Bishop & Mulholland

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Growing up on Technotronic, KLF and Dance Mix '92, Bishop & Mulholland (producer and vocalist Paul Dirks) was instilled early on with a love for big and brassy synthesizer lead lines. As "Renaud", Paul released a house/trance album in 2003 titled "Waiting For The Sunshine" that featured a positive uptempo vibe and soaring synth melodies; the latter which would later underpin his work as Bishop & Mulholland.

While working at iZ Technologies (maker of RADAR Hard Disk Recorders) in Vancouver, BC he began developing a new paradigm that incorporated trip-hop influences and more varied song and vocal structures. At the time, most electronic groups were using female vocalists or male rappers (Massive Attack, Portishead) and Paul envisioned handling the production side while working with a female vocalist. His name for the projected duo? Bishop & Mulholland.

While working on the songs, Paul began slowly to incorporate his own vocals. Wanting to eschew the light synth-pop feel of many of his contemporaries, he found inspiration in the soul greats of the past- The Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations and Otis Redding.

A series of robberies at his home in East Vancouver in 2004 resulted in the loss of much of his equipment, including his first synthesizer love- a Korg Prophecy. But it was a blessing in disguise for his music, as some new equipment (EMU E6400 Ultra and Nord Modular G2) prompted a creative spurt that has continued to this day.

By the time he started recording the first few tracks of Essays and Ear Candy, Paul had begun using the moniker Bishop & Mulholland for himself as a solo artist and used it to invoke the idea of the twin substances of man- both soul (Bishop) and body (Mulholland). This body and soul idea permeates the album and is rooted in Paul's spirituality and faith in Jesus Christ.

Although retaining some of the brooding feel inherent in triphop, the mixture of electro and soul influences brought together a style of music that most reviewers and fans are at odds to describe. Dubbing it Electro Soul, Bishop & Mulholland skirts the edges of both electronic music and pop, delivering catchy synth hooks, head-nodding beats and Paul's fervent vocal delivery.

Bishop & Mulholland released the Essays and Ear Candy EP in 2006 with three tracks- Seeker, Don't Cry For Babylon and Among The Myrtle. Buoyed by the response from friends and fans he continued to work on the project over the next couple years, mostly late at night in his home studio. Finally on October 1st 2008,Bishop & Mulholland released his full-length debut album under the same name and has been garnering increasing praise with each album review and show.

On stage, Bishop & Mulholland is a one-man spectacle. Recalling some of the great performers of our age, he struts, dances and stalks the stage, using various antics and theatrics to deliver an Electro Soul Show that is more than worth the price of admission.

This musician and great songwriter has captured the entire essence of a forgotten era of a musical movement, and turned it into a musical palate for your ears that stays in your head long after each song has finished playing. You will find that you keep repeating his material over and over in your mind so much so, that you have to just keep talking yourself out of breaking into a long ago disco dance in the middle of Wal-Mart, anywhere USA.

...I don't believe I have ever heard another more honest, and heartfelt song before in all of my forty years in this music industry. "Labour Of Love", should be the anthem song for all nations that have had to go to war, and fight just so you; my readers, and I, can be here on this New Years Eve so we too can say that none of our loved ones died in vain.

Bishop & Mulholland’s Essays and Ear Candy is definitely an eclectic listening experience. One part electronica, one part pop soul, one part techno party it never seems to want to touch down, keeping the listener firmly planted in mid-air.

The really cool thing about this album is the subtle poetry...It’s very easy to miss the message laced in the dance beats and overall calming vibe of the album. But, it’s palpable if you’re willing to look for it.

Paul wears his love for big and brassy synthesizer lead lines and early 80s British electro pop on his sleeve. Unashamedly retro B&M sound like a marriage of convenience between Depeche Mode and Seal with Moby as chief bridesmaid.