N
ew
Danish
band
Shanghai
was formed in
Copenhagen
in
2009
by musicians
and producers Niels
Brandt and Nicolai
Kornerup.
Niels
Brandt, the band’s
guitarist and lead singer,
comes from a Communist
background, which has no
doubt shaped his musical
outlook. He was previously
in a band called Airman,
which in the mid 2000s was
signed to RCA UK, and since
then Brandt has worked
with producers such as Guy
Chambers, Fraser T. Smith,
James Sanger, DimitriTokovoi,
Martin Terefe, andYouth.
Nicolai Kornerup, meanwhile, is the band’s
keyboardist. His musical background is a classical
one and it was at the Danish Music Conservatory
that he attained a Masters Degree in the piano. He
divides his time between playing for Shanghai and
playing the accordion for the Copenhagen band
Mames Babegenush, a group that plays music in
the traditional Jewish style of Klezmer.
Brandt and Kornerup met in 2007, not long
after Brandt had returned to Denmark after living
in London for five years. Shanghai, a name derived
from an image of “Michael Douglas in his fullWall
Street attire looking out over Shanghai from his
penthouse hotel room while listening to ‘Smoke
and Mirrors’ on the hi-fi stereo”, is influenced
by the likes of Tears For Fears, David Bowie,
and Pink Floyd. The duo has described their
music as “Arabesque Pop”, so-called because
it is, they claim, “…accessible music, with
an intricate harmonic structure.” Listening
to their first single, ‘Smoke And Mirrors’,
the eighties Tears For Fears influence is
instantly recognisable and makes for a
very atmospheric track, which is retro
and nostalgic yet futuristically modern.
It is no surprise then that the original
demo of the song experienced airplay
on major radio stations, after capturing
the attention of DJs Le Gammeltoft and
the late Kjeld Tolstrup.
Gammeltoft
and
Tolstrup’s record label,
Sound Of Copenhagen,
promptly signed the
band, through which
their EP,
The Priest,
was
released on 23
rd
May last
year.
This year Shanghai
was nominated for the
award “Best New Act
of the Year” at the TV2
Zulu Awards and has
also received an award
named in memory of
Kjeld Tolstrup, which
was recently founded to
recognise new talent and
exceptional new
artists. Shanghai
released their
latest
single
‘
Wet Summer’
on the 2
nd
July
this year. It
was produced
by
Ladytron
and Alessandro Cortini, a musician and
producer who has worked in the past with
Nine Inch Nails. ‘Wet Summer’ continues
with the deliciously retro eighties influence,
combined with eerie, hypnotic high vocals,
presenting an ethereal alternative to the
typical idea of a summer track.
Shanghai’s debut album is currently in
the pipeline and is expected to be released
sometime in the beginning of 2013. It
seems Shanghai have a prosperous future
ahead, something that would be sincerely
deserved to such a unique and inspiring
act.
Watch the video for ‘Wet Summer’ at:
http://youtu.be/6-zdfn7RKsg
and ‘Smoke and Mirrors’ at:
http://youtu.be/lAyu3zZjwSg
www.shanghaimusic.net
SHANGHAI’S MUSIC HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS DARK AND MOODY WITH
INFLUENCES RANGING FROM THE NEW WAVE OF THE 1980S TO THE DARK
CLASSICISM OF RAVEL AND FRANZ KAFKA.
RACHEL JONES
DELVES INTO THE
DANISH DUO’S MOODY MELANCHOLIA MUSIC.
bite
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artist
reviews
Images courtesy of Digital Rebel PR
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