'I quite enjoy the sober life now' - Paleman Interview

What's it like to study Monday-Friday and DJ worldwide every weekend for the last four years? Calum Lee AKA Paleman, has an answer for that. Recently emerging from the other side of balancing two separate lives, it looks like the long days in university and an array of weekend gigs scattered across the globe has fully paid off. After the whirlwind of previous years, Paleman has earned a well respected reputation in the vibrant underground scenes of London and his native Manchester.

Countless releases on Loefahs ‘Swamp81’ label and monthly shows for the renowned ‘Rinse FM’ early on in his career provided the platform for Palemans tracks to be spun across numerous raves across the UK. Tunes mixed by a certain Skream, Boddika and Jackmaster to name but a few ensured his productions were present and thriving on the scene, instantly exposing him to the underground community.

Finally finished his last chapter of uni life and now focusing on his new alias with a string of unannounced live shows, it’s no wonder that Paleman is feeling optimistic about a career in music for 2017.

Looking back on the last 4 years of juggling his degree studies with rigorous touring, MOTZ caught up with Callum to find out how he’s still standing and remaining somewhat sane - while he still continues his upward journey in producing and ever expanding DJ sets…

Firstly, congratulations on completing your degree in Jazz Drums earlier this year.

Why did you decide to study Jazz Drums after previously studying at Manchester’s acclaimed Chethams School of Music, as well as being signed to an established label like Swamp81 quite early on in your production career?

Thank you! After finishing at college (sixth form) I felt a strong calling to try and ‘finish’ my studies in academic music, I always said I would go to London to study jazz from quite a young age. My career as a producer lifted off at the exact same time I started my degree so it was pretty hectic. But I really felt I owed it to myself to complete the degree. I’ve got the paper now and that feels good. I’ve also studied Jazz so hard that it’s nice to feel I know something quite well and that I can now teach and explore other sides of music with the knowledge I’ve gained.

Would you say learning to play drums has been the backbone of your career?

I would say my studies of rhythm and detailed analysis of improvisation have definitely provided a sturdy foundation thats really helped my DJ sets and productions. I can hear a beat in my head and instantly put it on paper as it were, which is very useful for writing percussive based music. Improvising the drums in a jazz context was something I had done for years before my first DJ set, so performance and playing to a crowd was something I felt quite aware of. So I guess learning drums is one of the elements which provided a backbone in my career. But there’s a whole side of club culture that I didn’t grow up with and I’ve only become aware of it since playing out a lot. Togetherness, being in the present and a room full of love is an amazing thing. I think there has to be many elements spiritually that make the backbone of one’s career, aside from just technical things. I feel I’ve got a firm grip of the technical side of some aspects of making music, but learning how to express myself honestly and without an agenda is something I battle with a lot.

How did you balance degree studies with your Swamp81 productions, a monthly Rinse FM residency and travelling worldwide to perform your DJ sets?

Balancing work whilst studying and touring was really, really hard. I couldn’t give every assessment my all, it just wasn’t possible. I remember I landed after 36 hours travelling during a tour of Australia and went straight to a big band rehearsal at uni the day I arrived…needless to say I wasn’t particularly enthusiastic. It was hard, that’s for sure. I even did a lot of work on planes and trains during that time. My uni wasn't particularly sympathetic as they didn’t really understand the DJing side of my life!

Did you find it quite surreal returning to Uni on a Monday morning after an international gig during the weekend?

It was so surreal going back to uni on a Monday after a weekend flying and travelling. I had all these experiences in my mind and an exhausted body. But I’d go in at 9AM on a Monday to everyone fresh faced and ready to learn. I felt quite left out at times but I knew I had to give my productions and DJing my all during that time.

You have played in a staggering amount of countries - Greece, Ireland, Russia and Poland and of course Australia. Do you find yourself musically influenced by each country you have visited?

I don’t think I’ve been particularly musically influenced by countries I’ve visited. On some levels there’s always a local scene that I pick up on and bring a flavour back with me. However, I do find that the people and cultural differences in all the different countries I’ve visited has vastly influenced my music. I realised the world is vast but most of all humans are pretty similar - it was an interesting realisation for me as a young DJ. I love how music spreads and it’s always inspiring to hear how music is shaped and presented in different countries.

