Interview: Great Dane on the beat

If you think about the music Los Angeles offers to the world, the beat scene is a crucial part that cannot be left out of the conversation. One artist Great Dane, is an integral part of this world. With his recent release of Lost and Love via VEYRON ARCHE, we sat down with him to learn more.

Hi Great Dane, thanks for talking to us! You’re gearing up for a new EP. What can we expect from you in your latest project?
Hi Playground! This EP is a reflection on an important and frankly sad, but really enlightening time in my life. I wanted to keep the sound consistent with my previous releases in certain ways but with more live instruments and vocals to get a clearer message across.

Similarly, what were your biggest influences? Did you hit any difficulty during the EP-making process? and vice-versa, what were the great high-points during the making of the project? How do you personally feel this has brought you forward in your music making career?

I would say Jai Paul, Jamie XX, and James Blake were definitely in the back of my mind while trying to expand into this new sound – I’ve also been listening to lots of funk music. The biggest difficulty was having the courage to put something out with my own vocals/ lyrics on it, being vulnerable is scary. As far as how it has brought me forward in my music making, I think I broke the seal and now I’m a lot more comfortable with the idea of really saying something with music.

You’ve released both EPs and LPs at this point in your career, do you go into a shorter EP project with a different mindset? Do you find it to be a different process when you’re focusing on an EP?
Yeah I just felt like it was time to expand. The first 3 albums could sort of be classified as “beat” albums (even though there are sporadic tracks with vocals) but with this shorter EP I wanted to try to take it into another realm. I love making instrumental beats so much, but as far as being considered an ‘artist’ I want to do more than that.

We’re an UK-based magazine. How would you describe the beat scene in LA, and what you do to readers who may not be well versed in the LA beat-making culture? Besides Low End Theory, where are the hottest spots for nightlife in regards to this scene?

The LA beat scene is really universal at this point. It’s tough to describe what it might mean to any given person, but for me it’s really special because the music/ shows allow for quiet moments and story telling in a way that a lot of other electronic music scenes are scared or unwilling to do.

You’ve been in the game for a solid few years now, what do you think are the biggest misconceptions people have about being in the music industry?

I have no idea haha. Is the “music industry” still a thing? As far as I can tell it’s just relationships.

Finally, besides this release, what can fans expect from you in the coming months?

I’m going to be releasing a lottt more singles this year. I’ve got a pretty stacked playlist of unreleased music right now, most of which has features.

Purchase Lost and Love .