PAUL HEADON
In an age where emulation has become an art form, it is nice to know that artists such as Paul Headon are still out there still seeking to make their music and their style as original as humanly possible.It was in the early 1980s that his fascination with the sounds of a synthesizer became his main source of inspiration. Composers such as Joe Jawinal, Vangelis and Mark Isham certainly helped to shape his earlier works.
By the mid 90s Paul had put together a small studio in the coastal city of Wollongong and had re-mastered some of his earlier works. He also found himself composing in a different manner, being more interested in the combination of sounds that would calm the soul.
YEAR 2000 ONWARDS found Paul powering forward, recording and releasing an ambient CD titled The Middle Distance in mid-2001. The Middle Distance was well received by both music lovers and critics alike, with some of the tracks being played on ABC Classic FM, as well as local radio stations. Tracks from this CD were also played in April of 2006 by the widely respected American FM program, Echoes.
In 2001 Paul started his own radio program, Sirius Music, which bases Ambience, Meditational and World music as its core genres. Sirius Music still airs every Saturday morning at 9 am on the Illawarras 106.9 VOX-FM to a loyal and growing audience.
2002 saw Paul initiate Equanimity, a project completely based on background music composed for meditation. Then in 2003 acclaimed director Ian Steen commissioned Paul to compose the musical score for the well known theatre group, Dodo Express. This group performed an exciting interpretation of William Shakespeares famous stage play The Tempest. This exuberant performance including Pauls enchanting and diverse soundtrack music, received very high accolades from the industry
In 2005 Paul produced and recorded the talented singer/songwriter Wyn Morris with his entry in an Australian wide song competition. This was a very successful partnership as Wyns song dominated the finals. He went on to represent Australia in the grand finals in Taiwan finishing in the top 20.
In a recent interview in 2006 Paul stated ....to many people Ambience is only about whales, dolphins and rainforests!! Whilst they are important, I feel this genre can go much further! I can hear music that not only soothes, but can also have a point of view, whether it be political or social. I see a nice PA with lots of lights as well as backdrop images. If an audience can walk away from one of my concerts saying...now THAT was something, then I have done my job.