When the Internet was first invented, no one could have known how important it would become to the arts, or how many independent artists would have their first success on the web. Distinct breeds of fashion, literature, and music have all been carved from the nostalgic database that is the Internet, leading to an inevitable oversaturation of patterns in trends such as normcore, alt-lit, and the use of Soundcloud to distribute music.
When we look at music specifically, the problem that arises is how accessible the net is to any given bedroom producer. The issue at hand then becomes not only oversaturation in the Internet’s market, but the lack of originality in the material being published. The aim of most contemporary producers is to emulate the trend receiving the most attention; it’s difficult to stand out, even if the sonic resemblance is not intentional.
However, when an artist does manage to stand out, the surge of positive attention is immediate and immense — as has been the case with Nathan Shaw, or, as he’s known is the world of electronic music, Ekali.
Bassist to Juno Award winning band Said The Whale, Nathan Shaw has tackled multiple facets of the music industry. As Ekali, he’s had his original track “Unfaith” sampled on Drake’s latest mixtape, hit nearly 25,000 followers on SoundCloud, and had his Internet presence boosted by the mass hype surrounding his aggressive “Blessings” remix. The electronic musician maintains an artistic integrity that surfaces in the structural intricacies of his work, his genuine knowledge (as demonstrated in his in-depth Reddit AMA), and the engineering of the heavy-hitting kicks that brand his sonic aesthetic. He was kind enough to speak with The Varsity in the midst of his on-going tour.
The Varsity: How did the Drake sample come about?
Nathan Shaw: I have no idea how Drake heard it; I have no idea how [PartyNextDoor] found it and sampled it. I found out about the song about a week before the album came out. It all happened very quickly. I didn’t have a manager — I still don’t — so it was a bit stressful. I had to deal with all [of it] myself. It’s affected me pretty drastically. I’ve had a lot of people hit me up; I’ve gained a lot of momentum.
TV: How do you feel about it when people ‘hit you up’? When does it border on annoying?
NS: It depends on how they do it. I’m a firm believer in it that if you want to collaborate with somebody, you don’t just ask them. My least favourite thing is when an artist links me their song. I never ever check those because I get a bunch of them everyday. I just don’t find it very personal or meaningful. My first collaboration was with Maximus MMC from Flo Fi. We had been chatting on Twitter before we decided to collaborate and, for me, that’s what works the best. You earn that respect, and you respect each other before you start working.
TV: Obviously there are artists you’ll communicate with but maybe not align with artistically, so what qualifies an artist as a collaborator for you?
NS: Something special. If I hear someone’s music and it’s got something that I think I could meld well with, I’ll pursue it. There are so many people chasing trends right now that it’s sort of hard. I don’t hear much special music these days. Everybody is just sort of biting each other. I think it’s up to the individual artist to develop their own sound; and have confidence in their sound; and be like, yes, this is my sound, this is what I want to do, I want you to be a part of that.
TV: Are there any artists out there right now that you feel are really pushing that forefront and pushing their own sound?
NS: For sure. Right now, Geotheory is one of my favourites. He’s got his own sound, it’s this brilliant, really lush synth sound that a lot of people are trying to imitate but no one is really getting it right. He’s paving the way on his own. Then there’s Pomo, who I actually played in a band with when I was younger. I played in a band with Pomo when I was 14; I’ve known that guy for a long time. He’s one of the most talented people in the scene in my opinion.
TV: Do you consider yourself more of a natural instrumentalist or do you feel more attached to the electronic music?
NS: I feel a bit of both; it’s a different feel. When I make electronic music, it’s a different kind of satisfaction than when I play an instrument. I’m a bass player by trade, so for my band I was writing the bass parts and playing the bass parts live, which was cool, but I always had this thirst to create a whole song of my own. Eventually I’d like to merge the two; the ultimate is to feel both at the same time. Being able to shave that electronic freedom and programming which I love but also incorporate playing instruments, merging the two together is what I want to have.
TV: For kids who are coming up on the scene, do you feel that it’s more beneficial to start out as a DJ and get a feel for song structure, or dive into production and tame their weird?
NS: I think that both work differently. If you start out as a DJ, you understand song structure more — or you understand club song structure more. When you’re playing a DJ set you’ll learn matching 16-bar breakdowns with 16-bar build-ups, you can translate that into your production. Song structure for me is so important, and learning how to progress the song from start to finish. You learn that by playing songs out and learning how people react to it. Producing first and going into DJing, you’ll have a greater respect for different sounds, and introducing different sounds to people.
TV: What are the benefits of being a self-managed artist?
NS: The reason that I don’t have a manager right now is because I feel like I don’t really need it. I’m self-driven and I have that drive to succeed. It’s a big decision grabbing a manger because usually you sign on for two years, typically at 15 per cent. The scary part is that it’s usually for two years on a contract, and in a year, you could outgrow your manager. They could be not as useful to you as you need them to be, but they’re still taking the cut of whatever you’re doing. Traditionally in a band, your first step once you gain some traction is to get a manager and a PR person. As a solo electronic artist, it’s standard for you to take on all of that yourself for the first stage of your career. It’s really important that you care about that and excel at that. Branding, marketing, booking — all of that. You have to take care of it yourself.
