Here's a quick catch up with Gus Paterson
Can you share some live shows, music, or raves that really inspired you when growing up? What got you into this music?
From around 9 or 10 I was pretty obsessed with hardcore, drum and bass and jungle and only much later discovered the slower tempos of house, Italo, disco, and Balearic, etc. During my early teens, I had a lot of tape packs from Helter Skelter and cassette rips of a London pirate radio station set recorded by a friend I saw from time to time who lived in Chiswick. One in the Jungle was my regular Friday night in listening from the age of about 11.
What did you use to make the sounds in your Pack? Are there any specific pieces of hardware or plugins you always end up using or studio techniques?
I used a combination of Analog and Software plugins including my Polysix, Moog Minitaur and TR-8. On the soft synth side the U-He Diva is a go to for me, it never fails to deliver phat analogue goodness. I favour the WAVES plugins for my mixing, the subscription makes obtaining the plugins possible and they sound great.
Can you tell us a bit about your favourite releases?
My favorite release to date is my EP ‘Regole di Terzi’ on Citizens of Vice. This one was a real milestone for me as it was my first EP where I predominantly played everything as opposed to programming with the mouse. It redefined my approach and how I have made music since. It got some great feedback too and really helped get my confidence up to pursue this sound.
Can you tell us one secret music production or sound design secret?
Don’t quantize your basslines or musical elements, if they are close enough then keep them loose. The odd wrong note is good too, especially if it adds a chromatic. I don’t always correct them. Also Simon Mills of Bent is my secret mastering weapon, don’t spread the word too much but he is just awesome. Really gets my tracks sounding amazing.
What are you working on at the moment music-wise? Did working on this pack inspire you to write more?
It certainly was inspiring to write more and I’ve committed myself to making an EP in the near future using only the sounds I’ve created. Aside from that i’ve just dropped a new track called Sandcastles on my bandcamp. There will be a new EP called ‘Call Me’ coming on Friday 11th of October. It’s a nice sunny italo disco one, perfect for keeping warm over the colder months ahead. It will also be available on my bandcamp page.
