In the last decade Paul has formed a record label, SkyBabyRecords, to release and promote his solo projects and film soundtrack work he does for the other company he started with, director and writer, Paul Williams: Evil Hypnotist Productions. EHP’s short film, 'The Furred Man' has earned global recognition with 12 awards and more than 30 festivals in the last year, alone (Check our previous features ---drop-down menus--- or click on the movie poster for 'The Furred Man', below, to access our exclusive interview with Paul Williams). Terry produced and did the music for the project as well as all of EHP’s other film endeavours since the company’s formation.

He also (with Tara Bennett) co-authored the ‘Lost Encyclopedia’ with the acclaimed J.J. Abrams television show’s writer/producers and was the editor for ‘Lost: the Official Magazine’ for the series.  

Now, he has released the fourth ambient electronic pop-infused album from his solo music project, ‘Cellarscape’ on SkyBabyRecords. The work has received rave reviews from critics, such as, BBC Radio's award-winning producer Steve McCormick. All of this has been accomplished on Paul’s own dime in his own time.

(You can listen to the 'Cellarscape' project, and others by Paul Terry, through all the links provided at the end of this written feature)

“Typically when you finish one record, all these ideas of songs you've been working on, plus new ones, all start firing louder than ever too, so I've already started the prep work on the next Cellarscape record, too. Expect 12 tracks, and it will be called 'The Act Of Letting Go,' says Terry.

It’s a brave new world out there where the market place is on your screen and it is living and evolving every second. It’s independent producers like Paul that are taking full advantage and making it thrive.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH PAUL TERRY

THAN NILES: Paul, you are definitely a busy self-made man of modern times. From Cellarscape’s first release, ‘Copilot’ to the new CD, ‘A Theta/Delta Union’ how has the Internet and today’s technology effected your ability to, not only, get your music out into the world independently but to produce the music as well?

PAUL TERRY: I'd say the advancements of technology as a whole – from the internet, through to affordable studio systems like Pro Tools – has massively helped all of those going the independent route. My first soundtrack in 1999 was recorded on a 8-track Mini-Disc system (remember those dinosaurs?). That was a tricky one, as I was also teaching myself how to use it, all to a crazy deadline.

In fact, although the technology has changed/improved, deadlines are ever-present, but they're really important if you're gonna actually complete a record. The film scores obviously have a kinda clear dateline of completion – as you've got post-production going on – but the solo work like Cellarscape definitely requires a lot more focus. I think the distribution and exposure that the internet brings is fantastic though. I think the distribution and exposure that the internet brings is fantastic though. A lot of people complain about it, but I don't get that – the net has shrunk the world and made a global market easier to tap into, so why would any artist grumble about the ability to have their music played on radio stations all over the world. And when you come up against, how shall I put this politely... "difficulties" with certain media outlets and organisations that claim to support the independents but don't really, I'm incredibly grateful for places like that smaller, local station in the Netherlands checking out Cellarscape and supporting it with airplay and a review. It's that kind of support that is really appreciated, simply because it comes from a genuine place of enjoying the music.

THAN NILES: When did you decide you were going to form SkyBabyRecords? Did you always know you were going to own your own label and produce your own music?

PAUL TERRY: I think – and with no disrespect to my old school bandmates – it was shortly after I left that band as the drummer. I love those boys dearly and have continued to make music with James Bellamy and Niki Jones to this day. But I was the drummer with loads of weird and conflicting musical ideas bouncing around my head – from filmic type soundscapes, to metal, to folk, etc... I realised that I wouldn't be able to explore any of that if I gave 100% of my time to what would've effectively been pursuing a career as a drummer. So a bought an acoustic guitar and some Radiohead chord books on the way to travelling down to Portsmouth University in 1997 with an idea: work out how to play this instrument that played notes to get these ideas out of my head.

About six months after obsessing over learning how it worked, I started playing some of the local venues as a singer/songwriter-type and started to realise how much of a kick I got out of writing songs. Then my buddy Paul Williams was chatting to me in early 1999 about this film he wanted to make, and asked if I'd write an original soundtrack for it. I said, "Of course, sure!" with far too much enthusiasm and not the experience to back it up, but somehow it all came together. That film, 'Sold', required a soundtrack with weird ambient synth pieces, to metal, to road-trip vibes – so in a perfect way, it was a project that fed into what I wanted to do.

I decided whilst writing the 'Sold' soundtrack that I'd simultaneously record a solo record, comprised of some of my favourite songs I'd written whilst being at Uni. That became the 'Isla's Milk' mini-album called 'Melt' – also recorded all over the city in various rooms/spaces/studios on the same 8-track Mini-Disc set-up that 'Sold' was tracked and mixed on.

Looking back, it was a completely insane thing to do, but I don't regret any of it. I learnt a lot through any mistakes I made with whilst putting together those records. And massive salute to Mr Niki Jones – he travelled down from London to Portsmouth for a couple of weekends and tracked bass lines for both records in a ridiculously fast time scale. He also did some wicked screamcore metal vox on this track called 'Quake' off the 'Sold' soundtrack. I'd forgotten about that song, that was so much fun!

