Paperboy delivers

Richard Morel is a man of many hats, though he is perhaps most well known for his electronic dance work and remixes, sometimes released under his Pink Noise moniker, for a plethora of well known artists: Cyndi Lauper, Ladytron, Seal and Nelly Furtado, to name a few. But he also dabbles in the realm of rock music, most recently with the release of his new album The Death of the Paperboy. The double record delves into Morel's interest in rock styling while preserving his electronic production staples, including in the set's second disc a slew of remixes of the songs found on the first.

"I feel good that it's finally out there. Making this record was a pretty intense process for me," said Morel. "Because it was a double CD, and the subject matter, and then exploring the songs in two different formats. It was an intense project; it was fun and it was good for me because I enjoy writing and producing, but now that it's done, I feel good about it."

Along with the extensive list of musical productions he works into his schedule, Morel found time to create Blowoff, a monthly dance event in Washington, DC that he formed with fellow musician and punk icon Bob Mould.

"Five years ago we were working on a recording called Blowoff, and then [Mould] suggested that we throw a party in DC where we DJ," says Morel. "We would hand out little cards that had little logos of the name of the event to guys we thought were cute, or would be fun at a party. It was really that simple."

The event, which began as a small basement part in DC's historic 9:30 Club, has exploded into a touring event that most recently touched down on Halloween at Provincetown's Boatslip Resort.

"One summer I was coming up to Provincetown, and some friends suggested we do a Blowoff in Provincetown during the summer," recalls Morel. "The Boatslip, which is pretty internationally famous, just thought about doing a night party there and it was great. It was really amazing."

"The first one was last September and it was great, the crowd was great. There were a lot of guys from New York and from DC, who had been to Blowoff before... they had a great time, we played a different mix of music and it was really good all the way around."

Though he wears a lot of hats, when it's all said and done, Morel says that while he loves the creative process, he constantly yearns for the experience of playing that next club and seeing the reaction from a crowd that comes with playing a new record.

"I definitely prefer the studio process, the writing and the production and recording of records and songs," says Morel. "[But] the DJing really brings a lot to what I do in the studio: playing the records for people and getting the response, seeing what's working and what isn't working. I immediately bring that back into the studio, anyway."

For more info on Richard Morel and to learn more about The Death of the Paperboy, visit: www.morelworld.com.