Paul Francis McDermott (born 17 September 1965), who performs as Paul Mac, is an Australian

electropop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...

musician, singer-songwriter, producer and music re-mixer. He was classically trained at Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Mac has formed various bands including Smash Mac Mac (1986–88), The Lab (1989–1998),

Itch-E and Scratch-E Itch-E and Scratch-E are an Australian electronic music group formed in 1991 by Paul Mac (a.k.a. Itch-E, Mace) and Andy Rantzen (a.k.a. Scratch-E, Boo Boo), both playing keyboards and samples. The duo recorded as Boo Boo & Mace! during the l ...

(1991–present), Boo Boo Mace & Nutcase (1996–98), and The Dissociatives (2003–2005). Mac has released two solo albums, '' 3000 Feet High'' (6 August 2001) and '' Panic Room'' (17 October 2005) – both appeared in the top 40 on the ARIA Albums Chart. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2002 Mac won 'Best Dance Release' for '' 3000 Feet High'' and was nominated for 'Best Male Artist' and ' Engineer of the Year'. In June 2001 he released his highest charting single, " Just the Thing", which featured lead vocals by Peta Morris. It reached No. 17 on the ARIA Singles Chart and at the

APRA Music Awards of 2002 APRA or Apra may refer to: Places *Apra, Punjab, a census town city in Jalandhar District of Punjab, India * Apra Harbor, the main port of Guam Acronyms * American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (Alianza Popular Revolucionaria Americana), a Peruvi ...

it won 'Most Performed Dance Work'. Mac played with Severed Heads. He was also a touring member of Silverchair as well as recording piano parts for their album, '' Young Modern'' (March 2007), having worked with frontman Daniel Johns as The Dissociatives previously. He has provided remixes for Silverchair, Powderfinger,

The Mark of Cain The curse of Cain and the mark of Cain are phrases that originated in the story of Cain and Abel in the Book of Genesis. In the stories, if someone harmed Cain, the damage would come back sevenfold. Some interpretations view this as a physica ...

, Grinspoon, The Cruel Sea,

INXS INXS (a word play, phonetic play on "in excess") were an Australian Rock music, rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. The band's founding members were bassist Garry Gary Beers, main composer and keyboar ...

and Placebo. Mac has worked on soundtracks for

Baz Luhrmann Mark Anthony Luhrmann (born 17 September 1962), known professionally as Baz Luhrmann, is an Australian film director, producer, writer and actor. With projects spanning film, television, opera, theatre, music and recording industries, he is re ...

and on the films '' Head On'' and '' Sample People''. He was the musical director on the Australian TV show, '' Good News Week'', and composed music for ABC-TV including ''The Afternoon Show'', ''EC Plays Lift Off'' and ''TVTV''.

Biography

Mac was born on 17 September 1965. He is the youngest of seven children and grew up in a strict Catholic family in Sydney. As a teenager Mac played hymns on the organ at his local church, including for weddings and funerals. He later described himself as "the worst Virgo, ex-Catholic you've ever met". He is a classically trained graduate from Sydney Conservatorium of Music, as a Bachelor of Music Education. In the mid-1980s he was a member of Smash Mac Mac, which were an art noise band covering Talking Heads material – Mac introduced drum machines and electronic elements. In 1987 they issued the album, ''Chapter One: Light on the Silo''. In 1989 Mac formed the

synthpop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to r ...

group The Lab in Sydney with Yolanda Podolski on lead vocals, and Warwick Hornby (aka Warwick Factor) on vocals and bass guitar. The group signed with rooArt, which released their two extended plays, ''Ultra'' (1992) and ''Terminal'' (1993). They moved to

BMG BMG may refer to: Organizations * Music publishing companies: ** Bertelsmann Music Group, a 1987–2008 division of Bertelsmann that was purchased by Sony on October 1, 2008 *** Sony BMG, a 2004–2008 joint venture of Bertelsmann and Sony that wa ...

and issued their debut album, ''Labyrinth'', in 1997. The group disbanded the following year. Smash Mac Mac recorded 1 double sided single packed in a Pizza like box but melted in the Redfern flat above a Fish and Chips Shops and the vynil was unplayable. The EP was recorded without the duo trombones @ tritones - James Valentine dropped a sax horn in. Steve minor had a beaut dream like lyric to Paul's rhymic drone - and we didn't rehearse one night as thr SBS had Dr ...'s (cannot bother googling) Cabinet and The Tin Drum on - gr8 night :-)