THAN NILES: The constant clash of the creative and business sides of what you do must be unbelievably difficult. How do you find balance in creating the music that you are passionate about and running a business? Could you ever see yourself leaning one way or the other and do you think concentrating on both parts simultaneously puts strain on your music?

PAUL TERRY: It's a strange one – to be honest, you have to just believe and be passionate about what you do and not live by the bottom line. There are obviously budgets for everything – and you can't go crazy and spends thousands on some piece of tech without justifying it – but I think there is this connection between making music and making films.

Both, at the heart of them are passion projects. They have to be. If you don't believe in what you doing, why should anyone else care?

So you have to have that determined belief that what you are embarking on means something to you. Then, gradually – hopefully – people will investigate what you're creating, decide to come on board, and maybe even tell people they know about it too. But I truly believe you can't begin something that comes out of passion with a mindset skewed to, "what will my return be if I do this?" Filmmaking and music is almost all about risk and belief. But that's half the rush of it.

THAN NILES: With almost thirteen years of SBR producing substantial music and film scores, what advice do you have for young indie musicians hoping to start their own labels and produce their own music? What would you do differently if you could go back to 1999 and do it again?

PAUL TERRY: I don't think I'd do anything any differently, as I learnt as I went along, and used technology and funds where and when I could. I think that sort of pacing makes you respect the process more. I'm proud to say that I personally saved, bought some equipment, saved, bought some more, upgraded, etc.

The advice I'd give is pretty simple really – stay true to what your objectives are. If you dig Danish pop and also speed metal, then that's awesome, and I'll bet the kind of ideas/music you want to get out of your head are amazing. I did a talk at the Brits college a couple of years back about being an independent artist. It was really fun, but predictable – half the room had this huge passion for music, and wanted to do just that – work hard to make music for the rest of their lives – and the other half were interested in simply being famous. If you want the second thing, I have nothing of use to tell you! I think some people think those two paths are the same, but I don't think they have any relationship at all. Maybe if you stick to your guns with your music, you may also eventually end up selling a ton of records, and that's awesome.

That story has happened to many artists who I massively respect and admire, like Biffy Clyro. But if you focus on just having the planet know what your face looks like, surely the music is way down your priority list? But hey, that's just my view – I just don't understand that peculiar craving to be famous, as in, having millions know who you are, regardless of actually why. It's very odd.

THAN NILES: Is the indie musician replacing the super star? With the advancements in music production, social networking and music pirating, do you believe that the age of the super star is dying and being replaced with working class musicians that have global audiences?

PAUL TERRY: I don't know about replacing – as I think there will always be massive mega stars. And let's not forget that a lot of the superstars have gotten to that position in music by working incredibly hard – people like Beyonce truly represent the original intention behind that phrase 'X' factor. It used to mean something unknown, something intangible, something unique that you couldn't put your finger on. Beyonce definitely has the 'X' factor in that regard, with not only her talent, but her work ethic.

So like millions of other music fans, I have huge respect for many of this world's superstars, because many of them deserve to be where they are! But it's definitely cool the way that the independent artists have got an increasing presence.

And we always appreciate the support and the belief from radio stations, magazines, and webzines like your good selves at Wonderlance: seriously, features like this are massively appreciated.

THAN NILES: Regarding Cellarscape, your sound has been considered eclectic, atmospheric, crushing, gentle, uplifting and emotionally charged by CD Universe and many other critics. 'A Theta/Delta Union' is certainly all these things. The mixture of strings and very delicately and thoughtfully used electronic synths creates a powerful world that is very uniquely Cellarscape. How have you approached creating your sound for this release? What sets it apart from your last full length ‘Animation Suspension’ and the records prior?

PAUL TERRY: Thank you for those very kind words! It's always great to hear someone 'get' a new record. I definitely approached 'A Theta/Delta Union' from a completely different angle – something I've consciously tried to do with every record.

The first EP, 'Copilot', was an experiment in "Can I do five different takes on 'acoustic guitar + vocals' across five songs, but without sounding boring or too predictable?" I hope some folk out there think it was a successful experiment! The song 'Repeat, Erase, Unite' on that first record was really the point where something clicked in my head. It's a really odd song, but it's my favourite on that first EP. I then felt a bit braver on the next EP, 'Fifth Phoenix', and expanded the soundscape, brought in some more homemade samples and also a full band sound to a couple of songs. So things were getting bigger. The 15-tracker of 'Animation, Suspension' was definitely like the end result of that process: the songs on that were this mix of tiny, intimate, orchestral moments, then full-pelt pop-rock, with pauses for these really intense, darker, 'heavier' moments. So with that escalation and road map in mind, I thought it would be fun to yank the steering wheel hard to the left and deliberately crash the car. Some people have been surprised how different 'Theta/Delta' is, but to me, that's the most satisfying response.

I always want to approach every Cellarscape song, and every record, from some kind of different angle if I can, but also, try to retain some familiar vibe that makes people go "yes, it still sounds like Cellarscape."

