Sean Declase crossing all genres…

Singer/songwriter & multi-instrumentalist Sean Declase was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia.

Sean took some time off his busy schedule to chat with GrooveOn and give us preview of his upcoming performances and debut album.

Tell us about your current direction in music and what listeners are to expect?

I’ve just recently signed an album deal with Generation Records after writing and featuring on 2 singles “Can’t Stop” and “Something About”. The Album is a mix of Soul/Disco with a House feel running through it, to keep you dancing.
As well as that, I guess after doing the r’n’b thing for so many years, I have a lot of songs I need to get off my chest, hence the mixtape. It’s a compilation of 11 brand new songs pretty much summing up my sound totally. The mixtape CD due out in august is called “Sean Declase Is Dead”, it’s referring to a dream I’ve had since I was a kid where I’m in a car driving itself, until it crashes. It also relates to the fact that i’m putting these songs to rest and moving on to a new sound.

Who have been your major influences in music throughout your life?

That’s easy - The Beatles and Michael Jackson. I’m not even going to talk about how much I love these dudes, you guys will think i’m weird!
The other main influence for me has definitely been “The Declase Brothers”. Made up of my father and his 6 brothers, I literally grew up at the side of the stage watching these guys rock. Seeing them play as a kid made me want to do nothing but be a musician myself.

How did your association with Justic & Kaos and also Bass Chimps come about?

I met Kaos at a club one night and after many scotches we expressed that we wanted to work with each other. The first track we ever did was a song called “Paperchase” which ended up on there ARIA nominated EP “Turn it on”, which I also sang the chorus on. Since then myself and Kaos have teamed up on many tracks and the relationship of him producing the beats and me writing the melodies seem to work for us.

My association with the Bass Chimps started after the boys heard one of my Vocal House tracks on someone’s myspace page. I had an idea for a song called “Can’t Stop” which the boys took and transformed into a main room banger. Marcus Knight at Generation heard it and within weeks we were getting airplay on a variety of radio stations. I remember starting my car to drive to work one day and it was playing on Fox FM, as much as it was a good feeling, I remember thinking that I didn’t want this to be the highlight of my career, it was just the tip of the iceberg for where I want to be.

Are you working or writing with other artists at the moment?

Definitely, I can’t really give too much away but there’ll be a few surprises when the mixtape comes out. Some new acts which I absolutely love, and some that I have worked with over the years.

When is your debut solo album scheduled to be released? From the sounds of things it should very be popular in the club scene.

Like I said, I’m working on 2 separate projects at the moment. In terms of “Sean Declase Is Dead” the r’n’b mixtape, the release will be in August.
My official release through Generation Records is still in the works. I’ve recorded 3 tracks for an album of 12 so were looking at the end of the year.

Where can we hear your first single “Dangerous”, and is it available to purchase?

“Dangerous” can be purchased through beatport.com under Generation. The original mix can also be heard on my page http://www.myspace.com/seandeclasemusic

Tell us your most memorable experience whilst performing?

Ooh should i say that one? Nah I’ll tell you about the time I played the Chapel St Festival. At the time i was about 19, in the band “Declase” with my brother and cousins, we were scheduled to go on after a band that sounded like they were compiled of trained session muso’s. Anyway, after watching these guys thinking “How the hell are we supposed to follow this”, the lead singer of their band introduced us as their support act!! The competitive spirit must of come over us cause in about 2 minutes we were standing on top of amps, jumping on speakers and playing like we thought we were AC/DC. It was topped by the fact that Aaliyah was in melbourne for a movie she was doing and happened to be there that day. She loved it so much she was drumming on my cousins back while he was playing, he still hasn’t washed that top i don’t think!

So the lesson is kids, in times where you need to rise to the occasion, just go wild and people will listen.

You’ve been peforming live with Declase and then Zoona for many years now, are you planing to use live instruments in future performances?

For sure. I’d definitely perform my house stuff with a live band wherever I go.

What can we expect to see in your upcoming club gigs?

In promotion for the r’n’b stuff, I’m playing the club circuit. The show consists of a main room set from my DJ - JEEVZ (The Black Prince), MC KAOS hosting and hyping the crowd, and 4 live tracks from myself. 3 tracks off “Sean Declase Is Dead” and maybe a cover for good measure.

See Sean Declase perform live at the following dates -

HQM Saturdays - 20th of June

You can hear this and more at http://www.myspace.com/seandeclasemusic

Immersed in music from an early age, he first burst onto the live 70-646 Melbourne scene as the lead singer/guitarist of r’n’b/funk band Declase, which saw them perform at some of Melbourne’s premier venues and even garnered the band a spot on Rove Live playing with Kelly Rowland circa 2003. After Declase disbanded, Sean went on to record and independently release 2 EP’s with brother Wayne, as the group Zoona, and continued to hone his songwriting skills as the duo wrote and arranged for numerous Australian pop acts.

2007 saw Sean work with hiphop duo Justice & Kaos on their debut EP (’Turn It On’, ‘Paperchase’) which received a nomination for Best Urban Release at the 2007 ARIA Awards.

As well as working on solo material, Sean has recently been working closely with the house group Bass Chimps, spawning the singles “Can’t Stop” and “Something About” (reaching #1 on the U.S Masspool charts), both of which appeared on Vinyl Pushers’ 2008 ‘Move’ compilation (Vinyl Pushers/Shock). Sean’s debut solo album, soon to be released through Generation, is a mix of vintage dancefloor r’n’b and house-infused soul, reflective of Melbourne’s dynamic club culture, as well as a serious dose of funk-rock, all encompassing Sean’s vast musical influences. The first track off the album is a guaranteed dance-floor filler, entitled “Dangerous”, featuring rapper GMC and produced by Kaos. Remixes of this song also appear on the compilation “House Music Central” available on beatport.com thru Generation.