I grew up in this part of the world and spent 4 years in the U.S at the University of Oregon pursuing my business degree. It was there that I felt the pressure of doing well in my education and at the same time the need to soak up the positive and creative vibe of the city that I was in. I wanted to maximise my time and it was here where I got serious on the decks and sent in a demo tape to a club on campus-Guidos. I got in the door to my first club gig but had zero exposure to real RnB/HipHop. It was here that I learnt and made the cut. Soon people were talking about my weekly residency. And before long the hit radio station KSND came calling and asked if I would do a weekly mixed show. I said yes but didnt know what i got myself into:)....
When i showed up for my first show-we were about to go live in an hour and was shown the control room that I was to be mixing live in. I was in utter shock as the mixer was no Dj setup but a radio broadcast console-hell yeah they were the the longest faders i laid my hands on!! I wasn't sure how all this would turn out but i reckon i will give it a shot. My co-partner Rob Halloway then called me into the room. He was deliberating how I should be addressed on air(in the U.S a lot of the DJs had funky names like Jammin' Jamie, Funky Fresh Freddie etc) It was 5 minutes before we went on air and Rob made a decision-"How does Paul T sound?" Well it sounded not too swanky or funky for me but still had a good vibe to it so I agreed. So Paul T. was officially named in 1986. So for all those who had drop initials like mine.......you know who had it first and its officially documented right here:)
I was then involved in radio production at the station learning from the creative director who had one of the best voices on American Radio. After I graduated I decided to stay and learn all I could for another year. My dad gave me the blessings and I was working for a studio in the Nike building then. It was here I learnt the craft of sampling-we were producing samples for the different samplers in the market-namely the Akais/Roland/Ensoniq etc. I had the pleasure to be one of the first few to use the ATARI Adap which was the DAW that was used in the Simpsons audio posts.
By the end of the tenure I decided to return to Singapore. Even though I had enjoyed my freedom,the American friends that I had made, the numerous exposure and unforgettable experiences; I decided to return home to family and make full use of my experience,knowledge and exposure to create what I enjoyed doing -Remixes. Till today many people still ask why didn't i stay back in the U.S. For me it was to come back to be with my family as my brother had gone over to where i was to pursue his education. I reckon my family will miss us if we were both away. So being old school-I made the decision to come back and hopefully help shape the music scene in Singapore. I had no regrets as I was able to quickly immerse and share my works with record labels, radio sations and made music production that was not heard before back home. I enjoy living here close to friends, family and of course the food! I only wish i wake up feeling more creative every morning. The vibe here is not as conducive but I have learnt to adapt and just hope in time to come it will be.
So its another National Day here on the island and I am sure many of us will be out to soak in the festivities. I will be playing at the Forbidden City(Clarke Quay) tonight. If you have time do drop by-It'll be a nite of RnB. I'll be there in Red n White!!
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