rotation records – The Underground Ear

When Paul Hazel released Test Pattern on Rotation records in 1994, he was dubbed ‘the future of British techno’ by Melody Maker. Remixers from across the board were lining up to put their stamp on the post-Detroit techno banger, including Croatian producer Kornelije Duras aka Ray Saul. But at the turn of the millennium, Paul decided to walk away after one cut-throat experience too many.

During his sabbatical Paul utilised his knowledge behind the desk in a teaching capacity. Having re-located to Swansea, he taught music technology, web design, and entrepreneurship in Higher Education until his students urged him to begin composing again. In 2015 he formed the Swansea Laptop Orchestra, which garnered relative left-field success with a session for Radio 3’s Late Junction in February 2017. But in the back of his mind he couldn’t shake the knowledge that his solo project had never lived up to its billing.

Now, Paul is back to settle unfinished business and it seems the world is conspiring to help. As he was preparing to re-enter into the music industry last year, he finally received the remix he’d been promised eight years earlier by Ray Saul, completely out of the blue. Armed with Test Pattern Redux and a renewed hunger to rise to the top of the experimental electronic scene, Paul is ready to re-claim his title.