Listening to your tracks and sets, there’s a mix of dark, dubby, stretched out beats like ‘The Day’ leading up to faster, harder, heavier rhythms like ‘Hunt’. How would you define your sound?

I’m struggling with a definition of my sound, I’m not sure I even know myself what music I’m making half the time. It’s something I would really like to try and define both to myself and others over the next few years but I think finding a sound on an instrument, writing, production and even working out who you are as a human is a long journey. Saying that - I think a really strong natural groove is something I always go for. There’s not much else I think when going into writing a track. Mood is something I always want to capture and I don’t feel I’ve written a track that conveys that concept fully yet. Every week I feel like I move on and have to scrap the previous week’s work. Its tough!

Your debut 'Toilet Room' set as part of Sydneys ‘Moving House’ DJ Collective, was widely shared on social media. Would you say this set (essentially a piss take on Boiler Room) helped to rapidly expose your name and music?

Toilet Room was crazy. It was a tiny house party. I had no idea it would go viral but it absolutely blew up. Interestingly when I play outside of the UK, it's a set that people bring up a lot. I think it helped spread my music to an international community for sure. But at the same time it’s just one set out of hundreds I’ve done and it was a house party set - I just wanted everyone to have fun. It’s difficult when people see one set as a representation of your whole sound. I’m very grateful for the response though, it was amazing at the time.

London’s underground scene has changed drastically in the last few years. Do you prefer to play in your home city of Manchester compared to the constantly changing London scene?

That is a tricky question. I think I do slightly prefer playing in Manchester just because it’s where I grew up. I feel welcomed and I love the rowdy Manchester scene, its less self conscious than London at the moment. But then the other day I had a great set in 'The Nest' in London. I felt free and I felt I was really expressing myself. I think it depends who comes to the party, not where it is!

Where is your favourite spot for a dance in London?

I saw Jeff Mills at Studio Spaces recently. It was a great party and a comfortable venue for me - I danced sober for about 7 hours! The Nest is a great venue too, very dark and loud. Fabric is always somewhere I can lose myself but I don’t go as often anymore. It’s a shame Dance Tunnel has gone, I loved it there too. But there are still plenty of venues in London I’d be happy to go dancing in! Corsica Studios, Oslo…there’s still a good handful!

After acquiring more musical knowledge with an extra four years in Uni and adding to your existing skill set, can you share any dates with us about live shows that we can look forward to this year?

I’m working on a live show at the moment. I can’t announce anything at all but it’s coming. I’m going to dissect every tune I’ve worked on for the past 6 months and turn all the parts into a huge bank I can construct a live show from…all will be revealed soon! Aside from that, I’m working on some more techno orientated music under a new alias. I will also release another couple of records of my experiments on my label PLMN. I’m trying to find the balance between waiting and rushing with my music at the moment, it’s an ongoing battle.

Is there any club you are itching to play in next year?

I would love to play at De School in Amsterdam and there are a few other European clubs I would love to play at…I’ll see how it goes.

Finally, what’s been the craziest experience you ever had on tour?

I’ve had a lot of crazy experiences on tour. Once I projectile puked all over the window of a plane and then a few minutes later again but into the pocket of my coat (there was no sickbag). I was falling asleep and waking up every few minutes shouting. The staff didn’t even realise and I don’t think I did. I was in a terrible state after partying all night before my 6am flight, I’m pretty sure someone took a photo of me on the plane! Never again…I quite enjoy the sober life now. I’ve been lucky enough to see so many different ways people enjoy this music, from rowdy student after parties to a civilised breakfast in Geneva. I’m really fascinated by people and I’m grateful to have had so many varied experiences on my travels! There’s never a boring gig…

On that note, Callum plays Blink w/Paleman at The Wire, Leeds on 28th February: https://www.residentadvisor.net/event.aspx?921024

Photos by Vicky Grout