Max HeyraudPaul Fitzgibbon turns Irish traditional sounds into driving techno, defying expectations at every turn.
Paul Fitzgibbon, an Irish musician and producer, has built a career that bridges two very different musical worlds. Raised in County Kerry and classically trained as a violinist before focusing on the viola, Fitzgibbon studied at the Royal College of Music in London as a Leopold de Rothschild scholar. Over the years, he has performed internationally, including appearances at Carnegie Hall and alongside ensembles such as the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Alongside his classical career, Fitzgibbon has developed a parallel path in electronic music, releasing techno on labels including RI7MO, Duplicity, Prtl Wrx and Beluga Tracks. His productions have received support from leading figures in techno such as DVS1, Richie Hawtin, Slam and Dax J.
Now based in London, Fitzgibbon’s latest EP reflects a deeply personal intersection of these influences. Written after nearly seven years away from his home in Kerry, the project explores themes of memory, identity and introspection while weaving Irish traditional textures into a contemporary techno framework. Featuring elements such as bodhrán rhythms and live viola, the release draws on both his cultural roots and classical background, blending organic instrumentation with electronic production.
Beyond the studio, Fitzgibbon is also committed to supporting musical communities. In 2020, he founded the non-profit Young Musicians Guild, an organisation dedicated to helping emerging artists transition into professional careers. In 2024, he also launched the label Scordisci, a platform focused on nurturing new voices in electronic music.
How did being away from Co. Kerry influence the emotional tone of this EP?
I’ve been living in London for about seven years now, so being away from Kerry has definitely shaped how I relate to it emotionally. When you spend that long away from somewhere you grew up, your memories of it almost become a bit more vivid and reflective.
Growing up in Kerry was quite a unique experience for me. I was homeschooled, so my social world was quite small, and I didn’t have the same kind of daily interactions that a lot of people might have had. Because of that, my connection to the place is tied very closely to a handful of really meaningful friendships and memories that I still hold very deeply.
Coming back to that headspace while making the EP was really important. I wanted to tap into some of those feelings and memories associated with growing up there and explore them emotionally through the music. Kerry represents a very specific atmosphere and emotional landscape for me, so the EP became a way of reconnecting with that from a distance.
Can you elaborate on how Irish traditional elements are woven into this EP?
Over the last while, I’ve taken a bit of a step back from going out clubbing as frequently. I still love a great night out, but stepping back a little allowed me to reconnect more deeply with the music itself and spend more time exploring sound in the studio.
During that period, I found myself diving more into Irish traditional instrumentation and the range of textures and timbres within it. Instruments like the bodhrán, uilleann pipes and traditional strings have such a distinctive character, and when you start experimenting with sampling and resampling them inside a DAW, they can become incredibly powerful sound sources.
I became really interested in how these organic sounds could sit inside a techno framework while still retaining their identity. By processing, layering and reshaping them in the studio, it’s possible to create something that feels rooted in Irish tradition while still living in an electronic music context.
“Conversations with Oneself” features bodhrán and live viola. How did you decide which traditional instruments to incorporate into your tracks?
The bodhrán stood out to me immediately because of its rhythmic character. When you start incorporating bodhrán patterns into techno, you get this incredibly interesting almost tribal energy that sits really nicely with the hypnotic nature of the genre. Listening to great players like John Joe Kelly and experimenting with sampling and processing those kinds of grooves opened up a lot of ideas for me in the studio.
With the strings, bringing in live viola felt like the most natural choice. I’m classically trained and work professionally as a violist, so it made sense to merge those two worlds. For “Conversations with Oneself” I actually improvised the viola part directly on top of the track and recorded it in a single take. I just went with the flow and let it happen naturally, which made it feel very organic. I was really pleased with how it came out, and I think that spontaneity helped give the track a more human and expressive quality.
Was there a particular moment in the creative process where you realised the EP was taking a more introspective direction?
I think it connects quite closely to something I mentioned earlier about taking a bit of distance from the club environment for a while. I still love that world, but stepping back slightly gave me the space to focus more deeply on the music itself and the intention behind it.
During the writing process, I found myself becoming much more deliberate with every sound choice. I was putting a lot more thought into what each element was contributing emotionally, and how the textures and atmosphere could create a space for reflection. One of my goals with the music I make is to create a place where listeners, whether they’re on a dancefloor or listening somewhere more privately, can enter a headspace that allows them to connect more with themselves.
What really confirmed that the EP had taken a more introspective direction was the overall feeling I had once it was finished. It’s by far the happiest I’ve ever been with a body of music that I’ve made, and it feels the most meaningful to me because it’s also the most personal. The whole process, from writing and recording the music to working on the artwork and preparing the release, felt like a really interesting journey of self-discovery. Looking back on it now, I genuinely couldn’t be happier with how it all came together.
How has your classical training shaped your approach to electronic music production?
Music has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I started playing when I was around two years old, so growing up within that environment meant that a lot of musical concepts, theory and discipline were embedded in me from a very early age.
In some ways, I actually envy producers who come into electronic music without that background, because not being aware of the traditional “rules” of music can sometimes lead to really interesting and unexpected discoveries. When you’ve grown up within classical training, those frameworks are always somewhere in the back of your mind, and sometimes you find yourself being conscious of breaking rules that you were taught not to break.
At the same time, that background was incredibly helpful when I started producing electronic music. Understanding harmony, structure and musical phrasing meant that adapting to working inside a DAW came quite naturally to me. A lot of the musical decision-making already made sense; it was just a matter of learning the tools and translating those ideas into a new environment.
Even now, it’s something I’m constantly learning from. It’s really fascinating to see how traditional musical ideas around tension, release, texture and arrangement can translate into electronic production, sometimes in very unexpected ways.
