Head to Head with Mike Shannon

Many DJs and producers can claim to have started young, but Mike Shannon has most of them beaten, by a long shot. By the time he was 16 Mike had toured extensively throughout North America rocking dancefloors, and laying the ground work for his much respected Cynosure recordings label, and his now frequent excursions across the pond. As a producer, he has slowly built a reputation for delivering menacing, dark dancefloor techno, with an ever present touch of hopeful soul groove, certain to conjure up memories of Detroit's techno renaissance of days past for those in the know. With release of his first album 'Slight of Hand' on Germany's Force Inc, Mike Shannon is set to take his own music to the next level, and quite possibly take the rest of the industry with him.

AAS- Perhaps you could start off by bringing us up to speed on the journey so far, what propelled you to start making music?

MS - I always had a strong interestrest in music. I`ve been djing house and techno since I was 12. I bought a Juno 106 two years later and started to teach myself about synthesis.

You initially made a name for yourself as a DJ in and around Toronto, what's the environment like there from a DJ / Producer perspective?

Toronto was a great place to be in the techno community...many events and weekly club nights going on. Some really talented djs raised the bar for mixing standards...once I started traveling I realised that there weren`t too many djs mixing with the skills that some of these cats in Toronto had. So you really got exposed to some quality music. As a dj you listen to tons of music that`s coming out and you really have a good idea of what`s been done before. It`s very possible these days to have an idea that seems brand new to you but has been done previously a dozen times. I think in general, DJs who are producers have a good idea how to write tracks that will be accessible to a DJ.

Much has been said about Detroit's influence on the Toronto scene and sound, and 'the big D' also tends to come up alot in reviews of your output as well. How do you feel about these parrallels being drawn? Are there specific artists or aspects of the Detroit sound that you feel have had an impact on your work?

I think early detroit techno had it`s influence on many scenes all over the world but especially the ones that were in close proximity . I grew up right in the middle of the two city`s so it was easy to get to either. As for Detroit producers that infulenced my work I would have to say Juan Atkins, Mike Banks, Rob Hood and Anthony Shakir. Things they did 10 years ago are still being reflected in my music.

Beyond those mentioned above, are other artists's that you feel have been of influence, or that you look to for inspiration?

I would say the community of producers right here in Montréal(Deadbeat, Akufen, Jetone) have been an inspiration. Jeff Milligan and Richie Hawtin for inspiration as a DJ for sure. Oh Canada!

As someone who started out using hardware synths and samplers, what's your experience been of the transition to a more computer centric working process?

The transition has been a simple one...less wires, less noise and less to worry about...I like knowing that I can be completely mobile with my laptop and still get the same results as if I was using the hardware.

One of the most often heard complaints about digital and software-based synths is their tendancy to sound colder or flatter than their analog equivalents. This was certainly something the LoungeLizard set out to over come. Do you feel it was successful in this? How's your experience been with it thus far?

I think that Lounge lizard is by far the best sounding soft synth I have ever used. It really has inspired me to take a slightly different path on the music I`ve been writing today. I`ve heard tons of Rhodes patches but nothing as real and as warm as Lounge Lizard, and like I said before, less wires, less noise...

Your album seems to walk this same fine line, perfectly balancing the warmth and organic quality of vintage analog sounds against ultra-modern DSP trickery. Did you have specific aesthetic goals in mind with 'Slight of Hand' ?

Mutating classic elements of techno and combining them with digital trickery...you couldn`t have said it better!

You also run Cynosure recordings. Anything people should keep their eyes open for in the coming year?

Yes! Next year we plan to release a our first ever compilation album featuring exclusive tracks from Ricardo Villalobos, Dandy jack, Luciano, Deabeat, myself and more!

Thanks alot!