A few days before the release of their first collaboration “Celestial Electric” we’re glad to present this exclusive mix from American musician and multi-instrumentalist now based in London Shawn Lee and indie artist AM from Los Angeles.

Mr. Critical also had the chance to ask Shawn Lee a few questions about his fruitful career and upcoming effort…

Mr Critical (MC): You have produced quite a body of work in a relative short period, is this the result of a very strict structured way of working or is most of your music created spontaneously?
Shawn Lee (SL): I am very driven to create (i.e. write & record). I feel like there is a real natural urgency inside of me. I do always work 2 or 3 days a week making new tracks so after while that really builds up. This is what I love to do: make records!

MC: I really love the fact that you are a multi instrumentalist. What inspired you to pick up and study all these different instruments ? Did it take you a long time to get the hang of it or did it all come naturally ?
SL: Sometimes it is a matter of necessity. Other times it’s the wide open childlike approach to instruments I don’t know that well what keeps the creativity flowing inside of me. I tend to be a very natural musician. Having said that, I’m learning each time I pick up an instrument. That’s one of the things that keep me going… there’s so much to learn.

MC: The Ubiquity website mentions that you are an avid collector of vintage instruments. I guess each of these instruments have a story to them. Can you share with us which instrument has the most sentimental value, and how you acquired it ?
SL: Yes this is certainly true! I have a 70′s Gibson 335 guitar that was a present from an former girlfriend. I have had the guitar for nearly 20 years now and it has appeared on literally hundreds and hundreds of records and traveled the world with me. She sued her then boss for sexual harassment and won! She bought the guitar for me out of her ‘out of court’ financial settlement…

MC:Can you tell us about your up & coming album with AM How did you guys meet and decide to work on songs together ?
SL: AM reached out to me via the internet years ago. He had heard my music on the radio in LA and became a fan of what I do. We became cyber friends staying in touch via emails. When he came over to London to play a show we met up and struck an old fashioned friendship. That lead to us ‘sitting in’ with each other’s respective live bands in both LA and London. Also, we hung out playing each other music bonding over a mutual love for Italian & French soundtracks, library music & Finders Keepers label. It seemed logical to make an album together and the rest is history! Our album ‘Celestial Electric‘ has taken us both on an amazing musical journey. It’s exceeded all I hoped for on this record, this is some next level shit! Look out for us on tour in September in the US.

MC: You have collaborated with many artists already, which artists are still on your “want to collaborate with” list ?
SL: MF Doom, Ananda Shankar, Beck, Jack White, Jamie Lidell just for starters. To be honest there are so many talented people out there to work with that the possibilities are endless. Much more to come…

MC: What about the never released debut album “Discomfort” that you recorded back in the days for Talkin’ Loud? Is the music available anywhere or will it be in the future ? Can you tell us about this project or is it a subject you’d rather not get into ?
SL: You can find it on Ebay and Amazon. It was only promo released in France back in 1996-so it’s pretty rare. I recorded the album in London in 94-95 for Gilles Peterson. The album is chock-full of ideas and still sounds pretty darn interesting. I keep meaning to re-release the album myself so eventually I’ll get around to doing just that. I’m still quite proud of it.

MC: The Ping Pong Orchestra albums have a “library” feel to them. Was the music on these albums created from that point of view ?
SL: Yes it was very influenced by library music plus film soundtracks and incidental TV music. I also composed a lot in the classic library 2 minute format. Get in and get out! It really sharpened my composing skills.

MC: Many TV series have picked up and used your music (Malcom In The Middle, Lost, Desperate Housewives, CSI:Miami, Ugly Betty etc) How did this affect your career, I guess it opened many doors for you ?
SL: Well it’s made me known in LA and NY among music supervisors,directors and ad agencies. This sometimes leads to scoring work but more often than not my music being used in film & tv shows. All good things.

MC: Are you a record collector? Who would we find in your collection?
SL: Everything from Shuggie Otis, Ennio Morricone to De La Soul to Hall & Oates to Jimi Hendrix to Miles Davis to the Banana Splits!

MC: Why moving to London a couple of years ago?
SL: I moved to London in 1994. Gilles Peterson signed me to his then Talkin Loud record label, I fell in love with london and stayed. That was 16 years ago and i’m still here! It’s a great international launch pad.

MC: Any news about Clutchy Hopkins?
SL: Clutchy is still in his cave in the Mojave desert making songs and beats. The mystery continues…

AM & Shawn Lee will be touring in US, UK & France from September.
More infos: facebook - site
Thanks to Benny “Mr Critical” Janssens for the hook up and the interview.
Illustration by Tim Geelen