Introducing Shan and his expansive debut EP, Small Group Of Friends

Shan is a Brisbane-based producer who sent us a few tracks out of the blue late last year, and we dug 'em. Formulating his debut EP, Small Group Of Friends, it showcases a young producer still working on what he's all about, but at the same time offering plenty of moods to be excited about. We sent him a few questions to find out a little more, and you can do exactly that while listening to the four-track EP, below:

Tell us about about yourself?

I've played music since the beginning of my angsty teen years but after a while fell in love with beats music - experimental hip hop that makes you bob your head and get down. A coupla years ago I started actually making beats, and now I don't do anything else. Like literally, all day every day. I ain't been outside in a minute, man.

What kinda tunes we talkin’?

Bit sparkly, bit bouncy, kinda spooky beats. Kinda like Kaytranada flying through space or Flume if he smoked wayyyy more weed. Sometimes I put a capellas or chop up vocal samples on top, but a lot of the time I keep it instrumental and let the beat breathe.

Production/writing process:

I normally I start with some sort of chord progression - sometimes it's a sample that I chopped up, flipped backwards and put 1 million effects on or sometimes I'll mash keys until I get something smooth. Other times I'll get a talented friend to lay down some keys. After that I'll jam a beat out on top til I get a bouncy chorus and build the song from there - adding in new sections, switch-ups and doing about fifty trillion chops on the beat. The most time is probably spent mixing everything, I feel like textures are the most important part to me, so I'll spend pretty close to forever making sure that shit makes your ears tingle.

Can you tell us about your new EP, Small Group Of Friends?

So, I produce beats for three different projects Shan (myself), SAFETY CLUB (hip hop group with raps), and FX (real spooky experimental hip hop). Right from the start Small Group Of Friends felt like the first time that I've made a group of songs that are me all over - they're totally covered in my sticky fingerprints. Like this is me telling the world "this is what I sound like". All the tracks bounce and bang, but I wanted them to feel intimate - like 4:30AM kick-ons with a small group of friends where everyone is dancing and telling each other how much they love each other, you know?

Any shows coming up?

Keep your eyes on the social media for a very special EP launch party it's gonna be wild.

What’s the rest of the year have in store?

I've got another EP's worth of Shan beats to drop in the next month or so to keep the party going, then after that keep your eyes peeled for a full length, and EPs from all my other projects. Like I said, I don't do anything else but make beats, man.

Where can we hear more of your music?

Small Group Of Friends is out on all your favourite platforms, but for a constant spam of new demos and beats follow me on Soundcloud and Bandcamp.

Follow Shan: FACEBOOK / SPOTIFY / INSTAGRAM