Trice Recordings’ Trance Trio

Shaun Frank

Three international top artists came together to record We Are out on Trice Recordings / Armada Music February 25th. We Are is the work of Jake Shanahan (NYC), Carl Nunes (Guatamala) and Shaun Frank (Toronto) and also comes with a music video which was shot in New York City. They talk about their new release ‘We Are’, alter ego personas, and their favourite things about being on tour.

Together with Carl Nunes and Shaun Frank you just released your new song “We Are” on Trice Recordings which is a part of leading dance music label Armada Music. How did this project come to life?

Jake: We all put a great deal of hours into this track and I give everyone credit from all angles. First being Carl Nunes for the one starting this fantastic project from a simple bass drop idea. He was then given the idea by Carl and fell in love with the song and immediately launched the keyboard, fired a synth and jammed for four to five hours. We then sent it over to our friends at Trice Recordings and they got back to us immediately to sign it right away.

How long did it take to get the project finished and were there any hurdles to overcome?

Jake: The project in whole took about two to three months. Carl started the song in Guatemala with the bass drop idea, and pitched me the idea of collaboration and I immediately saw potential in the record. I then wrote some melody ideas and started arranging/mixing the song down. It turned out to be my best record yet. Then we signed the track over to Trice Recordings, and they then pitched us an idea to bring Shaun Frank on board for vocals. We said yes of course if he is good. Shaun blew us away and we fell in love with the vocals. The only hurdles we really had at times was that it can be hard to collaborate with three artists all from different countries. But with Skype at hand, it helps a lot with Carl and I being able to go over ideas a lot quicker. I actually flew Carl into the US to finish up the track as we worked closely with vocal editing and what not.

Carl Nunes

“We Are” features a fantastic music video. What were the locations where it was filmed?

Jake: We brought in a team from Guatemala, Luis Pedro Gonzalez and his partner Andrew Reoyo Jones of Surreal Films. We filmed in New York City, all the way from up town to down town New York, getting every angle possible of the city. Not to mention, being on the Brooklyn Bridge during our shoot, it was 17 degrees outside.

You three come from very different backgrounds. Do you each have specific skills that really add to the collaboration?

Jake: I love working with Carl because he tends to really tell you when he’s feeling the song or when it’s just not there yet. I appreciate that because I don’t want to work with someone when all they say is, “wow that sounds great.” The truth is it doesn’t sound great until we are fully done and everyone is satisfied, so until then we have a lot of work to do. Shaun Frank obviously worked on the vocals and writing the concept of the song, which came out amazing.

Carl: Yeah, definitely we all have different skills and that’s what makes the collaboration unique.

What is your absolute most favourite thing about being on tour?

Jake: I’ve personally never been on tour. I am not too eager to get out on the road to be perfectly honest with you. Right now my main focus is production and how to master the sound of Electronic Dance. Touring will come later when I feel comfortable about my music. I am not too keen on the idea of being away from my loved ones and friends for long periods of time either. But the thing I love most about being out and playing is the reaction I get from fans, there’s no better feeling than seeing people in the crowd lip syncing to your track.

Carl: Being able to show my work to thousands of people.

Shaun: The shows. For me it’s all about the energy of the crowd. A close second is getting to see all these amazing places around the world and really dive into the culture. Music has so far taken me on some pretty epic adventures.

Do you become a different person when you get on stage?

Jake: No, I jump around in my studio the same way I jump around on stage, there’s just a little more juice in the tank when I’m in front of thousands of fans!

Carl: The same person just more energetic.

Shaun: Not really!

Jake Shanahan

Which style of electronic dance music would you wish for to have a comeback?

Jake: Tech House needs to have way more respect than it does. It’s almost like most artists think Tech only works for opening sets, I call bullshit. I love going into a room after a DJ just played top 100 beatport stuff and completely melt the crowd with groovy tech.

Do you play any acoustic instruments at all?

Jake: No, I always wanted to play guitar but never got to it. I give lots of respect to any artist playing instruments.

What is new for you in 2013 other than the ‘We Are’ release?

Jake: I plan on playing shows with some of the biggest artists in the industry along with many collaborations with top 100 artists. There’s no say where my career will go, but it’s definitely going up from here and will not stop until I am satisfied. I also plan on putting out my first artist album later on this year.

Do you have any final parting words?

Don’t follow others! Make your own sound and you will become respected in EDM!

CARL NUNES & JAKE SHANAHAN FT. SHAUN FRANK – WE ARE (TRICE RECORDINGS / ARMADA MUSIC)

For more info about this release, contact Wilf Libgott of www.hammarica.com | wilf@hammarica.com