been residents at the Techno institution of Shine in Belfast, Ireland for over ten years and hold a touring history that covers the best clubs and festivals worldwide. They have been playing to crowds in every corner of the world from Fabric, London to Berghain, The Rex Club and Barracca, to Movement Festival in Detroit and the epic I Love Techno in Belgium.The Irish Duo have released tracks on labels of all shapes and sizes such as Carl Craig’s Planet E Communications from Detroit, Berlin’s Tresor imprint, whilst also somehow finding the time to release off of Scuba’s Hotflush Recordings, R&S Records, Cocoon and their own upcoming Inflyte Records. Growing up in Belfast together, their sound is still resonating as fresh today as when they first discovered it many years ago.
This is your first time playing in Australia. Why has it taken you so long to make your way Down Under?
Ireland’s quite a trek from Australia and public transport isn’t what it used to be, plus we took a few wrong turns along the way. Nearly done though, can’t wait to get there, it’s been a long journey but I’m sure it’ll be worth it.
You’ve had the privilege of playing at some of the world’s most revered clubs and festivals. What was it like playing at clubs like Berghain and Fabric for the first time?
Thankfully both clubs lived up to their reputations, they are among the best in the world for good reason. We tried not to think about it too much beforehand and just did our thing on the night. I remember sound checking in an empty Berghain before our gig, standing right in the centre of the dancefloor, hearing our music on the sound system for the first time and getting goosebumps all over.
Which do you prefer the most: clubs or festival gigs?
Festivals are great but its vibeier being close to the crowd.
You have a renowned long-standing club residency at Ireland’s longest-running techno institution, Shine in Belfast. How did the residency come about? How do you feel this has helped in shaping the Psycatron sound?
We both went to Shine from the first week it started and have been residents there for the past ten years. We just started playing regular sets having annoyed the promoters that much going there as punters and sending in mixes for them to listen to. I (Paul) released a solo record on their label in 2002 or thereabouts and just kept working them ever since. Being a punter and also performing in the main room has always been a big influence on our sound. It’s got a great sound-system and is nice and dark, when it goes off-it goes off big.
You have been influenced by a wide array of artists ranging from Depeche Mode and Kraftwerk to Underground Resistance and Jean Michel Jarre. What is the last great album that you’ve listened to? Also, have you seen any acts recently (be it dance or rock) that have inspired you?
I have been listening to The Beach Boys ‘Pet Sounds’ loads recently. It’s one of those records that everyone likes and everyone has a memory of their parents playing them. On an electronic tip, Shed and Justin Berkovi’s albums on Traum have been getting heavy rotation, oh and the new 50 Weapons compilation. I went to see Nile Rogers and his band (Chic) not so long ago which was, quite simply, one of the best gigs I have ever been to. The guy is one of the most influential producers ever and his reach extends to quite possibly every mainstream genre of music out there.
The Darkbeat event in Melbourne will be quite a huge line up with you playing alongside Luis Junior, D-Nox and King Unique. Tell us a bit more about what we can expect of your set. Are you playing live or will you be DJ-ing?
We will be DJ-ing, playing a lot of our own stuff and some new and unreleased bits that you’ll be hearing for the first time.
What is laying ahead for Psycatron in the coming months?
We have a remix of an amazing track by Jokers of the Scene out on Fools Gold on Tuesday 30th October. The original was a 2 minute long synth trip and we turned it into a 10 minute epic. After that, we’ve got a new single coming up on Bedrock which is in fact a collaboration with someone linked very closely to the label, but we’ll not mention who just yet ;-). Other than that, lots of gigs, new releases on our label Inflyte and some other tunes in the pipeline. Can’t wait to see you in Oz in a few weeks’ time, cheers!
Catch Psycatron in Melbourne at Darkbeat w/ D-Nox, King Unique, Luis Junior, & Psycatron @ New Guernica, Fri Nov 16th
Check out the BBM Dance Music Podcast mixed by So Called Scumbags.