Voltergeist

Voltergeist is producer Shaun Dowse, who previously worked under the pseudonym “Emotiquon” with co-writer James Rehill. He has been producing electronic music for 15 years, and has recently started his own record label, Microrave Records.

Shaun was born on 19th March 1978, in Irvine Central Hospital, Ayrshire. He grew up outside a small village called Kirkmichael, deep in the heart of the Ayrshire countryside. He attributes his weird and vivid imagination to “being initially very isolated from people my own age”.

“My first memory of being fascinated with music was watching the drummer in a band at a wedding. I was only 3 years old, and absolutely transfixed by the way the hi-hat seemed to open and close by itself!”

Shaun studied percussion from an early age, beginning lessons at a local music shop at the age of 8, and playing all the way through primary and secondary education. He also played violin and piano, but stopped taking lessons at the age of 15. He admits to hating “being repeatedly told how to play something properly”. He also taught himself how to play guitar and bass.

“The real turning point came when I bought a copy of ‘Amiga Format’ magazine. It came with a floppy disc on the front, containing the full version of ProTracker. It was an early sample sequencing program, and it opened up a whole new world of sounds and composition style for me. That was ages ago!”