LAMP Weekly Mix #101 Feat. Shuhandz

This week sees us heading over to the East Coast to North Carolina. Based out of Asheville North Carolina is up and coming producer Shuhandz. One of the things that attracted us to him was his diverse range productions and a finger that seems to be directly on the pulse of what is at the forefront of dance music. His goal is to take the listener on a journey to unexplored territories of the heart and mind through the vehicle of organized sound and carefully crafted frequencies. Having performed at festivals and and venues such as TomorrowWorld, Gratifly, Imagine Festival, and The Orange Peel. In 2015, Shuhandz released on labels such as Built it Records & Hocus Pocus Recordings, and charted in the Beatport Top 100. As is tradition we always try to sit down with artists the first time they put out a mix for us. Check it out below along with a complete track listing for this weeks mix.PZB: When we first met earlier this year I had come across one of your tracks you were about to release titled Muse. Upon which I immediately gained curiosity and dived into your Soundcloud. Over the past three years you have compiled a solid and diverse archive of music. What type of background or inspiration did you have in music before you started producing?Shuhandz: I was always inspired by the classic rock and disco records I found stored away in the attic as a kid and I played Saxophone & Guitar in a few bands back in high school. Around that time dubstep started getting popular in the US and I was discovering guys like Skream. I wanted to make tracks in that style and became very interested in production.PZB: Tell us a bit about the mix and the tracks you chose.Shuhandz: The idea was to showcase a diverse selection of house tunes in a way that kept the listener guessing but also made sense musically. It starts off with some G-Tech and flows into Bass House after a few minutes. These are two sub genres I've been really inspired by lately. From there, it transitions into deep tech and a track off my last EP called 'Camorra'. I wanted get lost in the melody a bit before mixing into some Jackin House and bringing the energy back up with 'Feel The Energy' from Tengu. After that I threw in my track Future G and finished with On The Estate by Low Steppa.PZB: Your style of production has varied quite a bit over the last few years. Going from Complextro and Dubstep to Electro and House. Recently you even produced a stellar chill (what people use to call deep house) track as well. Where would you say your productions are headed and what styles of music can we expect in the future?Shuhandz: I think producing a diverse range of music is important because it shows true artistic ability and appeals to a wider audience. Lately, I've been getting into an emerging sub genre called G-Tech and I'm finishing up a new EP in that style. I also did a couple Bass House remixes for some dope artists that will be released soon! I am experimenting more with chill tracks and will continue to release house tunes as well. Overall, I'm moving towards producing music without boundaries and really just making what I love.PZB: Congratulations on the recent success of ‘Let Me Love You’. That track I would say is a distinct departure from the style of music you have been producing. You collaborated with High Flown for this track, where did the two of you draw inspiration for this wonderful track?Shuhandz: Thank you! We both listen to a lot of chill music and became inspired to create a tune with a relaxed vibe and a constantly evolving beat. We were experimenting and trying to do something neither of us had done before and I think the result surprised us both. It's definitely a departure from what I normally produce, but I believe it can be good to change things up a bit when people aren't expecting it. We are working on more material like this and I look forward to sharing it in 2016!PZB: Having never really been to your home state of North Carolina and the South Eastern United States in general my musical impression of that area is not very complete. Mostly the word Country comes to mind. How would you describe the electronic music scene there?Shuhandz: Great question! The electronic scene in NC has been going strong for awhile now, but is definitely undergoing a change. People are starting to branch out and listen to more underground, experimental artists and the demand for that is growing. Your starting to see upcoming deep house guys getting booked in Charlotte by promoters who are making big plans for the coming years. It's a great thing and I am excited to be working with them. Asheville is in it's own bubble and has a unique music scene. You can see artists like Elliot Lipp, Com Truise, & Mark Farina in a single weekend. There's definitely a lot country music in the south too Haha. It's not my thing but some of the Appalachian folk and bluegrass isn't too bad! Atlanta is the biggest city in the South and has a huge bass scene. They have a ton of festivals every year and there's also a good underground house and techno scene.PZB: I saw that last year you had an opportunity to play at Tomorrow World in Atlanta. Can you tell us how that came about and what that experience was like? Im hoping you had a better experience than this years Stormworld attendees.Shuhandz: That has to be one of the craziest experiences of my life. I was working the festival and became friends with the sound guy at one of the stages. I showed him my music and he told me about an opening on one of the side stages on the last night of the festival. Turns out it was the closing spot for the Tmobile Stage, a small stage between the wooded stage hosted by Black Butter Recordings and Mainstage. I started my set at 11 PM, it was dope to be playing for a crowd of people from all over the world. All the stages had a curfew of 12 AM so that was when the festival ended, but the stage manager came up to me and said "Dude, we're just going to run this stage til they shut us off!" and I was like damn, yeah we gotta do it! There was a sea of people moving towards the exit gates but they were all walking near my stage on the way there. When they heard the music still going after midnight, they ran towards the stage and completely packed it out within a couple minutes. It was such an incredible feeling, my friend was standing there filming and we couldn't believe it. I knew just what to play in that moment and I think everyone who was there will hold on to that memory for awhile.PZB: In addition to your own originals you have several tracks that you have collaborated on with Daniels Jack and as well as High Flown, Tmare and a couple of others. What do you look for in collaborators when working on songs? Shuhandz: All of those guys are good friends of mine and I really enjoy working with them. Unique ideas, fast workflow, and the ability to think outside of the box (outside of what everyone else is doing) are traits I look for in collaborators. I learned a lot working with Tmare (now known as NGHTMRE) and having someone to bounce ideas off of can be really helpful. Also, sometimes working with a producer who has a different taste in music can create interesting results.PZB: Being a dj myself its always interesting to me why certain gigs stand out for me. Looking back at your last year you have had quite a few gigs, performing at a number of festivals and venues. Which ones would you say stood out for you most?Shuhandz: I am very grateful for the opportunities I've had in 2015! Getting to play at The Orange Peel was a big one for me, as I've been going to that venue for years and have seen so many legendary acts there. It was ranked as one of the top 5 venues in the nation by Rolling Stone & THUMP, and the sound system is one of the best on the East Coast. Imagine Festival was a great gig too. The lineup was stacked and thousands of people were there. My set got a great reaction from the crowd and everyone was having a good time.PZB: Anything specific we should all be on the look out for from Shuhandz in 2016?Shuhandz: I've been sitting on some unreleased tunes and will be putting out a lot of tracks in 2016! I was asked to remix a track by one of my favorite artists and I'm excited to announce the release details very soon. You can also expect to see more releases on Build It Records and some new labels that I have been working with.PZB: You get to pick one artist to open for and the venue where you will be playing anywhere in the world. Who do you open for? and where?Shuhandz: It would have to be DC10 in Ibiza opening for Hot Since 82!

Tracklist

Denis Izyumov - Hustle GangMetacentric - Eating WormsShuhandz & Daniels Jack - MuseAlok & Shapeless - Who GivesID - For YouFormat B - Something Suitable (33hz Remix)Drezo - Heaven Syap - DowntownThird Son - Atonal ImpressionShuhandz & Luis Armando - CamorraTengu - Feel The EnergyShuhandz - Future GLow Steppa - On The EstateCheck out more from Shuhandz here:Enjoy,LAMP