EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH SKULLY!!!! APRIL 2009

Skully gives us the inside scoop on his career and projects in the works!!

Thank you to Skully for graciously agreeing to do this interview. We all appreciate your taking the time to answer these questions. I hope this interview answers some of the "many" questions we have about this wonderful man who enriches our lives so much every day. Sandy

1. At what age did you take a serious interest in music?

**I would guess around 12, I was a DJ when I was 13.

2. Did you have any formal training on piano/keyboards?

**I did do piano, but found it soul destroying learning to play TEN LITTLE INDIANS by sight, while playing Scott Joplin by ear at school concerts! I was asked to leave music in high school. I was told it wasn't for me!

3. Your father was a very well known musician in Ireland. What influence did he have on your choice of careers? Was he supportive of your choice?

**My Father is the reason I chose this career. He has always been incredibly supportive, and I always run things past him if I am having production problems.

4. There was some very good electronic music around in the 80's, although some of the groups had a hard time getting recognized or having their music played on "mainstream" radio stations. Why did you decide to take on electronic music yourself?

**KRAFTWERK! They were such a relief from 3 guitars and a drum kit. After hearing Autobahn, I started saving for my first Moog synthesizer!

5. What kind of music do you like to listen to?

**I like a lot of different music; Bach, Purcell, Handle, Kraftwerk, Leftfield, Trentemoller, Fat Boy Slim, The Bonzo Do Da Band

6. It seems that you have always been writer/producer/musician behind the scenes, and letting the singers get the bulk of the publicity. Do you mind being "invisible" and staying in the background?

**I am a realist. When you work with girls as beautiful as Aida, Esther or Ann, well bar the odd Labrador enthusiast, I know who I would rather look at!

7. When you released your own music CD, "Without A Voice", were you surprised at how well it was received, especially since it was all instrumental?

**In fact, I am more surprised that it just seems to be getting bigger and bigger. I just released it online as an experiment, but it has generated such an interest, that we are thinking of giving it a full CD release! I am thrilled about it, because it really is my baby!

8. I have heard that your favorite Metisse song is "Pray", but what is your favorite song from Without A Voice, if you could choose just one? Why?
**Easy: IMPORTANT STAFF ANNOUNCEMENT! I think there is a good humored lazy feel to it, although there is a lot happening in it, it doesn't take itself too seriously.

9. Every song writer has a special way of creating their music. What is your process? Do the ideas just appear to you like a flash, or is it something that you must really think about? Is there a special place you like to go, that gets your creative "juices" flowing, or do you create in your studio?

**Yes. Most of my MySpace friends know this place, Travara in the west of Ireland. There are 2 parts to what I do, melody and chord sequence, I do in my head usually, and work it out later on piano. The longer more difficult procedure is creating the sounds and samples.

10. A lot of work and time goes into creating an album. How long does it take, and what happens once you are done creating the songs?

**My studio can produce a massive range of frequencies (3 hertz (HZ) to 55,000 KHZ). This would blow most sound systems to bits. Mastering compresses and enhances recordings to suit all systems. There are also frequencies that sound nice to the human ear, and others that do not. Mastering removes or enhances these frequencies. All of my mastering is done by Miles Showell at Metropolis in London. It is a very technical process, but means that I can push sounds to the absolute limit, relaxed in the knowledge that whatever I throw at him, Miles can turn to gold! WITHOUT A VOICE took me 3 years to record, and really pushed Miles to the limit!

11. So much of you is in each piece that you create. What song from all of your music was the most difficult to produce?

**TROUBLE. It was like mixing technologies from different eras together! It is also one I am very proud of!

12. The song "Trouble" was a blending of two versions of the song. How long did it take you to put it together?

**I think it was about 3 weeks, but tuning and stretching the flute and guitar samples from the original recordings took about 17 hours.

13. At times, we are far removed from the music scene in Europe, however the internet has made it easier to get exposure. Celtic Radio Network is now playing your music, but it seems that it takes time to get through to other venues. Are you primarily targeting the European market, or are you considering venturing more into the US market?

**2009 has been our best year so far. This is all thanks to the internet, which has made my music accessible to the whole world. We are not targeting the US, but my music does seem to appeal to a lot of Americans.

14. Is there anything new in the works that you can tell us about, or is it "Top Secret"?

**At the moment I am working on 3 new albums.

15. Have you ever considered doing a "Skully" remake of some of the most popular love songs from the past & present? This would be an extreme hit with your female fans!

**That's what Hallelujah is, a suggestion from a friend! I have also been asked to do a version of "Can't Help Falling in Love". So, I guess that's a yes!

16. I know that over the years, you have reached many of your goals and ambitions, but is there still something that you would like to accomplish?

**I have already achieved one of my ambitions. I wanted to touch as many people as I could across the world with my music. I have done this with Boom Boom Ba. I think most people in the world have now heard it!! My next ambition is to get my own music into a movie or TV show.

17. I simply have to ask this question, as no interview would be complete without it! Many of your female fans are quite "enamored" with you. How does this make you feel, and how do you keep all the praise and love showered on you in perspective?

**I love it!! We all have great fun on MySpace! It's like a little club of people who really like the music I make. Nothing can be more flattering than that!

18. Some of your fans are asking if you will ever go on tour? Are there any plans in the making, or have you even considered it?

**Yes, I am planning to tour, but it is complex with this kind of music, so for the moment the internet is my venue.

19. Where do you see yourself and your music 10 years from now?

**I hope exactly where I am. The internet has brought my music to people all over the world! I am learning from people everyday, how my music affects them, in some cases how it has changed their lives! It is exciting to watch my fan base grow so fast! I would change nothing. I really do have the perfect life!

**Special thanks to Pam & Berry who helped create the questions. :-)