Artist/producer, Galimatias surprised fans at the end of last year with the release of his newest single, “Shy Dancer.” The song follows up his debut full-length album,’Renaissance Boy’ that was released in August of 2020. With “Shy Dancer,” Galimatias showcases his signature soundscapes as he noted, “I’m always looking for a unique sound. This one started away from the computer, on my OP-1 and cassette tape recorder. I recorded the melody onto tape and slowed it down to half time. That process introduces artifacts that you just can’t think your way to; an obscure, beautiful tonal quality. I played the sequence back on tape and timed it with the original signal while recording onto a handheld recorder. Once I had that loop, the inspiration came and took care of the rest of the song.” The Danish-born artist who’s now based in Los Angeles, had worked on ‘Renaissance Boy’ for a number of years after garnering critical acclaim for his debut EP, ‘Urban Flora,’ a collaborative EP with Alina Baraz. It was during this time that he challenged himself to refine his own vocals as he stated, “I think it was a natural progression for me to try to always figure out new realms within music for me to battle with. I had done a little bit of vocal stuff in the past but I didn’t start seriously doing it until 2017. I like to be humbled by a new aspect of music and diving in deep to learn whatever I can. Singing was like a perfect next chapter to my musical journey.” Combined with his penchant for sampling unique sounds and creating soundscapes, Galimatias has garnered much critical acclaim for ‘Renaissance Boy’ and is continuing to use the pause in live music to look for new sounds and ideas for future material.
B-Sides spoke with Galimatias about crafting “Shy Dancer,” how he balances the performing aspect with his natural reserved tendencies towards creating music and more.