1991–1997: Itch-E and Scratch-E

In 1991, Mac formed a side-project,

, with fellow Sydney-based electronica artist,

Andy Rantzen Andrew Rantzen is a Sydney-based lo-fi electronic recording artist and writer. Trained as a psychologist, he has been lecturer and tutor at the University of Sydney. He is most well known as part of the duo Itch-E and Scratch-E along with ...

of the group, Pelican Daughters. Both provided keyboards and samplers. Itch-E and Scratch-E became their main focus with the success of their debut album, ''Itch-E Kitch-E Koo'' (1993), and its related single, " Sweetness and Light (song)" (1994). At the ARIA Music Awards of 1995 the single won Best Dance Release. During his acceptance speech Mac controversially declared, "We'd like to thank all of Sydney's

ecstasy Ecstasy may refer to: * Ecstasy (emotion), a trance or trance-like state in which a person transcends normal consciousness * Religious ecstasy, a state of consciousness, visions or absolute euphoria * Ecstasy (philosophy), to be or stand outside o ...

dealers, without whom this award would not be possible". One of the sponsors of the ceremony was the National Drug Offensive, which withdrew their support. In 2005, Mac explained that he did not expect to win and so had not prepared a speech. The group often includes Sherriff Lindo for live performances. From 1996 to 1998, Mac and Rantzen also performed as Boo Boo and Mace!, and with Lindo aboard they worked as Boo Boo Mace 'n' Nutcase.

1997–2000: work with Silverchair, ''Paul Mac Presents SnapShots'' and ''I Can't Believe It's Not Rock''

In 1997, Mac remixed the single, " Freak", from Australian post-grunge band Silverchair's second album, '' Freak Show''. The track was issued in April as a B-side of their second single from that album, "

Abuse Me "Abuse Me" is a song by the Australian rock band Silverchair. It was released as the second single from their 1997 album, '' Freak Show''. In the United States, Sony chose "Abuse Me" as the first single from ''Freak Show'' despite protests by ...

". In 1998, Mac released a four-track EP, ''Paul Mac Presents Snapshots'', on Interdance Records. It featured guest vocals by Stephen Allkins on "Ooh I Love Your (Disco)", Infusion on "Loco", Phil Smart on "Basic Boom" and Abel El Toro on "All Systems Are Go". Mac again worked with Silverchair's Daniel Johns as an alternative rock duo to release a five-track extended play, ''

I Can't Believe It's Not Rock The Dissociatives were an Australian alternative rock band consisting of Daniel Johns of Silverchair and dance producer and DJ Paul Mac (of Itch-E and Scratch-E), which formed in mid-2003. They were supported by touring members, Julian Hamilt ...

'' (2000).

2001–2005: ''3000 Feet High'', The Dissociatives and ''Panic Room''

On 6 August 2001, Mac issued his debut solo album, '' 3000 Feet High'', which peaked in the top 30 on the ARIA Albums Chart. Australian music journalist, Ed Nimmervoll, felt the album was an "emotional journey" where " roughout, the dancefloor taunts us like a temptress, determined to lure us into her arms, but we're torn between her charms and the inner us which the dance beats may drown out". The album's second single, " Just the Thing", reached No. 17 on the ARIA Singles Chart and featured lead vocals by Peta Morris. In December 2001 he performed at

Homebake Homebake was an annual Australian rock festival, featuring an all-Australian lineup (with the occasional artist from New Zealand). The festival was first held on 3 January 1996 at Belongil Fields in Byron Bay, on the far north coast of New Sou ...

on the Big Top stage. At the

" Just the Thing" won 'Most Performed Dance Work' and was nominated for 'Most Performed Australian Work'. In January 2002, and again in 2006, Mac appeared at Splendour in the Grass. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2002 Mac won 'Best Dance Release' for '' 3000 Feet High'' and was nominated for 'Best Male Artist' and 'Engineer of the Year'. Mac and Johns co-wrote the music for '' Love Is a Four Letter Word'' (2001) episode 13, "Split". In mid-2003, the Mac and Johns formed another alternative rock group, The Dissociatives, which issued their debut album of the same name in April 2004. Their first live show was in Hobart in June of that year. Mac explained his motivation, "As music narrows out into increasingly smaller genres, it's important to bring the fun of making music back into play. Not following any predetermined rules and making the most honest beautiful music we could is fun". At the

ARIA Music Awards of 2004 The 18th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply the ARIAs) were held on 17 October 2004 at the Sydney Superdome within the Sydney Olympic Complex. The ceremony, hosted by Ro ...