Do you see any similarities or differences between the experimental nature of electronic music and the regimented world of classical music?
In some ways, yes, and in some ways no. Classical music, particularly in its traditional form, is often very structured. There are certain rules, forms and conventions that composers historically worked within in order to create something cohesive, and that framework is a huge part of what defines the tradition.
That said, there have always been composers who pushed those boundaries quite dramatically. Figures like Stockhausen or Boulez explored incredibly experimental ideas and challenged what classical music could be. So experimentation has always existed within that world, even if it sometimes sits more on the edges of the tradition.
What I find really interesting about electronic music is that the culture around it tends to be much more open to taking risks and breaking rules. Producers are often very willing to experiment with sound, structure and texture without feeling constrained by historical expectations. That mindset can lead to some very interesting personalities and creative approaches, which then translate directly into the music itself.
Another important thing to keep in mind is that electronic music is still incredibly young when you compare it to classical music. Classical traditions have developed over hundreds of years, whereas electronic music has only really existed for a few decades. In many ways, we are still at the beginning of that journey. It’s exciting to imagine where electronic music, and music more broadly, might be in the next 100 or even 300 years.
I also strongly believe that to be a good musician, you need to be open to learning from all kinds of music. There is so much that these different worlds can offer each other. One thing I often say is that people who regularly attend classical music concerts could probably benefit from going to the club once in a while, and equally, people who spend their weekends in clubs could gain a lot from attending a classical concert. Both spaces offer very different experiences, but they’re ultimately driven by the same thing: a deep connection to music. The most interesting creative ideas often emerge when those worlds begin to overlap and inform one another.
You hand-painted the artwork for this release. How does the visual process interact with your musical process?
For the artwork, I wanted to create something that acted almost like a small Easter egg about myself and the process behind the EP. I used a passport photograph of myself to create a silhouette, and then within that silhouette I painted a kind of abstract figure. The idea was to subtly place myself inside the artwork as a reflection of the personal nature of the music.
The process itself was actually quite instinctive. I didn’t approach it in a very technical or controlled way. I was essentially throwing paint at the canvas and letting things happen until it reached a point where it felt right. That spontaneity mirrored the emotional and reflective headspace I was in while making the EP.
More than anything, I wanted the artwork to visually represent the same introspective mindset that shaped the music. The whole project, from writing the tracks to creating the artwork, became part of the same creative process. Both were ways of exploring that internal space and expressing it in different forms.
How important is Irish identity to your music, and how do you navigate expressing it in a contemporary electronic context?
Ireland is such a unique and fascinating place, both culturally and historically. When you consider the size of the country and its population, it’s actually remarkable how many incredible musicians have come out of it across so many different genres. There’s clearly something in the cultural fabric of the place that encourages a deep connection to music and expression.
For me, Irish identity tends to sit more in the emotional and cultural backdrop of the music rather than something I consciously try to force into the work. Growing up in Ireland, particularly in Kerry, inevitably shaped the way I experience sound, atmosphere and memory. Those things naturally filter into the music I make.
At the same time, I don’t always actively think about it when I’m writing. A lot of it just happens quite organically because it’s part of my background and upbringing. The sounds, the atmosphere and the cultural references are simply things that have been around me my whole life, so they tend to emerge naturally in the creative process.
I also think Ireland has a strong cultural tradition of empathy and standing up for fairness and justice. When you look at many of the global tensions and tragedies unfolding in the world today, it’s something I feel proud of when I think about the values that many people in Ireland try to uphold. That sense of humanity and awareness of the wider world inevitably shapes how you see things as an artist.
So when Irish elements appear in my music, it’s less about deliberately trying to make something that sounds overtly “Irish” and more about allowing those cultural memories, values and emotional textures to exist within a contemporary electronic context.
How do you see your music evolving over the next few years?
To be honest, that’s quite a difficult question to answer because music is always evolving naturally over time. I try not to place too many rigid expectations on where things should go creatively.
What I do know is that I’m very interested in continuing to explore the intersection between classical music and electronic production. Coming from a classical background as a violist, I feel there’s a lot of unexplored territory between those two worlds, whether that’s through incorporating more live instrumentation, collaborating with other classical musicians, or finding new ways to blend acoustic and electronic textures together.
At the same time, something that is very important to me is authenticity. In electronic music you sometimes see artists become very successful and then shift their sound purely towards what fills the biggest rooms or stadiums, often for financial reasons. While that path works for some people, it’s not something I personally feel drawn to.
More broadly, I think artists have a responsibility to stand by their values as people as well as musicians. We’re living in a time where there are many serious issues and injustices happening around the world, and sometimes people in creative industries feel pressure to stay quiet out of fear of offending the wrong people or losing opportunities. Personally, I believe it’s much healthier in the long run to be honest about who you are and what you believe in. For me, authenticity isn’t just about the sound of the music, it’s also about being genuine as a person. When you stay true to yourself, you tend to attract the right community around you.
Another important part of that journey for me is the label and collective I’m involved with, Scordisci. The ethos behind it is about nurturing emerging artists and focusing on releasing music that genuinely excites us rather than chasing trends. Being part of something that supports up-and-coming musicians and helps create space for new ideas means a lot to me, and I’m really looking forward to continuing to grow that alongside my own music.
Ultimately, I just want the music to continue evolving in a way that feels genuine and exploratory while staying connected to the ideas and values that made me start making music in the first place.
Before finishing, I’d also like to take a moment to thank the artists who contributed to this release. Local Analyst, Eaien, James Harbrecht and Maeksll all created incredible remixes for the EP, and it was a real pleasure to work with each of them. I’m also very grateful to Local Analyst for mastering the record and to my friend David Horvat for helping me with the mixdowns and offering valuable advice throughout the process. Having such talented people involved made the whole project feel even more special.