When Ameli and Paul’s paths crossed in 2016, they immediately felt the urge to fuse their approaches of making music – the succinct productions of Paul, with Ameli’s inherent songlike musicality and sentimental voice. Constantly evolving their live performance over the last few years, the duo stands for a stirring electronic sound that ranges from cinematic excursions to pop-like song structures.
Synthesizers, field recordings, vocals and guitars join forces across their musical playground as the pair creates thrilling dance tunes to dive into and get lost in. Playing live in renowned clubs and festivals, Ameli Paul are increasingly known for casting a spell on their audience. It’s this unique, multifaceted sound that is effortlessly melting genre boundaries and listeners’ hearts around the world.
Now Ameli Paul conjures up a full-spectrum EP that showcases their distinct musical variety, with the brand new three-part package Beyond Reason on MEIOSIS. We had a chance to sit down with the guys from their home city of Cologne to find out more.
Hi guys, great to have you with us for the first time. How are you both doing?
Nice to meet you! We are doing great, hope you too!
Where are you each based at the moment and how has the past twelve months been?
Paul: We are both based in Cologne, Germany. The last twelve months have been quite a rollercoaster. First I was psyched to spend more time in the studio, then I missed touring and meeting new people a lot. But at the end I think we made the best out of it and created a lot of stuff that will see the light of day soon.
Your latest EP ‘Beyond Reason’ has just dropped on MEIOSIS. What are the main influences and creative inspirations behind this record?
Ameli: First of all, our ups and downs of the last year have been the main source of inspiration. So it’s a mixture of melancholia and hope, regression and now-more-than-ever. Besides that, in these times we didn’t think so much about producing music for the dancefloor and felt more freedom in our creative process.
How did the remix from Aera come about?
Paul: We love Aera’s sound for quite some time, for instance his track ‘Terra’ he did with TERR or ‘Running hot’ are amazing. When he joined the same agency the idea occurred to have him on the EP. The remix is a real banger!
When did you two start making records together?
Paul: It was in 2016 that we met for the first time at a festival and arranged a session in the studio which turned into a four hours jam, two months later we uploaded our first track on Soundcloud.
Do you have similar approaches to the way you produce music?
Ameli: We have quite similar taste in music, but our approaches are totally different. That’s maybe one reason why we feel inspired when playing together. I just love jamming together with synthesizers, effects and my voice in an intuitive way. Paul can sit for hours dealing with Ableton, creating beats. We constantly find new ways to fuse our different ways of creating music.
Can you talk to us about your production set up? What instruments and bits of kits were used in the creation of the new release?
Ameli: I used the Prophet Rev2 for chords and melodic elements. My vocals go through a Line6 Delay, DD3 and a Polara Reverb. Paul operates Ableton Live, a Model D, there is a tiny bit of guitar in Beyond Reason and both tracks have pieces of his field-recordings for beat elements and atmo.
How do you spend your time when you’re not making music?
Paul: Besides music, I am working as a psychologist. Since quite some time I have been interested in connecting these two things.
Ameli: At the moment I spend a lot of time hanging out with my flatmates and cooking delicious food, for example with our new pasta machine.
Who are you listening to at the moment?
We very much enjoy listening to Men I Trust and Lous and the Yakuza at the moment.
Once the world can dance together again, where are you most excited to play?
Ameli: Oh I can’t wait to play in little sweaty clubs, people dancing full of joy. But I am also super eager to play on an open air festival stage with great lights.
Paul: I couldn’t agree more!
