Uncovering Ben Shawaer’s Favourites From The Past Year
Today, we’re joined by Ben Shawaer’s manager to discuss Ben’s favourites from 2023, talking about the top tracks, genres, and production techniques that made an impact on the talented Producer throughout the year. No doubt one of the most mysterious figures on the scene, enigmatic by nature, we’re looking forward to having the opportunity to unveil a little more about the talent that lies behind Ben Shawaer, discovering details about the exciting plans he has coming up in his next year of musical creation.
Can you share his overall impressions of the Electronic Music landscape in 2023? What stood out to him in terms of trends and developments?
He doesn’t listen to much music because he’s been focusing on producing for a while. However, he seems to have detected a trend of propagation of Slap House and Future House type sounds. The reason is surely that the voice has taken on an even greater importance than before in music. He also told me that it seems to him that in productions, the high frequencies seem more subdued than before. I then reminded him that last year his ENT told him that he had hunter’s hearing, with a loss in hearing above 6Khz. It also took him a while to realize that this was why he always wanted to turn up the high frequencies in his productions!
Could you list a few of his absolute favorite tracks or releases from the past year, and what makes them special to him?
As for famous artists, I know he liked the song “The Motto” by Tiësto & Ava Max. Otherwise, I know that he listens more to tracks by amateur artists. This is due to the fact that he regularly seeks collaborations and for that, he listens to what other artists are doing. For example, I saw in its Spotify 2023 top list the music “Unblock Me” by the artist ClarisseA. This music really exudes something, a certain nostalgia even. The pads and bass and the background sounds really create a recognizable and pleasant atmosphere to listen to. Otherwise, there is also the track “Shifted” by the artist Jolynn J Chin, which is instrumental music and a good demonstration that even without singing, music can be interesting to listen to.
Were there any tracks from emerging artists that caught his attention and deserve recognition?
I would say the two artists I mentioned above.
What genres or sub-genres of Electronic Music resonated with him the most this year, and why?
The Slap House. The main reason is that this year, Ben Shawaer started using bass sounds emanating from this subgenre of music – he used these sounds for the songs “Dancing” and “Alien Man”.
Did he discover any new genres or niche scenes that he found particularly intriguing?
Not to my knowledge, however, he is always pleasantly surprised by the richness that can be found in the world of amateur artists. It’s very diverse and inspiring.
As a Producer, did he come across any groundbreaking production techniques, hardware, or software innovations in 2023 that significantly influenced his music?
Ben Shawaer recently completely revised his way of making his music. The reason is that he now uses different techniques, comparing his songs with reference tracks. In particular, he uses the Sound ID Reference software which allows him to simulate listening to his production on different media. Related to this, he uses the separation of stems integrated into FL Studio to listen in more detail to the different layers of the reference tracks. This allows him, for example, when he finds that his kick does not sound good, to isolate that of a song that he likes and to listen to it in different contexts to see how it sounds in order to modify his own. Doing this allows you to be less lost and produce more effectively. He also completely revised his way of managing the bass in his tracks – this has had a strong impact on his productions.
Are there any production tools or plugins that became essential to his creative process during the year?
This year he used Serum a lot for his bass sounds. He also started using the different reverbs of ValhallaDSP, which gives a different dimension to his songs. He also uses the RC-20 Retro Color plugin quite a bit to give texture to his sounds.
Were there any artists or influences outside of the Electronic music world that left an imprint on his work in 2023?
The music found in series, films or video games often influences his work. However, it is difficult to say which of these influences had the most impact in 2023.
Aside from music, were there any standout favorites from the past year that left a lasting impression on him? This could include favorite films, books, technology advancements, or any other personal highlights
The arrival of generative artificial intelligence is certainly something strong which will further develop in 2023. He has learned to use it, not for music, but for the creation of personalized chatbots which he will integrate on his website. Aside from that, this topic is both exciting and scary. There is much debate, particularly in the world of music, regarding the generation of music on demand. This raises a lot of questions about the future of music but ultimately of everything related to art in the end.
What can his fans and the Electronic music community expect from him in the new year? Any upcoming projects, releases, or performances that he’s excited to share?
So, there are several things!
The first is the arrival of new songs. He can’t wait to hear people’s feedback; he’s been working a lot on these next releases. He’s still working on them now!
The second is the redesign of his website, with the integration of generative AI to answer questions about him or his production techniques on this or that track. He will also emphasize the importance of creative work and the amount of time it sometimes takes to make music. He will therefore make different versions of the same music available as well as the time it took to get there. The goal is to try to give more importance and value to musical creation. These days there is so much music that it’s easy to jump from one track to another and forget that people spend hours creating them.
The 3rd project concerns live shows. He bought new equipment so he could train again and reconnect with the public in the future. A near future I guess!
As we end our conversation, we feel we have learnt a little more about the mysterious Artist that is Ben Shawaer: still a figure cloaked in mystery, we do not doubt that fans will continue to be drawn in by his intriguing and fascinating energy, marking Ben Shawaer a talent to keep a close eye on. So, with an exciting year ahead, make sure to follow Ben Shawaer across social media to remain in the know about his next releases, projects, and future live shows.
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