Interview Parralox

Parralox logo

Can you give a brief introduction to Parralox?

Parralox is a duo that uses synthesizers to tell surreal stories and songs, all set to electronic noises and rhythms.

How did you come up with the name Parralox?

I went through the usual process of trying to come up with some amazing name that’s never been thought of before. I was sitting in front of the computer trying all different things when I came up with Parralox. It didn’t have a dotcom domain so I registered the name immediately, plus a myspace page. Then later that evening a friend of mine reminded me that it was actually the name of an Absolutely Fabulous Episode (Season 4 - Episode 1), which must have been buried in my subconscious. I guess it wasn’t buried that far down because I have the show on DVD and watch it all the time. It’s quite surprising (or depressing) when you have to try and come up with a band name and you get one and go YEAH!! Only to find out that it’s already taken by some 18 year old Japanese girl in Canada.

How would you describe your music, I hear a strong ‘80s feel in it?

Yes, that might qualify for understatement of the year. The initial brief that I created was that we would be an electronic band that captured the sounds of the 80’s. But this has evolved as we write newer songs. As a producer the over-riding factor for me is the song writing, even on a project such as this which relies heavily on image and fashionable production.

So I guess I would describe it as quirky electronic pop with an edge. But having said that, both Roxy and I are great fans of such bands as Eurythmics and Yazoo and good song writing will never go out of style, even though musical styles change. We can only dare to dream to create something like that!

Parralox John

Who are the members of Parralox and what is their background?

John Von Ahlen -
Well, at school I was the kid who was always running around with a DR-110 and DX100. I was fascinated by anything electronic (thanks to my father) and when I heard The Human League’s “Love & Dancing” on FM radio in December 1981 my life changed. Seriously! From that moment I made the connection between electronics and music.

My first venture in the professional recording was when I co-wrote a few songs with Gina G (while she was still in Australia) and Johnny X that were published by EMI and picked up by the Neighbours TV show in 1993. In fact I’m still getting royalty cheques for those songs! After that I continued to build my client portfolio working with a few well known local and international recording artists and honing my skills in the recording studio, especially in the areas of vocal production and synth programming. I eventually created Subterrane Studio, which is located in the heart of Melbourne CBD. After many years I became frustrated with making music for everyone except myself, so I decided to shut down the commercial section of Subterrane Studios (even though I still do a bit of commercial/corporate work from time to time) and focus on making my own music. This was basically the start of my main project “The Tenth Stage”, and after a few years I needed to make music that was a bit more electronic/pop so Parralox was created!

Roxy -
An Australian born self managed Singer/Songwriter, spent much of the last 2000- 2006 years splitting her time between Melbourne and London writing, recording and performing in both territories. Her collaborators include: John Von Ahlen(The Tenth Stage, Big Brother (Australia), Before the Game, and Rove Live TV Themes for Network 10 Australia), John Collins (Gina G, writer on Anthony Callea’s debut album); Duane Morrison (co-writer Madison Avenue’s Don’t Call Me Baby); UK production team Mauve (BMG commissioned remixes for major artists such as Christina Aguilera and Kelly Clarkson). Collaboration set up for Roxy by BMG UK A&R; Miami Producers Thomas Penton and Austin Leeds.

Roxy’s performance activities over those years include: A Saturday Night residency at the Melbourne Hyatt Night Club performing Jazz Standards; performances of original and cover titles at **''London clubs such as The Brixton Jamm Club and Infinity Night Club in Soho, as well as various Wine Bars.'' **[IF YOU THINK BETTER CAN JUST PUT ''AT VARIOUS LONDON CLUBS AND BARS'']

In December 2004 Roxy won the MusicOz Best Dance Artist Award with the song “Electric Nights” – incidentally produced and co-written by John Von Ahlen! This lead to broad spectrum media exposure, in both National Press and Top 40 Radio. Including a nationally broadcast interview and radio play on the Austereo Network‘s many high rating radio stations. But for Roxy there was still something missing. She decided to spend her 2005 travelling budget on upgrading her home studio AND WENT ACOUSTIC FOR A WHILE WRITING AND PERFORMING HER ORIGINAL POP AROUND MELBOURNE.

THEN THE CALL CAME FROM JOHN TO JOIN A NEW ELECTRO GROUP AND ROXY WAS READY....IT WAS TIME TO PUT DOWN THAT GUITAR AND HEAD BACK INTO THE STUDIO WHERE SHE WOULD RETURN TO ONE OF HER TRUE LOVES - RECORDING VOCALS FROM PURE POP TO CLASSICAL AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN.

