 Paul Hartnoll presents his solo album The Ideal Condition, his first major release since he and his brother disbanded their group, Orbital, three years ago. From their early success with, 'Chime' in 1990, Orbital became one of the most acclaimed electronic artists of the next decade. They made seven albums, and their live shows ground breaking both in terms of performance and production became a legendary fixture of the festival circuit around the world and particularly at Glastonbury, where they performed for the final time in 2004. Work on The Ideal Condition began that same summer. “I wanted to do something different from what I’d done before, that was the point of not doing Orbital,” says Paul, “It just took time to discover exactly what that was…”
What evolved, whilst recalling the cinematic sensibilities and crowd-shaking rhythms of Paul’s earlier work, is a collection of songs that takes those instincts and moves them into new and at times experimental terrain. The most obvious conceptual shift is that the balance of this record is tipped in favour of acoustic (as opposed to electronic) sounds. With arranger Chris Elliott, Paul set about reversing the usual process —whereby electronic music might mimic the sounds of traditional instruments —and presented his compositions to an orchestra. “It’s intimidating at first. You’re looking at 40 people-virtuoso string players and thinking, ‘I’m now going to ask you to play two notes for five minutes,’ and you think they’re going to turn round and say, ‘this is ridiculous!’ But they don’t. They’re all very discreet, they just get on with it.”
 One attribute Paul carries over from his Orbital days is his nose for a great collaborator. Guests on the album include The Cure’s Robert Smith on the forthcoming single “Please”. “He’s got that whiney-bendy voice which was a lot like the lead lines I’d written for that song. I wanted someone who could do that naturally so I asked him, and he was up for it.” In addition to Metro Voices choir vocal contributions are also present from U.S singer songwriter Joseph Arthur (“Aggro”), Brighton’s Lianne Hall (“For Silence”) and South London’s Akayzia Parker (“Nothing Else Matters”). The Ideal Condition is a vivid testament to the scope and sensibility of one of modern music’s most innovative and resourceful minds. Paul takes time out to discuss his latest projects and his views on music software.
FX - Since releasing your outstanding solo album last year what projects have you been working on recently?
PH - Just finished co-producing an album with Flood, and am working on my next solo album also working on a collaborative album with Lianne Hall who sung on two of the tracks on the Ideal Condition. Oh and just finishing a score for a cutting edge documentary for Channel 4.
'GURU - So easy to experiment on the fly and generally mash it all up instantly in a very musical way' FX - Which artists are you listening to at the moment, who do you find exciting?
PH - In current music I’m listening to; The Knife, Goldfrapp, Hot Chip, PJ Harvey, Joanna Newsom and I’m also going through a Ralph Vaughan Williams phase.
FX - What projects have you used GURU on and what features do you like best?
PH - I’ve used it on pretty much everything since I’ve had it. I like the flexibility of sound. The samples are just the start of it, it's what you can then do with them that I love! The ability to use drum hits so musically with all the pitch and filter (great sounding filters by the way) manipulation on a per step basis. So easy to experiment on the fly and generally mash it all up instantly in a very musical way. I also like the synth type effects with all the oscillators and FM aspects, which again makes it a drum synth that utilises samples in a great way for really quick results.
 FX - Has the way you produce music evolved since you have started working on solo projects and if so in what way?
PH - Music always evolves from project to project, there’s always so much to learn from what you just did. I also find I normally want to do something different from what I last did which helps in the evolutionary process. I guess working on your own it is a no compromising process as it's all from one mind with no-one there to influence it. Whether that is a good thing, bad thing or just a thing I don’t think we will ever know.
FX - What have music software makers done right and what have they done wrong?
PH - Right: - Complexity beyond the means of affordable hardware, Guru, Reaktor, Absynth, Albino to name a few
Wrongish: - To much emulation of the past.
FX -What is your opinion of the future of the music industry? How do you see it progressing and are there new opportunities as an artist that you are looking forward to?
PH - If I know the answer to that I'd be a millionaire!
I think record companies are on the way out. Live gigs seem to be going well which is good. I think we will see a lot more advertising sponsorship with music being given away as part of the deal.
FX - As part of one of the most groundbreaking acts in British electronic music what have been the highlights of your career so far?
PH - Playing Glastonbury, meeting loads of my heroes and finding them to be really nice! Being played by John Peel. Travelling the world.
FX - What are your plans for rest of this year?
PH - Finish something!!!! Maybe playing live again too, if I finish something…
FX - Thanks very much Paul for your time and insights!
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