“Shane Shu is a great debut album. Original ideas, catchy melodies and surprising tunes abound without ever sounding chaotic. Shane’s preference for the exotic and off-beat (reggae, dance, rock, dance hall, latin and what have you) has resulted in an irresistible pop album filled to the brim with sweet, summer vibes.” –
SPITS (****)
“He combines Mexican horns, steel drums and Dick-Dale guitar riffs and fills the gaps – just like Beck – with fresh samples and beats. Itadakimasu!” -
NIEUWE REVU (****)
“Canadian/ Dutch singer Shane Shu has delivered a remarkably cheerful debut. Shu and his band have made the musical equivalent of a care-free summer Sunday morning.” -
NRC HANDELSBLAD
“Meet the new Mika. Dance with a small dose of underground and a musical vocabulary reminiscent of The Beatles, Beck and Rufus Wainwright.” -
ELLE
“This man has everything it takes to become tomorrows big star” -
FUTURE MUSIC CHARTS
“A melodic diamond in the rough” -
NOORDERSLAG
“Shane Shu is going to break through in 2008” -
RELOAD
“Shane Shu’s debut is an extremely original album that defies comparison and definition. A record teeming with influences that are used to construct refreshingly original pop songs. Songs full of strange sounds, samples and extraordinary vocals. Lots of sunny and Caribbean vibes. This is not only one of the most original albums I’ve heard lately but also the most fun. Do yourself a favour and buy it!” -
VELVET MUSIC
“With this album Shane Shu is quickly stealing hearts. After an excellent gig at this year’s Noorderslag Music Festival the band’s fully booked. Be sure to see them.” -
JIMMY ALTER
“Comparing him to Mika does not do Shane Shu any justice. Shu is better!” -
3FM DJ, GIEL BEELEN
“Top of the bill band. One you should run to your nearest record store for.” -
DJ ROB STENDERS "KX RADIO"
“It doesn’t happen very often that an artist scores Hit of the Week twice in the same week here at Radio Mortale. But in the case of Shane Shu it is totally justified.” -
RADIO MORTALE (****)
“Pop music with South American beats, we all know what that means: irresistible. Shane Shu’s album is varied and reveals his broad musical horizon. From hip hop to reaggeaton via Britpop to ballads. A debut with catchy songs that stimulate the senses.” -
FOKNIUEWS.NL (****)
“Yes, Shane is a-sort-of-Dutch-Mika that you want to slap in the face. But the combination of his sweet sounding Rick Astley-voice with reggae rythms and CocoRosie-isch campy elements are so fresh and original that when turned on it’s impossible to resist. Sexy, rash, summery and a little weird.” -
LiveXS
“One of this year’s big promises” -
NUjij.nl (****)
“The songs on this album are exuberant and infectious. Shane Shu’s voice floats somewhere between Jeff Buckley and Prince. The influences are apparent but Shu convincingly makes them his own. He proves himself to be an original artist.” -
PLATO MANIA (****)
“A CD full of upbeat sample pop gone tropical.” -
NL20 MAGAZINE
The songs of Shane Shu approach you like a sea of soaring birds. They glide softly upon his non-titled debut that appears via V2 Records on 10th of March, 2008.
The record contains ten irresistible songs which draw upon a kaleidoscope of influences: ‘The Gorillaz cheering Frank Black and The Reverend Albert Greene in an arm-wrestling match with Bob Dylan and Kim Deal adjudicating.’ That was the description Shane once gave to Holland’s renown music platform 3 VOOR 12.
Shane Shu was born in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada and raised by a Dutch father and a Dutch/Chinese mother. Just after his 18th birthday his parents divorced. His mother fled back to Amsterdam and 2 years later Shane followed. Distraught by the bitter circumstances and yet driven by some inner need for recognition Shane followed the motto of his teen idol, Perry Farrell: “My sex and my drugs and my rock ‘n’ roll. All my brain and body needs!”
Whether Amsterdam offered him the portion of sex and drugs he needed, this story need not tell. Nonetheless, this new environment provided him with an enormous boost of creativity and introspection.
Music has always played an important role in Shane Shu’s life. At the age of 13 Shane played local talent shows, impersonated pop stars like Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder, and could be heard regularly reciting Shakespeare on his neighbours’ trampoline. Three years later and packed with a driver’s licence he discovered that girls were, for the most part, interested in men who could sing and play the guitar. So he learned a chord here and a melody there through other players in town and then tried them out in candle-lit house-party bathrooms and beer filled garages before innocent young girls.
His first songs were influenced by the work of singer-songwriters like Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, and Black Francis. While the quality of his melodies and lyrics improved the ambiance of the music changed as well. Shane realized that he wanted to entertain with his music. He also realized that the ambiance he yearned for should be uplifting, summer-like and extrovert. The next step: a meeting in a music-store.
In order to pay the bills Shane worked as a freelance photographer and a guitar salesman. One day he met Paul W Willemsen (among others, Supersub, Lefties Soul Collection, Amigos Eléctricos, Matik, and Zuco 103). Paul impressed Shane with his taste in effect-pedals and the exceptional sounds he generated from them. Shane’s invitation to join his non-existing band was declined. Paul was too busy. When, by chance, the two met a few weeks later in the washroom of the movie-theater Kriterion, they started talking again. This time Paul gave in to Shane’s enthusiasm.
