In Session: Shaun Moses

Growing up in Goa, you were probably surrounded by plenty of dance music festivals and parties. As a listener and fan, what was special about experiencing that in a place like Goa, secluded from the mainstream dance music environment?

I think growing up in Goa was a blessing in disguise, especially when it came to the music culture, as I was exposed to some absolute quality music from an early age that gave me an amazing foundation that I’m so grateful for today. A pre-conceived notion that a lot of people have is that Goa was primarily a psytrance hub back in the day, but I can honestly disagree to that because there was so much more.

I read that your dad owned a small bar in the night market, and that your dad’s bar was known for throwing quality parties, what was that like?

My father (Daniel Moses) along with my mum (Thelma Moses) started a small bar called Boutique House in 2007 at the night market in Arpora Goa. My dad had a different love for cocktails and quality music, and with the help of a close friend Sasha (who handled the curation), he launched this project. In a matter of two years it became the bar to be at in Goa on a Saturday. Some of the biggest names in the world performed there and the concoctions shaken up by my dad, week in and week out, ensured that we had a full house every single weekend. I would make it almost every Saturday to slam a few yummy mocktails, assist dad where I could, and last but not least hear all the different artists perform their signature styles from start to finish. I have no words to describe how grateful I am to my father for providing me with a platform like this, that I believe has got me to where I am today.

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Where was your first show and what was that like?

My first show was at this cool spot in North Goa called The Living Room. It was the opening party and so it was packed to the brim! I was obviously a nervous wreck, as I had a ton of people (friends of mine, my parents and a few promoters) come to check me out that night. Even though I prepped my tracklists at least a 100 times before the gig, the feeling of being in the moment with the crowd In front of you is a whole different ball game. By the time my set was done, you could say I looked like a person who’d just finished a rigorous cardio workout, but I had the biggest smile on my face and in my heart. I almost cried but somehow held back. I’ll never forget that night.

What techniques do you experiment with to get your original sound? Is there a specific track that you’re particularly proud of?

I love experimenting with various textures, sequencers & vocal chops. I feel the right textures add a different dynamic to your track and make it sound more full. One of my favourite tracks ’till date is an original of mine that I produced in collaboration with a good friend and also a fantastic Indian producer (Aardy). If you listen closely to the track you’ll hear the textures I’ve added and the vocal chop which compliments the main hook really well. I’m not a trained musician and so using sequencers makes life a bit easier for me and speeds up my creativity process. I tend to produce melodies, riffs, polyrhythm and chord progressions with the exact pitch, rate and pattern length way faster with sequencing.

Do you make a conscious choice of alluding to home or your roots when you put out music or is it something that just comes naturally to you?

It’s something that comes naturally to me.