PRODUCE LIKE…
The Bristol trio combining their varied industry experience to create raw, nostalgic club music
Paper Dragon demonstrate their reamping process
Bristol-based three-piece Paper Dragon only have a handful of releases to their name, but they’re certainly not newcomers to the world of dance music. Each member has their own, varied roots in the industry. Jon Savage has spent several years on the road managing and working with acts including Fred V & Grafix and KOAN Sound. Bruce Turner is a multi-instrumentalist who has played guitar for acts such as drum & bass artist TC and teaches at Bristol’s dBS institute, while Kris Burton has worked as an engineer at Abbey Road.
Formerly a four-piece fronted by vocalist Ruth Royal, Paper Dragon returned this year with a refreshed lineup and a stellar EP of nostalgic, rave-influenced tracks, Amplified Nostalgia. We caught up with the trio at Bristol’s dBS to get under the hood of their techniques.
How did Paper Dragon come together as a group?
Bruce Turner:“Me and Jon met studying a master’s degree in music at Bath Spa university.”
Jon Savage: “It’s probably almost 15 years ago. We hit it off on the first day. We started an act called Playhead fairly swiftly after meeting. We were just making eclectic dance music. We made an album as our masters project, and then we made another EP. Then Bruce started working at dBS where he met Kris, who’s the other member.
“Initially, we were working with vocalist Ruth Royal, and it was the four of us. We did two EPs. And then Ruth sort of moved on to focus on her solo work. And we had a little bit of time off, sort of figuring out what our next steps were. And then at the start of this year, we came back with the new, revamped Paper Dragon.”
What were your individual musical backgrounds prior to meeting?
BT: “I’ve been performing all my life, mostly as a guitarist. That grew and grew over the years and eventually I started doing hybrid electronic and live music, which then sort of led me into the drum & bass scene. I was doing guitars for TC, who’s a drum & bass artist. That was my introduction to performing on proper stages and festivals and things.”
JS: “I started drumming at the age of about eight or nine, and then got into playing in championship brass bands and orchestras. Then in my teens I found electronic music. I started producing on an Amiga, with Notator, and a synth. Eventually I moved into show production work and started working with the likes of Fred V & Grafix and KOAN Sound, and other electronic acts, sort of curating their live acts and how to translate their studio music. That gave me the insight and know-how to start working on thos