In the months that followed, Shane Shu’s songs started taking shape. In Paul’s studio (an abandoned school-building in the old-south district of Amsterdam) the two met frequently to experiment with sounds and put some kind of form and structure into Shane’s concepts and ideas. It didn’t take long before both of them knew that something special was taking place.
So, a few days later, while surfing on Myspace, Shane clicked on a photo of a beautiful, blond, curly-haired-girl. It was Catarina Aimee Dahms from South Africa. As traffic stopping as she was, her profile revealed a talented young artist with an exceptional and refreshing style. Shane imagined her in his band (and rumour has it) quickly wrote her a dozen Haiku’s. They met later in the week at the Weber in Amsterdam. 6 beers later Shane proposed: ‘So. . .would you like to be a part of my band?’
With yet another beautiful Myspace woman Shane started an intense romance. A song on the album deals with the end of this relationship; a recurring theme in Shane’s life that isn’t looked upon with any feelings of regret. “I’m not the black bible type”, he says. “I regard these love affairs as experiences that only enrich me”.
They are reflections that have, through samples, harmonies, guitars, chords and much more, received a sparkling décor. Ten songs found their way to Shane Shu’s debut album and like the self-titled opening song, ‘Less Is More’ only the best made the final cut.
The album ends with the conspicuously titled, “Bonnie Tyler & Whitney Houston”. You needn’t worry, however, it’s not a whimsical ode to the two vocal divas. After a night of photographing his muse in the Melkweg, the two inebriated souls ambled along the Leidsestraat, singing “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” and “Total Eclipse of the Heart” in two-part harmony. This splendid song captures the remnants of their evening together. Those who can create a song from such dear memory are bestowed with the attributes of a great artist.
The quality of songs was high enough to attract the attention of an award winning American producer, who was part of an even bigger international label. Shane Shu was more than flattered. However, after months of negotiations the talks inevitably led to nothing. Shane felt he was being pushed into a musical direction and image all but his own, a serious enough step that would damage a career that hadn’t even started. With record label V2 however, he found the environment that offered him the creativity he needed. “I didn’t want to start my career making concessions”, he remarked.
Shane Shu loves to perform. He does not only promise musical but also visual entertainment whereby the projections of Catarina Aimee Dahms play an important role. He also has high ambitions. First base is Holland, followed by Europe, the UK, North and South America, and Asia.
Why not? The début of Shane Shu is one of the most exciting records in years that have seen the light in Holland.
Hello Shane! Thank you for the compliment! I really like your profile pic. It's very funny! (: I also like the room. But what I LOOOOOVE the most is your music! I think I'm gonna buy your album. And by the way, the video for 'The way she talks to me' is one of the best vid's I've ever seen. Last year I had it as a Gadget on Hyves. (i don't know if you know Hyves) But whatever; the video is awesome!
xo
PS; ik had dit zeker ook allemaal gewoon in het Nederlands kunnen typen? heb ik helemaal mn best voor niks gedaan! :P
Shane, NICE! Love your melodies, and love that 'tropical twist' too ;) The tooth paste is also really really great, and CANADA of course, the land of THE BAND! That's a whole lotta love dude, see you around and thanks for the kind words last night!!
HET SONGWRITINGBOEK VAN DE LAGE LANDEN TIJDELIJK VOOR DE HELFT VAN DE WINKELPRIJS! > Zie www.hartenvanhelden.nl
Altijd al willen weten hoe Daniël Lohues (Skik), Ilse DeLange, Jacqueline Govaert (Krezip), Wouter Planteijdt (Sjako!), Bennie Jolink (Normaal), Peter Slager (Bløf), Thé Lau, Boudewijn de Groot, Bart van der Weide (Racoon), Jack Poels (Rowwen Hèze), Leon Giesen, Ben Folds, Jacob de Greeuw (Johan), Joost Zweegers (Novastar) en Tom van Laere (Admiral Freebee) aan hun liedjes werken? Dan tref je het! Want mijn boek 'Harten van helden' waarin zij openhartig hierover hun verhaal doen, kan je nu voor de helft van de winkelprijs (d.w.z. € 12,50) bij mij bestellen!
Wees er snel bij, want het betreft hier een beperkt aantal exemplaren! Pak dus nu je kans. En als je dat leuk vindt, signeer ik 'm voor je!
You can download tracks from Justin McRoberts' newest release Deconstruction for ANY PRICE YOU WANT. Or tell a few friends about the record and get them for FREE!
Hello, Winter records is launching a new theme-based compilation (vol 3) and invites you to a musical composition. The best tracks will be selected in order to be part of the new cd.
So, for our third compilation we want you to use the 5 musical notes of "Close encounters of the third kind" (composed by john williams). These are : RE MI DO DO (octave lower) and SOL
Those notes can be the main theme of the track or not. We must here it once at least. You can whisper it, sing it, play it with any instrument you want. You can decline it.
The deadline is mid-july.
We can't wait to listen to your propositions and choose the most interesting ones.
Hugs from france,
Winter records.
ps : send us your wave or mp3 at winterrecords@gmail.com
..
SHANE SHU
