PARAFRAME on Paving the Path to ‘Metropolis’

Pavel Khvaleev is as much of a filmmaker as he is an accomplished DJ/producer and live performer. He created his first dance music project, Moonbeam, with his brother Vitaly Khvaleev back in 2003, and for the past 20-plus years, he has built up a reputation as one of the progressive house, trance, and melodic house & techno scene’s most prolific innovators.

In 2015, Pavel let his other passion take the wheel of his creative focus, filmmaking. He directed a horror film titled III: The Ritual, which was officially selected at 25 genre film festivals worldwide, won several awards, and found its audience among horror enthusiasts globally.

After Moonbeam disbanded in 2016, Pavel Khvaleev went off on his own, releasing dozens of singles, three solo albums, and won the Red Bull Music Kitchen international competition in 2019.

In 2021, Pavel introduced a new moniker to the world, PARAFRAME — a fully focused rebrand of his artistic vision. After building what he calls “an environment that allows for complete creative freedom,” his new album Metropolis brings his love of filmmaking and music production together in a spectacular fashion.

The title of the album draws inspiration from the 1927 cult movie Metropolis, a film about a dystopian society that also defines the album’s central concept. Metropolis showcases two decades of mastery in music and film production by PARAFRAME, pushing the limits of visual effects and 3D engines like Unreal Engine. This creative vision weaves a unique narrative around 12 new originals, representing PARAFRAME’s finest work to date in progressive house and melodic techno.

With the album out now via Black Hole Recordings, we sat down with Pavel to learn more about his musical beginnings, the sonic and visual storytelling approach behind is PARAFRAME project, using Unreal Engine to create the album's mind-boggling video showcase, and more.

Hey Pavel, thanks so much for joining us today. How has your 2025 been shaping up so far?

Thank you for having me! The year started off just fine, with a performance at the legendary Tanzhaus West club in Frankfurt am Main. But perhaps the most exciting moment was when I held the vinyl of my new album Metropolis in my hands for the first time. All in all, the past year has been full of many ambitious projects, including a huge amount of filming, as well as of course the completion of the album. Also, the development of AI is completely blowing my mind and I think that in 2025 many creative processes will become much more interesting.

Tell us a little bit about your musical background and upbringing. When did you first start producing music and DJing?

Thanks to my father, who was an electrician, I developed an early interest in electronics. With great enthusiasm, I studied the basics and assembled several homemade music speakers with amplifiers. I even soldered a pitch controller into two reel-to-reel tape recorders and recorded my first mix, featuring tracks by Hardfloor and Klubbheads. This was the beginning of my musical journey at the age of 13.

At the same time, I experimented with music production, creating my first track using Propellerhead’s ReBirth on my super slow computer. My passion for music production and hardware was sparked by the influential records of Laurent Garnier, The Chemical Brothers, Daft Punk, and Jeff Mills, who were, and still are, major inspirations for my productions.

My professional career took off in 2004 when I co-founded Moonbeam with my brother. We were fortunate to join Tiësto on tour and gained recognition in the DJ Mag Top 100 in the UK. Around the same time, I developed a passion for filmmaking and began creating music videos entirely on my own. This eventually led to my first feature film, III - The Ritual. With a modest team of five friends, no professional actors, and a budget of just €15,000, we poured our passion and creativity into crafting an independent horror film.

Despite its humble beginnings, the film exceeded all expectations. It was officially selected at 25 genre film festivals worldwide, won several awards, and found its audience among horror enthusiasts. But the biggest milestone came when it secured a three-year worldwide distribution deal with Netflix, opening doors to a global audience. Today, it continues to reach new viewers on Apple TV and Amazon Prime, proving that independent cinema, driven by passion, can make a lasting impact.

This experience deepened my appreciation for visual storytelling, an element I now incorporate into the visual aspects of my music releases.

How did you first get linked up with Black Hole Recordings?

In 2007, I began working with the team at Black Hole Recordings and signed our first Moonbeam track. At the time, I was still very young, dreaming of mainstages and creating chart-topping singles. This partnership marked a significant step forward for us, giving us the freedom to explore our musical style and opening new doors. Over the years, I have built a strong relationship based on mutual trust, always engaging in open discussions about the direction of our releases.

I couldn’t imagine a better label to help launch PARAFRAME. From my experience, the Black Hole team has always been honest and completely transparent throughout the process. They are open-minded, willing to explore my bold (and sometimes crazy) ideas, while maintaining their artist-first approach, ensuring that their marketing strategies align with the creative vision of the music.

Your new album, Metropolis, was inspired by 1927 cult film directed by Fritz Lang. Can you tell us how you felt the first time you saw that film and how the film helped guide your sonic journey in creating these 12 new original tracks?