Mac and Johns were nominated for 'Producer of the Year' for the album. Mac's second album, '' Panic Room'', appeared on 17 October 2005, and reached the top 40. Johns had advised Mac to "follow your dreams regardless of what outside fashion is saying you should be doing". Vocals are variously supplied by Morris,

Sarah McLeod Sarah McLeod (born 18 July 1971) is a New Zealand film and television actress. Her most notable role was in the Peter Jackson films '' The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' and '' The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'' ...

, Luke Steele, Abby Dobson (ex- Leonardo's Bride), Lenka, and Ngaiire. Mac explained seeing Joseph, on TV in August 2004, "I was watching the episode of

Australian Idol ''Australian Idol'' is an Australian singing competition, which began its first season in July 2003 and ended its initial run in November 2009. As part of the ''Idol'' franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program ''Pop Idol' ...

''] when she got kicked out and I thought 'who is this girl, she is fantastic'... I tracked her down and gave her a call. It turned out great. I am just really happy with the whole album". For Silverchair's 2007 album, '' Young Modern'', Mac supplied piano and toured with the group providing keyboards and piano on stage.

2008–2014: soundtracks, remixes and touring

In 2008, Mac provided the music for a one-man comedy play, ''Possessed'', performed by Frank Woodley. In March that year, he supplied the theme song, "The Only One" for the feature film, '' Hey, Hey, It's Esther Blueburger'', with three versions on the soundtrack: one had vocals by

Bertie Blackman Beatrice "Bertie" Blackman (born 1982) is an Independent Australian singer, songwriter and guitarist. She rose to fame in 2004 with her debut album ''Headway,'' which came after years of prolific performances around Sydney's inner-city venues, wh ...

, another by Sydney Children's Choir and one was an instrumental. He formed a production duo, Stereogamous, with Jonny Seymour (aka DJ Seymour Butz), in 2010 they worked on

LCD Soundsystem LCD Soundsystem is an American rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2002 by James Murphy, co-founder of DFA Records. The band comprises Murphy (vocals, various instruments), Nancy Whang (synthesizer, keyboards, vocals), Pat Mahoney (dr ...

's single, "I Can Change", from their album, ''

This Is Happening ''This Is Happening'' is the third studio album by American rock band LCD Soundsystem. It was released first on May 17, 2010, jointly through DFA and Virgin Records in the United States and Parlophone elsewhere. It was recorded over the course o ...

''. They have also remixed "Cupid Boy" for

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...

and "Bring Night" for Sia. In 2011 they worked on

George Michael George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the most significant cultural icons of the MTV generation and is one of the best-selling musici ...

's track, "Every Other Lover in the World". Mac co-wrote "I Don't Care What You Say" with its performer

Anthony Callea Anthony Cosmo Callea (born 13 December 1982) is an Australian singer-songwriter and stage actor who rose to prominence as the runner-up in the 2004 season of '' Australian Idol''. Callea's debut single, a cover of Celine Dion and Andrea Bocel ...

and Cindy Ryan (of

Stella One Eleven Stella One Eleven were an Australian pop, rock band, which formed in September 1997. They released three studio albums, ''Mr Big Car'' (1999), ''In Your Hands'' (2000) and ''Stella One Eleven'' (October 2003). Three of the band's singles, "Go S ...

); it was released in February 2012 by Callea on his seven-track EP, '' Last to Go'', which was co-produced by Mac. On 6 September, the feature film, '' Kath & Kimderella'', premiered with Mac's musical score. He also has a cameo in the final scene.

2015–present: ''Holiday From Me'' and ''Mesmerism''

On 22 January 2015, Mac announced the forthcoming release of his third studio album, titled ''Holiday From Me''. It will feature

Megan Washington Megan Alexanda Washington (born 7 January 1986) is an Australian musician and songwriter who has worked mononymously as Washington. Originally performing jazz music, her style shifted to indie pop and alternative rock. She has released three s ...

, Brendan Maclean, Dave Mason and Nathan Hudson on vocals. In February 2019, Mac released a new single titled "Cataplexy" and confirmed a new album is coming soon. In April, Mac confirmed the album is titled ''Mesmerism'' and will be released on 3 May 2019.

Academic career

Decades after completing his earlier music degree, Mac returned to his alma mater, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, for postgraduate study. In 2021, he graduated with a Doctor of Musical Arts qualification in composition, based on fusing electronic dance music traditions with experimental practice. As at 2022, he holds an academic staff role at the Conservatorium, teaching Contemporary Music Practice courses within its Bachelor of Music programme.

