Shazam
AFTER A YEAR SPENT REMIXING EVERYONE FROM MUSCLES TO DIZZEE RASCAL, PERTH WONDERBOY SHAZAM FINALLY RELEASES HIS OWN DEBUT EP. HE JUMPS IN THE POOL WITH RACHEL DAVISON.
Most people heard Shazam for the first time through a remix he did for Muscles’ 2007 single Sweaty. And boy did he knock everyone for dead – producing a track that was arguably better than the original. In this instance, Shazam swapped Muscles’ vocal with a young feminine voice and then practically wrote a whole new track underneath. “Well with my remixes I pretty much change everything,” he explains on the phone from Melbourne. “I don’t keep much of the original melody or instrumentation.”
Making your musical debut by producing a remix for Modular isn’t a bad feat for an 18-year-old Perth boy barely out of high school. And it didn’t stop there. Shazam, now only 19 years of age, has over the past year remixed everyone from Dizzee Rascal to Sneaky Sound System, Empire Of The Sun and The Tough Alliance.
Right now he’s touring clubs around the country launching his electro-breakdance single Pool Party. It’s not really a new track because he wrote it over a year ago. Shazam explains why it’s taken so long for it to be released: “I didn’t want to release it at first ’cause I never liked it,” he says honestly. “But then I realised that everyone else seemed to like it so I thought what the hell, I’ll put it out. But I’m really happy with the way the whole package has turned out ’cause it’s got the old version and the new version and some remixes, so yeah, it’s pretty much perfect.”
The Pool Party EP is being released on Bang Gang 12inches and not only does it feature a couple of versions of Pool Party, but also remixes by Headman and Rogerseventytwo, plus a funkier ‘80s disco track called Luckier, which Shazam claims to be his favourite.
“The Shazam sound will be going more in that direction in the future… Although I just make whatever comes to mind. I didn’t start as a DJ; I started as a piano player. So songs always start with chords or a bassline rather than thinking about whether it’s really going to work on the dancefloor. But in the end if it does work on the dancefloor, well great! If it doesn’t, too bad, it will be a more down-tempo track or whatever.”
Shazam isn’t the shy boy some expect him to be. He’s polite and fairly open, and seems to have his head firmly screwed on his shoulders. We chat about his musical beginnings, which involved doing classical AMEB up to grade seven. “I was probably about five or six years old when I first started playing piano. I did music for TEE but I failed. I wish I had passed – I did all right in the performance, but the theory and everything really got me; I wasn’t into that. You’ve got to put so many hours of the day into practicing and to me, if I put that many hours into making music it’s just so much more rewarding. I think I’ll pick up playing piano again in the future. I still play a lot at home, but it’s not something I’m studying or anything. I had a drum kit from a really early age as well.
“Through high school I had various bands, but I was never really that excited by them. I mean they were fun, but I like to work by myself – I tend to be much more productive. I guess that’s why at the moment I like the way I’m going,” he says.
It is always interesting that personality contradiction which comes from preferring to work on your own, yet you’re making music for the crazy world of partying and clubs. Shazam says, “You’ve got to stay balanced with all of that. I’m pretty much making music for the scene so I have to be part of it. “I thought I was an introvert, although this weekend in Melbourne, I’ve been feeling really lonely by myself” he laughs. “But in different situations I’ll differ. When it comes to music I’m definitely more of an introvert. Sometimes I like jamming with other people, but when it comes to actually laying a track down and putting ideas together, I dunno, I always like my ideas better. I’m very selfish in that regard.”
Well when you’re onto a good thing you should stick with it and if everything currently in the works for Shazam comes to fruition, he’ll never have to earn a living from anything other than making music. He’s actually only had one ‘normal’ job before working in a supermarket, but it didn’t last for very long. “I did it for about two months last year… but all we did was eat lollies, we didn’t really work. I hope it all works out. If it doesn’t in the future, well I guess I might have to get a day job, but at the moment everything is going pretty well, so hopefully I can do it for a while longer if people stay interested in my music.”
Shazam is going to try to put another EP out later this year, which might sound a little bit different to his current work. “Hopefully you’ll be hearing some new stuff in the future that’s more experimental; still retaining my sound but adding a more experimental touch to it. Just crossing the boundaries of genres, I guess. Locking myself into disco music is good, but I can make other types of music as well and I want to let people know I can do that.”
There’s one particular person of interest who’s keen to utilise Shazam’s talents further – Pase Rock from New York City who Shazam did a remix for last year. “I’m actually producing about four or five tracks for his new album. He’s a bit like Spank Rock and all of that kind of scene. He makes dancefloor friendly rap. I think I’m going to LA pretty soon to work with him, which will be pretty exciting. I’ll still be doing what I’m doing, but in a more hip hop kind of vibe – mixing the two together, which should be pretty exciting.
At Shape this weekend for the Pool Party launch, Shazam will be doing a DJ set, which could go off in any direction depending on the crowd. “On this tour I’m just DJing, but that’s been really good ’cause I can play whatever I like and what I’m interested in. I’ve been playing a mixture of styles. Sometimes I’ve been dropping the tempo and playing some futuristic hip hop and maybe some weird leftfield dubstep, but then coming into my own sound again. So I’m playing a broad range of styles and keeping it fairly eclectic.”
WHO: SHAZAM
WHAT: POOL PARTY (BANGGANG 12INCHES)
WHEN & WHERE: SATURDAY 18 APRIL, SHAPE, EAST PERTH
[As printed in The Drum Media (Perth) on Thursday 16 April 2009 - Issue 132]
Tags: bang gang 12inches, luckier, pool party, shazam
Hi, good post. I have been pondering this issue,so thanks for sharing. I’ll certainly be subscribing to your posts.