I’m a little embarrassed that I only watched the legendary Metropolis movie for the first time a few years ago, not sooner! This film amazed me. Its visual power, atmosphere, and vision of the future transported me to another world. In today’s fast-consuming digital age, I can imagine many people might not want to sit down for a black-and-white film from 1927, but older movies can be a great source of inspiration. Filmmakers back then had to work within technical limitations, and creativity often thrives under constraints.

The Metropolis movie concept accompanied me throughout the entire creative process. Each track on the album was built as a separate chapter in the story, blending cold industrial textures with warm human melodies. When it came to vocalists, I knew exactly who I wanted to work with. Ryan Masson, a well-known Hollywood actor, is set to appear in HBO’s The Last of Us Season 2 later this year. Haley Johnsen, who was Grammy-nominated for her solo project Boticka, lends her voice to "We Are the Only Ones." Denton Thrift was simply born to sing, and I’m very proud of our second collaboration. And, of course, there’s Avis Vox, my life partner, whose own career is taking off, I couldn’t imagine releasing this album without her involvement.

The album's stunning and mind-melting visual showcase was created using Unreal Engine. Can you tell us more about how this musical film's concept and execution was brought to life?

When I first started working with Unreal Engine, I quickly realized it was the perfect tool to showcase my artistic diversity, not just as a musician but also as a filmmaker and visual effects creator. The idea of making a visual album emerged naturally, as Unreal Engine allowed me to blend music and cinematography into a seamless whole. The compositing technology involving massive LED screens, pioneered by major Hollywood productions using Unreal Engine 5, has only existed for a short time. As an independent artist without access to high-end studios and LED panels, I opted for a time-tested method: green screen compositing. The production involved five physical cameras and about ten virtual cameras, with all vocalists recording themselves against green screens from different angles.

After a month of live performance rehearsals, we conducted a test shoot, where I attempted post-production against one of the fully created 3D environments. The result was incredibly promising. My biggest challenge was achieving the perfect balance between real and virtual elements. Aside from myself, my synthesizers, and the vocalists, everything else was virtual, from speakers and wires to the entire stage setup. 3D designer Vasiliy Poryagin provided several futuristic locations, which I rebuilt and refined over several weeks to align with the Metropolis album’s concept. I redesigned entire buildings, rearranged architecture, added birds, created fog, and even simulated a sandstorm. This was one of the most enjoyable parts of the process because, thanks to Unreal Engine, I could see my changes in real-time.

However, the most time-consuming aspect was rendering and compositing in After Effects. Transferring 3D camera coordinates between programs and integrating green screen footage into virtual environments required meticulous work. From the initial concept to the final result, this entire process took about eight months, but the journey was worth it.

In today’s electronic music landscape, how much emphasis should be placed on visuals in a live setting? Do you think there is such a thing as excessive visual emphasis on a dance floor, or should bigger and better visuals be strived for and celebrated?

The visual component of a release is not just an add-on, it is a crucial part of the music’s storytelling. While music alone can convey powerful emotions, visuals help guide the audience toward the intended narrative. In 2017, I studied visual storytelling to deepen my understanding of music video production. This was my first experience creating simple animations, which sparked a greater interest and eventually led me to explore engines like Unreal Engine 5, unlocking endless storytelling possibilities.

That said, music will always be the foundation. If visuals begin to overshadow the music, the purpose is lost. Achieving the right balance between audio and video is essential, especially in a live setting, visuals should enhance the atmosphere, not dominate it. I’m not a fan of seeing hundreds of phones on the dance floor, but at the same time, I recognize that social media footage can be a powerful promotional tool for artists.

You are an avid filmmaker and film buff. What other movies are a core inspiration to your creative output?

I find inspiration in the works of Tarsem Singh, particularly his films The Fall and The Cell. These movies are stunning in their visual poetry, a philosophy I strive to incorporate into my own work. I also admire Bong Joon-ho and his ability to tell profound stories through the lens of simple human emotions.

And, of course, I can’t overlook the brilliance of Denis Villeneuve, whose films, Arrival, Prisoners, and most recently Dune, leave me in awe. His work is, in my opinion, a textbook example of masterful filmmaking, evoking deep emotions and setting a benchmark for cinematic excellence.

Following the release of the album, what are some of your plans and goals for later this year?

The Metropolis album marks a new beginning in my career. After its release, I plan to focus on singles and collaborations with talented artists and vocalists. Currently, I’m working with Noah Shah on a release for Einmusik and developing a visual show with Avis Vox, which we’ll be presenting very soon.