Why did you start Parralox besides your usual projects (Tenth Stage and Rowena solo)

The Tenth Stage (TTS) is a very dark, organic creature. I’m acutely aware that human beings only live for such a short time, and always I love to create various styles of music. This means of course that some of the songs I write/produce don’t fit in the context of TTS so I struck upon the idea of creating a group based upon some of my all time favourites, Yazoo + Eurythmics. This happened because I found myself making some music that was VERY electronic and didn’t fit The Tenth Stage, so rather than fight my feelings I created a project to channel my energy! In this way I can still have the best of both worlds and create synthetic music that is dark (The Tenth Stage) and music that is more upfront (Parralox). I take both projects very seriously.

What are the goals for Parralox?

Well, the first goal is for us to record an albums worth of songs and have them released in some manner. Then I guess it would be cool to be able to perform in Europe/London etc. But I’ve been doing music for a long time, so I’m aware that these things take time, if at all, but sometimes they happen quickly. Either way we are prepared, and having lots of fun along the way. We have already recorded 16 tracks so we will pick the best of what we have and they will end up on the album. We would like our music to be heard by as many people as possible so that’s the main aim really. So far we’ve had some really nice comments on our myspace page and it seems that the music has really touched people and that is so amazing for us to read. It’s basically why we do it.
If we can create music that people fall in love with then = mission accomplished.

Parralox Roxy

Parralox exists since February, yet you recorded several songs already, what is the secret of working this fast?

I tend to write songs very quickly, it normally takes me about 1 or 2 hours to write and produce a full song. I rely heavily on instinct and my ears will always tell me if something sounds catchy or not. If I think I have a half good idea then I try and develop it, but if it doesn’t work then I quickly discard it and move on. I have been working in Subterrane Studio with many different people over the years and this has given me a good exposure to different working methods. In addition I have my own personal musical tastes and favourite bands upon which to draw inspiration from. This is actually the first project that I am writing 100% of the songs. Usually I function as composer and Producer, but because I had such a specific vision for Parralox it was necessary for me to fulfil the role of both lyricist and composer. The trick is to get a great hook. This sometimes happens very randomly so I always make sure I have my mobile phone with me so I can use the voice recorded to note down any melodies.

How are Parralox songs created?

The songs are always based on inspiration. The source of this is comes from many different places. Sometimes a melody line will pop into my head and I record it into my mobile phone for later review.

Sometimes sleep deprivation takes my head into a different place and it’s almost like I’m on drugs (which I don’t take) and I just let the ideas happen.

Occasionally I have a dream and a new song is playing (in the dream) so I have to wake myself up from the dream and record it into my mobile phone. Sometimes it’s hard to wake yourself, but I’m getting better at it. A few nights ago I wrote a great song in my sleep and during the dream I remember thinking “wake up so you can record it” but I was so distracted in the dream that the moment passed and the song was lost. Which was a shame because it was a very lovely song, kind of like David Lynch meets Roy Orbison. Thankfully the majority of my work is done while I’m fully awake LOL!!

From a production perspective it usually begins with the Drums/Bass because this is such an important foundation of most songs. Sometimes I will take a drum loop (like Thompson Twins - Love On Your Side) and then add a bassline that sounds right, which is how I did “I Fell In Love With A Drum Machine”. Then once I feel the groove is correct I will add a melody and lyrics which will then form the Verse structure. Then I write a Pre-chorus and then Chorus. In the case of “Drum Machine” the Prechorus was actually the Chorus until I had a listen and realised that it just wasn’t catchy enough. I thought it needed something almost surreal to make it stand out and suddenly the title just popped into my head.

When you compose a song for Parralox, do you have to be in a different mood compared to composing song for The Tenth Stage, what’s the difference?

The main difference is that with TTS I don’t normally write the lyrics, Roberto does. And Roberto always tells such a cinematic story and he sometimes tells me ‘This song should be slow, or fast or a waltz etc” and then he leaves the actual composition and direction up to me. Once I create a rough I draft I send him a copy to make sure I’m on the right track, and then we will record vocals. It’s not really a matter of mood because when I’m in the studio it’s like I’m working at any other job. Obviously it’s a creative area I work in but I work in a very disciplined fashion so once I sit in the seat I know I have to create something new, that never existed before. That’s the joy of music and the same rules apply regardless of what style or composition I need to create.

