Blunted Machines: Paranoid London Chat

5 Minute Read

Music

Straight talk with the duo behind Paranoid London, the longstanding project made up of Gerardo Delgado and Quinn Whalley.

You can always tell when a Paranoid London record is playing. There’s a certain swing, a certain energy.

For many years now the duo have been continuing to gather new fans for their ruthless, unapologetic approach to House and Techno which holds no punches.

Using machines the pair have crafted an ethos which sits somewhere between Punk and Acid House, dragging in friends and counterparts to add their contribution to the mischief along the way.

Their music is very much rooted in the origins of the sound, the dirty, dusty elements of House music which banged in small dark rooms in Chicago and then evolved internationally into some unyielding beast which persists even now.

This month the pair will play a headline show at Koko in Camden, a celebration of all things Acid House and we asked them some questions about what keeps things ticking for the Paranoid London project.

Please see questions below:

Paranoid London has always been connected to the raw spirit of early house and acid music. What is it about that era that still feels relevant today?

The pulsating beat, the strobe light, the thick smoke, the dancing all night … is any of that stuff ever not relevant?

Your records often sound deliberately stripped back and direct. How do you know when a track has enough elements and when it’s becoming overproduced?

When it becomes exhausting to listen to. Sometimes we put too much in & have to take stuff out until it it’s come back around to something we can bare to listen to again.

There’s often debate as to the role of vocals in house music, especially acid or classic house – you lean into them, why and what value do they bring?

We’re lucky to work with vocalists that can tell twisted stories of late night escapades & make it sound cool.

How good or sh*t is clubbing at present?

It’s awesome. It’s hard to describe what a pleasure it is to go all over the world & soak up the different atmospheres. Don’t listen to the moaners … they’re either going to the wrong places or not going at all & just watching rubbish on the internet.

What’s your opinion on the state of club culture and do you ever find yourself at odds with what else is out there?

It’s not just one thing is it? It’s so huge that to say “ club culture” & talk about it as if it’s one thing would be silly. The little niche we operate in is f***king fabulous at the moment. Amazing DJs, promoters doing interesting stuff & crowds that want to be surprised &, for want of a better word, challenged.

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Why use machines?

They look cool. Seriously though, we just find it easier to have happy accidents with them & come up with stuff we wouldn’t have been able to write.

What would surprise people most about the way Paranoid London actually works behind the scenes?

The amount of work we actually put into making stuff that sounds like it took 5 minutes to make! A lot of very late nights in the studio.

Are there any trends in electronic music that you think are overrated or misunderstood?

It really. Everything ebbs & flows. Just allow it.

What does a live set afford which a dj set cannot?

Mainly it’s being able to react to little bits of magic that happen & stretch them out. It can be like a feedback loop with the audience playing as much a part of it as the clock source. Something new & unexpected happens every single time.

Buy tickets for the London show HERE.