Paul Mac

Paul Francis McDermott (born 17 September 1965), who performs as Paul Mac, is an Australian electropop musician, singer-songwriter, producer and music re-mixer.

He was classically trained at Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

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.

Mac has formed various bands including Smash Mac Mac (1986–88), The Lab (1989–1998), Itch-E and Scratch-E (1991–present), Boo Boo Mace & Nutcase (1996–98), and The Dissociatives (2003–2005).

In 1987 they issued the album, Chapter One: Light on the Silo.

In 1989 Mac formed the synthpop, electronica group The Lab in Sydney with Yolanda Podolski on lead vocals, and Warwick Hornby (aka Warwick Factor) on vocals and bass guitar.

In 1991, Mac formed a side-project, Itch-E and Scratch-E, with fellow Sydney-based electronica artist, Andy Rantzen of the group, Pelican Daughters.

Both provided keyboards and samplers.

The group signed with rooArt, which released their two extended plays, Ultra (1992) and Terminal (1993).

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 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.

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.

They moved to BMG 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 the SBS had Dr ...'s (cannot bother googling) Cabinet and The Tin Drum on - gr8 night :-)

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".

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 (2000).

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.

In June 2001 he released his highest charting single, "Just the Thing", which featured lead vocals by Peta Morris.

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'.

It reached No. 17 on the ARIA Singles Chart and at the APRA Music Awards of 2002 it won 'Most Performed Dance Work'.

Mac played with Severed Heads.

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.

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, Grinspoon, The Cruel Sea, INXS and Placebo.

Mac has worked on soundtracks for Baz Luhrmann 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, Play School and TVTV.