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Paul Maddox on Ghosts Producers vs Engineers.
Paul Maddox, known for his work across Tidy Trax, hard house, hard dance and studio engineering, joins me for a deep conversation about music production, ghost production, sound engineers, AI, the changing club scene, and why so many roles in electronic music are misunderstood.
We start with one of the biggest misconceptions in dance music: ghost producers and engineers are not the same thing. Paul explains where the confusion comes from, why people get defensive about it, and how professional records are often made through collaboration, technical support, and very different skill sets.
From there, we go deep into Paul’s own story. We talk about starting out as a producer before DJing, learning the craft in the late 90s, working with basic gear, discovering dance music through Radio 1, handing demo CDs to DJs, and eventually breaking through with the Tidy Boys and landing an in-house engineering role.
We also get into:
• the difference between engineering, co-production and ghost production
• why some artists need technical help, not a ghost producer
• how electronic music blurs the lines between artist, producer and engineer
• building tracks in person versus online sessions
• how Paul moved across hard house, hard dance, trance, techno and house
• working with artists across different genres
• AI in music production and why it can enhance creativity but not replace it
• why modern music can feel more derivative
• the importance of edits, streaming versions and holding attention online
• the rise, fall and return of hard house and harder dance sounds
• how clubbing culture, festivals, visuals and social media have changed the scene
• why producers now have to do everything, from making music to building a brand
00:00 Intro: The Maddox & Glazby Connection
05:15 Producer vs DJ: What comes first?
08:42 Working with Darius Syrossian & Bryan Kearney
12:30 How COVID changed studio sessions forever
15:45 Engineering vs. Ghost Producing: The Truth
19:20 Why the Dance Industry pulls people down
24:10 Starting on a PC in 1998: The early days
32:50 That life-changing call from the Tidy Boys
40:15 The "Unbaking a Cake" AI Analogy
48:20 Is Hard House having a massive resurgence?
55:30 The decline of the "Weekly Club" and the rise of the "Show"
01:05:10 Why Social Media is killing talented artists
This is a proper behind-the-scenes conversation with someone who has lived it from the inside. If you are into hard house, dance music production, club culture, studio work, or the real mechanics of how tracks get made, this one will land.
The Dexter Jones Podcast explores the stories, people and realities behind dance music, Ibiza culture, production, DJing and the electronic music industry.
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By Dexter JonesPaul Maddox, known for his work across Tidy Trax, hard house, hard dance and studio engineering, joins me for a deep conversation about music production, ghost production, sound engineers, AI, the changing club scene, and why so many roles in electronic music are misunderstood.
We start with one of the biggest misconceptions in dance music: ghost producers and engineers are not the same thing. Paul explains where the confusion comes from, why people get defensive about it, and how professional records are often made through collaboration, technical support, and very different skill sets.
From there, we go deep into Paul’s own story. We talk about starting out as a producer before DJing, learning the craft in the late 90s, working with basic gear, discovering dance music through Radio 1, handing demo CDs to DJs, and eventually breaking through with the Tidy Boys and landing an in-house engineering role.
We also get into:
• the difference between engineering, co-production and ghost production
• why some artists need technical help, not a ghost producer
• how electronic music blurs the lines between artist, producer and engineer
• building tracks in person versus online sessions
• how Paul moved across hard house, hard dance, trance, techno and house
• working with artists across different genres
• AI in music production and why it can enhance creativity but not replace it
• why modern music can feel more derivative
• the importance of edits, streaming versions and holding attention online
• the rise, fall and return of hard house and harder dance sounds
• how clubbing culture, festivals, visuals and social media have changed the scene
• why producers now have to do everything, from making music to building a brand
00:00 Intro: The Maddox & Glazby Connection
05:15 Producer vs DJ: What comes first?
08:42 Working with Darius Syrossian & Bryan Kearney
12:30 How COVID changed studio sessions forever
15:45 Engineering vs. Ghost Producing: The Truth
19:20 Why the Dance Industry pulls people down
24:10 Starting on a PC in 1998: The early days
32:50 That life-changing call from the Tidy Boys
40:15 The "Unbaking a Cake" AI Analogy
48:20 Is Hard House having a massive resurgence?
55:30 The decline of the "Weekly Club" and the rise of the "Show"
01:05:10 Why Social Media is killing talented artists
This is a proper behind-the-scenes conversation with someone who has lived it from the inside. If you are into hard house, dance music production, club culture, studio work, or the real mechanics of how tracks get made, this one will land.
The Dexter Jones Podcast explores the stories, people and realities behind dance music, Ibiza culture, production, DJing and the electronic music industry.