1. Favourite knob/fader/switch on a piece of gear and why?
The play switch on my Akai X-100D reel-to-reel. It’s extremely sturdy and has a very rewarding click. It’s 56 years old and works perfectly, which just blows my mind. There’s something pleasing about having to use physical energy to make sound happen.
2. Do you have an ‘almost’ perfect bit of kit? What would you change?
A slight cheat on this answer. I thought my Juno 6 was somehow inferior to the Juno 60 (which is what I truly wanted) because it doesn’t have memory patches. That would’ve been my answer, but I’ve grown to love and appreciate the fact that the instrument exists as it is – whatever you want from it you have to make happen. It’s a productive way to learn how to use a synth because there are fewer shortcuts. See also anything pre Prophet-5.
3. What setup do you bring on holiday/tour/commute etc.?
On writing trips I just take a laptop and good headphones. So AKG K701s get packed!
4. What software do you wish was hardware and vice versa?
I’d love a software version of the Empress Echosystem, it’s my favorite pedal. And if there were somehow a rackmount version of the Fabfilter Pro-MB I’d be all over it!
5. Is there anything you regret selling… or regret buying?
I once sold a 1973 Gibson EB0 to the bass player from Showaddywaddy. It was a really beautiful bass, no idea why I did that. And the second synth I ever bought was an Alesis something… which I didn’t gel with at all and regretted pretty quickly.
6. What gear has inspired you to produce the most music?
The Roland Space Echo RE-201. It’s just the most amazing piece of engineering, half a century old and it can still create magic from nowhere. I use it any chance I get.
7. If you had to start over, what would you get first?
A good set of monitors. I think this is the most valuable piece of equipment you can own. Currently I’m loving the PMC Result 6.
8. What’s the most annoying piece of gear you have, that you just can’t live without?
I’d have to say the amp powering my Yamaha NS10’s, it buzzes slightly but I always need to use them. It’s on my to do list!
9. Most surprising tip/trick/technique that you’ve discovered about a bit of kit?
I think using the pre amps of echo machines is often overlooked. Just driving a guitar or bass through a Copicat or Space Echo is the most awesome tone. Same with reel-to-reel, they can be overloaded to produce amazing results.
Artist or Band name?
Paul Cousins
Genre?
Ambient, Tape, Experimental
Selfie?
On tour in Mordor
Where are you from?
London
How did you get into music?
I’d been singing and playing bass in bands for a number of years before I started making electronic music.
What still drives you to make music?
Finding a point of creative satisfaction.
How do you most often start a new track?
I’ve recently got into writing a short piece, transferring it to tape loops, and playing it back through various effects or in some obtuse setup. The original piece comes back like a weird photocopy of its former self. There’s something about transferring music to a physical format that revives it from a potentially anodyne digital state and gives it a different life.
How do you know when a track is finished?
You stop wanting to mix it.
Show us your current studio
The organized chaos of my studio is frankly an embarrassment. Instead here’s a heavily curated corner featuring my new upright piano and an Akai 4000DS.
Best creative advice that you’ve ever heard?
Music is the silence between the notes. Which Debussy said over a century ago, but has never lost relevance!
Promote your latest thing… Go ahead, throw us a link.
A recent 20 min ambient reel-to-reel mix: https://youtu.be/_g7Kurux36w
[Editor: Paul also has a quite lovely and lively instagram @paulcousinsmusic which I don’t think you should miss out on]