“It’s a stream of consciousness that reflects a period of time in my life…” We chat to Paris Green about new album, ‘Fear’
Having broken through with 2017 single You Got To Try, released on Damian Lazarus’ Rebellion imprint, Paris Green, aka Mitchel Kelly, has built a reputation for weaving an intricate blend of progressive house, electronica and melodic techno across his many productions.
This coming Friday (23 July) sees the launch of Paris Green’s debut album, Fear, on Needwant Records, an atmospheric long player that showcases the Amsterdam-based artist’s versatility. You can buy/pre-order it here.
Ahead of the album’s release, 909originals caught up with him.
Thanks for speaking to us. Where are you based at the moment?
It’s my pleasure. I’m based in Amsterdam.
Congratulations on the upcoming release of your debut album, Fear, on Needwant. How long has that been in the works?
Well, thank you. I’m really happy with it. I’ve been working on it for over a year I think. The pandemic made time a bit blurry.
What is the meaning behind the album title, and what are your favourite tracks?
It’s a stream of consciousness that reflects a period of time in my life. There’s a little bit of everything in there. There’s joy, happiness, darkness and Fear. Like in everyone’s life.
The funniest thing about my favourite tracks is that it varies. But if I had to choose one, I think it’s Four Five, because of it’s simplicity. It’s easier for me to make those atmospheric, euphoric chords which give you that type of feeling, but way harder to make a simple club banger. And I really like the gospel element in it.
As we have been going through such weird times the past year, what specifically influenced and inspired the tracks in this album and was lockdown in any way influential with the outcome?
Well, if there’s one track title which covers the whole situation best, it’s Freedom. I’m not sure if the lockdown was influential in the outcome. But if I think about it, I naturally started turning into more euphoric chords.
We know you make a huge amount of tracks, a lot of which aren’t released. Is it intentional to make so many or does that just happen naturally when you are in the studio?
It happens naturally. I spend a lot of time in the studio and I just chase ideas. I’m constantly looking for vibes. When you have something, there is this half hour of magic where everything works. I think 80% of the tracks are done in that half hour. For instance, with the Marvin Gaye track [Oh Yes, released last year], 90% of it was made in 20 minutes. But that 10% took months.
Everybody has their own truth in what’s best. I have a real good sense of what I made. So sometimes when I’m working on a track I know that this specific idea could work with drums I did three months ago. So everything comes together eventually.
Has it been difficult to get into the mindset of making music for the dancefloor, with clubbing closed for so long now?
I got used to using your imagination. It’s not ideal, but visualising a certain setting is a huge tool which I use when producing.
Can you talk us through your typical day?
I usually wake up between 6 and 7am. I start with 20 minutes of meditation. Afterwards I go to the gym and practice boxing for an hour. After that, I go to the studio and I usually leave around 9pm, and the next day I do it all over again. That’s why I make a huge amount of tracks. It’s no science.
Is there anything you can tell us about yourself that our readers won’t know?
I have an obsession with Mixed Martial Arts. I’m a huge Conor McGregor fan. I train something like five or six days a week. I have no ambition to pursue anything in this realm. But I really love the sport.
What other projects are you working on at the moment?
I’m producing music for a movie with one of my best friends. He recently won a ‘Dutch Grammy’, aka a Gouden Half, for computing music for a movie. It’s a real fun experience.
Are there any gigs coming up you can tell us about?
My ADE liveshow with a band, which will take place during ADE, this coming October.
[Thanks again to Paris Green for chatting to us. New album Fear will be released this Friday, 23 July, on Needwant. You can buy/pre-order it here]
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