Personal life

In October 2004, Mac was living in Erskineville. Mac is openly gay; in 2007, he reminisced about his first attendance at Sydney's

Mardi Gras Mardi Gras (, ) refers to events of the Carnival celebration, beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day) and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday, which is known as Shrove Tuesday. is French for "Fat ...

in the 1980s: "I can't remember who the act even was – it was a long time ago ... I wasn't really out – actually, I wasn't out at all. I just ended up at the party and I remember realising that there was this whole world out there that I felt really proud to be a part of. There was such a sense of wonder".

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

Production work and other credits

* 1994 "Dead Eyes Opened (Love Experiment)", (remix) ''Dead Eyes Opened Remix'' Severed Heads * 1996 "The Contender", "The Contender (reprise)" (remixes) '' Rock and Roll''

* 1999 "

Anthem for the Year 2000 "Anthem for the Year 2000" is a song by Australian rock band Silverchair, released as the first single from their third album, ''Neon Ballroom''. The song reached number three on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart, becoming the band's sixth top- ...

", "Spawn Again", "Satin Sheets" (keyboards) '' Neon Ballroom'' Silverchair * 2000 ''

'' (with Daniel Johns) * 2002 "

Across the Night "Across the Night" was the fourth and final single released by rock band Silverchair from their fourth album, ''Diorama (Silverchair album), Diorama''. It is the first track on ''Diorama'', and is a major departure from their previous, Grunge, g ...

", "World Upon Your Shoulders", "Tuna in the Brine", "Too Much of Not Enough", "

Luv Your Life "Luv Your Life" is a song by Australian rock band Silverchair released as the third single from their fourth album, '' Diorama'', on September 2, 2002. The song was composed in the key of C major, and a music video was made in which the band was ...

", "My Favourite Thing" (piano) ''

Diorama A diorama is a replica of a scene, typically a three-dimensional full-size or miniature model, sometimes enclosed in a glass showcase for a museum. Dioramas are often built by hobbyists as part of related hobbies such as military vehicle mode ...

'' Silverchair * 2002 "

Symphony of Life "Symphony of Life" is a song written by Tina Arena and Peter-John Vettese, produced by Vettese for Arena's fourth album, '' Just Me'' (2001). It was released as the album's third single in Australia on 16 September 2002. The song became Arena's ...

" (extended euroremix) Tina Arena * 2004 " Pictures of You" (remix) '' One Perfect Day'' after The Cure's 1989 album '' Disintegration'' * 2004 "She" (producer) ''Stella One Eleven''

* 2005 (co-producer) ''

Counting Down the Days ''Counting Down the Days'' is the third studio album by Australian singer Natalie Imbruglia. It was released by Brightside Recordings on 4 April 2005 in the United Kingdom. Her debut with the label, Imbruglia reteamed with Gary Clark to work ...

'' Natalie Imbruglia * 2005 "Mini Morris Parts 1 and 2" (performer with Cezary Skubiszewski) '' Hating Alison Ashley'' Various Artists

Awards

ARIA Awards

PaulMac has won one award from seven

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

nominations. , - , rowspan="2",

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

, rowspan="2", "Just the Thing" , Best Dance Release , , - , Best Male Artist , , - , rowspan="3",

, rowspan="3", 3000 Feet High , Best Dance Release , , - , Best Male Artist , , - , Engineer of the Year , , - , rowspan="1",

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

, rowspan="1", PaulMac with Daniel Johns for The Dissociatives , Producer of the Year , , - , rowspan="1",

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

, rowspan="1", "Panic Room" , Best Dance Release ,

APRA Awards

The

APRA Awards APRA Awards may refer to one of two awards ceremonies: *APRA Awards (Australia) *APRA Awards (New Zealand) The APRA Music Awards are several annual and two-yearly award ceremonies run in New Zealand by Australasian Performing Right Association ...

are held in Australia and New Zealand by the

Australasian Performing Right Association APRA AMCOS consists of Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS), both copyright management organisations or copyright collectives which jointly represent over 100,000 songwr ...

to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually. PaulMac has won one award from four nominations. , - , rowspan="3",

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

, rowspan="2", "Just the Thing" , APRA Award for Most Performed Australian Work , , - , rowspan="2", APRA Award for Most Performed Dance Work , , - , rowspan="1", " The Sound of Breaking Up" , , - , rowspan="1",

, rowspan="1", "Sunshine Eyes" , APRA Award for Most Performed Dance Work , , -

References

;General * Note: Archived n-linecopy has limited functionality. ;Specific

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mac, Paul 1965 births Living people APRA Award winners ARIA Award winners Australian musicians Musicians from Sydney LGBT singers from Australia LGBT songwriters Gay musicians 20th-century LGBT people 21st-century LGBT people The Dissociatives members