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SHAWN LEE
The story thus far
Shawn grew up in a rural area on the outskirts of Wichita, Kansas. His mother is half Lebanese, half American Indian, his father Irish-American. While his peers got off on cheesy corporate rock and the kind of line-dancing tunes recently fashionable in Gap ads, Shawn was groovin to the blaxploitation funk Sly and the Isleys. Later, his local Baptist Church widened his appreciation of black music, but when he sang and played drums in its gospel choir, he discovered some of his white friends were racists who disapproved. F**k this, he thought, time to leave the Mid-West but not before playing in local band Lotus with future country superstar Martina Mcbride.
Next stop Los Angeles. Already an able multi-instrumentalist (guitar, drums, perc,bass, etc) Shawn now set about developing his songwriting. There were bands, publishing deals, relationships,tours and day jobs: more notches on the bedpost of experience. Shawn was introduced to producers the Dust Brothers( post Paul's Boutique) and spent much time hanging out,drinking cappuccino's and making mix tapes from their dusted record collection. .This period also saw Shawn befriend the late Jeff Buckley, and somebody, somewhere has a tape of them jamming Honky Tonk Woman. "Keith your fired"!!!!!
In 1995, Shawn moved to London, where he recorded his solo debut for DJ Gilles Peterson's Talkin Loud label. For all the wrong reasons, the album was never released. It was soul destroying; a bit like somebody erasing 3 years of your life. Resolving to write and record on his own terms, Shawn kept working. He created the infamous "Planet of the breaks" series aswell as 5 volumes of "Ape Breaks" becoming the most sampled drummer of his generation in the process. He passed CDs of songs to friends with no agenda other than hope you enjoy it. As Shawn continued to do it his way, airplay garnered by a self-financed EP prompted several major labels to phone him. He had no intention of reboarding the corporate merry-go-round. Instead, he opted to sign a deal with Mark Jones at Wall of Sound. "The labels got real credibility" he says, "Mark was happy to put out a record which sounds exactly like I wanted it to". Subsequently Shawn became the flagship artist for the new Wall of Sound imprint, We Love You with his album Monkey Boy which features the cult song Happiness. The song was later covered by million selling english artist Will Young on his Keep On album. Say what?!
2004 saw the release of two Shawn Lee albums. Soul Visa (in Japan only, on Rush!) and the debut release of Shawn's instrumental side project Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra. The first of which is entitled Music and Rhythm on Ubiquity Records. 2005 also saw two more records from Mr. Lee; Harmonium (in Japan only, on Rush!) and the second Ping Pong album Moods and Grooves. As the success of the Ping Pong series grew Shawn was offered his first full movie soundtrack. The movie is entitled "Save Angel Hope" and will be released in 2007. The Industry has been quick to embrace the Ping Pong sound. PPO tracks have been featured in the TV series: Eastbound and down,Nip Tuck, Malcom In The Middle, Lost, Desperate Housewives, CSI:, Ugly Betty, Boston Legal, Rodney,Damages, The Riches,Good Morning America etc., Movies: The Year One,Confessions of a shopaholic,Oceans 13, The Break Up,The Bank Job, Pool Hall Prophets. Ads for BMW, Cinemax, Jaguar, Barclays, Exxon, Head & Shoulders and numerous Skate,snowboarding & Surf films. Shawn also has composed a video game soundtrack for Rockstar (Grand Theft Auto etc.). The game is entitled "Bully" and was released in october 2006. The selected soundtrack album for Bully/Canem canis edit is available on itunes,emusic and was released in stores december 2006 on Ultra.
2006 an American and European release for Soul Visa and the release of volume three Strings and Things by the Ping Pong Orchestra. Also look out for Mr. Lee doing "No Surprises " on an a Radiohead covers album called "Exit Music". Plus vocal collaborations with Muallem, Silent Poets, Sparo and Blackjoy. Remixes for The Thievery Corporation, Nino Moschella, Dust Galaxy, Jack Arel, Tony Joe White, Elmer Bernstein and Lord Large. November 2006 saw Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra vs Nino Moschella EP hit the streets featuring "Kiss The Sky".
January 2007, the fourth Ping Pong Orchestra album "Voices and Choices" was released and features guest vocals from: Ohmega Watts, Nino Moschella and Pierre D. Shawn chips in with textural vocals and takes the PPO sound onto some next level shit! Kiss The Sky (from the 4th Ping Pong album "Voices and choices"), becomes itunes "single of the week" and is downloaded a quarter of a million times in one week! Not one to rest, Mr. Lee has been beavering away in his London studio "Trans-Yank" on a number of new albums including a Ping Pong POP covers album entitled "Hit's The Hits" which was released on October 9, 2007, followed swiftly by a Ping Pong Christmas album called "A Very Ping Pong Xmas".
2008: Feb. 5th see's the release of the enigmatic Clutchy Hopkins album "Walking
Backwards". Look out for this supremely dope album featuring a collaboration track with yours truly called "Song For Wolfie"! April saw the release of the 7th Ping Pong Orchestra album entitled "Miles Of Styles". It features some new musical maneuvers and the first lead vocal from Shawn on a PPO record! September 23 saw the release of the "Under The Sun" surf film soundtrack on Ubiquity. Shawn and Clutchy Hopkins release their collabo album "Clutch of the tiger" on Ubiquity in late october.
2009. First up is Shawn's old school soul album:Shawn Lee presents "Soul in the hole" dropping on march 24th on Ubiquity. It features guest vocalists:Darondo,Fanny Franklin,Karime Kendra,Paul Butler,Nicole Willis,Mrs. Lee as well as SL himself.
Up next is a special record called Lord Newborn and the Magic skulls. A super group comprising Shawn,Money Mark & Tommy Guererro! Look out for Mr. Lee's version of Amy Winehouse's "Rehab" in the hit film "Confessions of a shopaholic" in cinema's now. "Punjabi Lullaby" from Miles of styles is used in the trailer to the new Jack Black film "The Year one"
2010. Jan.26th "Into The Wind" the collaboration album with Bei Bei is finally released on Ubiquity!!!
Much more to come. watch this space!