But for Parralox I always approach things from a more commercial aspect as well. In the back of my head I’m always thinking “Could I hear this song being played on radio?”. Not that I write music with an aim to getting it picked up on the radio, but you have to be realistic and understand that commercial pop has certain parameters and your music must be mindful of that (song structure, production, arrangement, vocals etc). I never think “I need to write a Number One Hit” because you end up chasing your tail. You need to be a slave to the creative process and through the process of elimination you will always end up with some amazing songs (and a few average ones!)

Parralox John Parralox Roxy

The original idea was to use different singers but so far all songs are sung by Roxy, did you change the original idea and can we talk of Parralox as a duo now?

I originally envisioned utilising different vocalists for the project (I actually contacted Elenor from Sobriquet because SHE has a brilliant voice as well), but as I recorded more Parralox songs with Roxy I realised that we worked well together and that she responded positively to my music direction, especially in terms of vocal production. The fact that I was able to get Roxy to execute my musical visions so satisfactorily made me hesitant to involve other people, and thereby potentially changing the style of Parralox we had thus far created. I guess my instinct of “If It Ain’t Broke Don’t Fix It” applied. As much I wanted to involve extra singers I realised that I already had created something special with Roxy.

What are your plans for the future?

As per above: we’d love to perform overseas, especially Germany and London. Actually anywhere in Europe would be great and anywhere where people like our music! I suppose we need to create some video clips too, but we are just so busy creating the music that this will have to wait. We have been asked to play in London in November 2008 but we will see what happens.

Your album will be released very soon, what can you tell us about it? How did the recordings go?

I’ve tried to keep the theme of Electricity for this album but I’m already planning for the 2nd and 3rd albums, both in terms of style and production. I eventually want to try something a bit more organic, but for the time being I will let the creations flow as they are and do what comes naturally. Most of the songs on the first album are always an indirect reference to something else. So even though you may think I’ve written a song about androids (Factory Friends) in reality the song is about something much darker and personal that you would first suspect. Perhaps I make the lyrics a bit too obscure sometimes, but it worked for Salvador Dali. I never try and limit myself by any rules or preconceptions. But at the end of the day they are pop songs so you do need to adhere to certain expectations.

The recording sessions are usually very quick, just the same amount of time as it takes to write the songs! We have a set day for recording vocals and that is always Monday at 1600hours. What normally happens is that I will wake up and start writing the new song usually at 1200 or 1300 and hopefully have it finished by 1600hours when Roxy arrives. Quite a few times I have literally finished writing the last vocal line while Roxy is ringing the doorbell. It makes some of my friends laugh that I work under such tight timelines, but I work well under pressure and sometimes you come up with really good ideas.

A vocal session will normally take 3 hours because Roxy is such a great singer she can take any idea I throw at her. Roxy does all her own backing vocals which sound very nice, to my ear anyway!

We continue to record new songs every Monday, obviously not while I’m in UK to see Yazoo on June 15,18+19!! But some tracks take up to 2 days to write, because I like to take my time sometimes and develop the song structure etc. Sometimes you have to scrap everything you’ve done and just begin again – I’ve learnt to be very brutal in terms of discarding ideas that don’t work and starting from scratch. For each new song I try and start with brand new sounds so that I don’t repeat myself, but sometimes you need a little consistency so I have used the LinnDrum a few times LOL.

I have a large collection of vintage synths and use these all the time but I find that I also use lots of VSTis because I love the fact that you have total recall. People have forgotten (or never realised) where we came from in terms of recording technology. When I was training I used to work with 24 track recorders, 2 Inch Tape and had to manually edit the tape with a razor. Digital Recording was only for the elite. So these days we have complete digital desks with Total Recall and that used to only for SSL. So it’s great to have complete sessions in Cubase that can be opened and you continue working on the song as if the session never stopped! It means I can work on many songs at the same time and just open up the session and continue.

We also use a programmer called Juan del Toro and he sometimes helps with Basslines and those little fiddly sequenced programming lines, which he does brilliantly. He also makes the best cups of tea, which is very important for me in the studio!

Parralox John and Roxy

Any last words for the readers?

We hope you enjoy the songs on many different levels. We have only just begun with Parralox so we really don’t know what the future holds. Both Roxy and I love creating music so we will do it till both of us stop breathing. And if some people out there like our stuff = then that’s the icing on the cake!