After the eclectic loud/quiet dynamics of 'Animation', I wanted the fourth record to just take a moment, and be this late night collection of songs that just took their time to tell their stories with no sense of 'hurry' at all. It was an interesting process because I deliberately wrote most of the record in those wee small hours, where ideas are a bit more dream-like and less formed, and I ended up sort of 'unlearning' writing structures to force myself to approach the new songs in a different way.

After working so closely with violinist Carole Carpenter on the film scores for 'The Furred Man', 'The Deaths Of Grace Miller' and 'Queen Of Hearts' and knew that I wanted her violin grooves to have a very important place on this record. Having her violin, my guitar parts, Nik's bass lines, the vocals, and the homemade samples sort of have this 'call and response' relationship felt very organic and gives the record a lot of space I think.
By a long, long way this is the hardest record I've ever done. Making a minimalist record that cannot rely on the loud dynamics of drums has been so exciting and challenging, especially when you've got songs like 'Snowglobe' that get past the 7-minute mark! It's this strange battle of, "I know that the song shouldn't be shorter... it has to be this length... but I hope it holds peoples attention." This record as a whole is very special to me, so if music fans get into it and it ends up meaning something to them, I can't ask for a more than that.

THAN NILES: I, personally, feel the song ‘Snowglobe’ is the most beautiful and unique mixture of everything this album has to offer. The electronics mixed with the guitar and lonely violin support mesh together in a very addicting way. How did you come to collaborate with Niki Jones, Carole Carpenter and James Bellamy on this album?

PAUL TERRY: Thanks for your kind words – it's my favourite song on this one too. I think James was horrified at the length of it when he was ready to mix it! Carole was a legend on this track. I remember the first day of tracking her main violin parts and I got shivers. I played her the main riff and said, "I'm obsessed with the idea of you and the violin to doing this and carrying the whole song, instead of the guitar doing it on its own," and she – by ear, like she always does – echoed it back at me, and it just just amazing. Those are those really special moments of making a record. Carole is a phenomenal player. So intuitive. We then just started jamming through all the different sections of 'Snowglobe', and the way we built up the circular, constant sequence at the end was just... so exciting.

I love that it's the lead track for this record, that it's over 7 minutes long, that friends have called it commercial suicide, and that – for which I'm equally surprised and delighted by – it has been played on radio stations in its entirety. Which is crazy. But awesome.

THAN NILES: What is the significance of this song for you?

PAUL TERRY: Well, I never like to reveal too many details about songs, as I think we all have these really personal relationships with music that we love. It's like we all step up to a place where lay down our own special memories, and then they merge with the feelings that the songs we love invoke, resulting in us all interpreting the lyrics and music in ways that mean something unique to us. I'd hate to know what my favourite songs were really about, so I won't go into too much detail there. But I will say that this song is hugely inspired by the themes in the film 'The Fountain'. It's essentially – like the film is – about love.

Away from the emotion of the song itself, 'Snowglobe' also feels significant in the sense that it was the one I was most nervous about people 'getting', and it seems like many feel it's their favourite on 'Theta/Delta'. So that gives you a sort of renewed confidence to trust your instincts. So I would definitely expect more long, complicated songs in the future.

THAN NILES: What is next for Cellarscape and SBR? When can I check you out on tour???

PAUL TERRY: Well, I'm very excited to say that even though 2012 has barely started, there's already a lot going on! For Cellarscape, I'm firstly going to be trying something I've never done before... a remix project. I'll keep it a little mysterious for now, but you totally have the scoop on this as no one has heard a word about this... Basically a situation evolved out of a meeting that paved the way for something I can't wait to get my teeth into. I'll be working alongside Remix Royalty – which I'm incredibly excited about – and you should be able to hear the fruits of our endeavours in February. I will leave this 'reveal' with these two words: 'Fourteenth Skull'...

Typically when you finish one record, all these ideas of songs you've been working on, plus new ones, all start firing louder than ever too, so I've already started the prep work on the next Cellarscape record too. Expect 12 tracks, and it will be called 'The Act Of Letting Go.' It's going to pretty different again... but I'm excited to get stuck into this one. I think it will be out near the end of the year.

Gig-wise, I can't wait to do some 'Theta/Delta' gigs with the guys. We're rehearsing at the moment – with Carole on violin, Nik on bass, and James on keys – and we'll be doing sporadic gigs as they come. It's really tough with everyone's schedules, but we will definitely be playing live this year, and hopefully even some festivals.

Beyond Cellarscape, I've got some really tasty film soundtrack gigs which I'm busy with at the moment too. There's a horror called 'Care', directed by Tristan MG Aitchinson, and a kids fantasy adventure called 'Billy & Billie' directed by Rizwan Shahid.

Myself, James Bellamy and our good friend and musical genius Tony Lewis are also embarking on a new musical adventure with our new studio which I can't wait to start playing around in. And then, of course, maybe, just maybe me and Mr Paul Williams have a brand new film with Evil Hypnotist Productions that we're busy developing... So 2012 better not be the end of the world as there's plenty of music I need to complete. :)