Growing up macklemore intro guitar
#GROWING UP MACKLEMORE INTRO GUITAR FULL#
Rudimental is an eclectic quartet of musicians known for a catchy blend of fast-paced dance music and soulful vocals from a rotating cast of guest singers. “But then my record label says, ‘It’s not right for your project, maybe you should give it to Rudimental.’ I played it for the guys and they’re like, ‘Yep, we’ll take that.’” “When you're working at Abbey Road Studios, you've gotta bring ya Mum.”“I wrote the song for myself, really,” he says. One of them was “These Days,” a rollicking kiss-off anthem for faithless lovers that shifts mid-song to a lament about the difficulty of finding human connection in the big city. In 2017, he started work on a full-length album and released a handful of polished singles. In 2016, he released a second EP, Badman, further refining his soul-meets-chamber-music sound. He performed on an album by the English singer-songwriter George Ezra. Since signing with Atlantic, Caplen has been on a tear. “I realized everything sounds a little better with a bit of strings on it. It’s way cheaper than getting the proper guys in,” he jokes. As a singer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, Caplen says he’s hands on in the studio, right down to the string tracks. That recording caught the attention of Atlantic Records, who signed him a year later.
#GROWING UP MACKLEMORE INTRO GUITAR FULL#
He wasn’t yet working in music full time, but he was on his way.Ĭaplen spent the next two years recording more mash-ups and working on a self-produced four-song EP, Epiphany, which he released in 2014 under the name D/C. “I played it as my end-of-semester project, and my friends were like, ‘Put it up online!’” Three months later, Caplen had a manager. “I made this makeshift studio in my house by Market of Choice, and I recorded this thing,” Caplen recalls. It’s an energetic composition, resonant with strings and Caplen’s baritone voice. His first post was his final project for Leonard’s electronic music production class: a medley of music by four established artists-SBTRKT, Kid Cudi, Labrinth, and No Doubt-with his own vocals accompanied by rich layers of cello, hand claps, and instrument tapping. He started a Twitter account and a YouTube channel. When he returned to Portland for senior year, he was ready to start building his identity as an artist. He’s worth keeping around.’”Īfter completing his junior year, Caplen spent the summer interning at a London record company and writing songs. He told the powers that be, ‘Nah, he’s just in his basement recording and writing songs. “At one point, I was in danger of losing my music scholarship, because I was having trouble getting to orchestra. He’s deserving of all his success.”Ĭaplen credits Leonard as a major influence on his music and career. “He writes great hooks, really memorable melodies, and good lyrics. “The music business is very often not a meritocracy, but Dan’s got the goods,” Leonard says. But he also worked on producing his own music under the tutelage of music instructor Jeff Leonard, a bass player and composer who directs the college’s electronic music program. “During the flight on the way over, I thought I was going to Maine.”Īt Lewis & Clark, Caplen majored in psychology and played in the college orchestra and jazz ensemble. “I didn’t actually know where Portland was,” he jokes. It will cost less to go there than it will to university here,” Caplen says. “I thought, you know what, I’ll just go over there. He applied to Lewis & Clark at the urging of a family friend who attended the school in the 1980s. It seemed like an impossible dream.” That Caplen’s dream is becoming reality is no accident-it’s the result of years of hard work, dating back to his college years and before.Ĭaplen was born in England and grew up in Hong Kong and Kent, studying piano and cello on his own time and vocal music at St. “I never thought anyone could make money out of music. “I thought I was going to be working in a bank or something,” Caplen says. But to hear him tell it, he never expected to find a career in music. Caplen is, suddenly, a notable presence in British pop. The video for the song has been viewed more than 130 million times on YouTube. singles chart for 11 weeks, peaking at No. As of mid-April, the track had been near the top of the U.K. The 26-year-old wrote and contributed vocals to “These Days,” a hit for the British drum and bass group Rudimental. This spring, in the streets of London, the voice of Dan Caplen BA ’12 proved inescapable. (Robin Little/Redferns, Getty images)Dan Caplen BA ’12 For two young alumni, one of the keys has been to take their unique musical sounds abroad ―to the U.K. If you Google “tips for breaking into the music business,” you’ll instantly garner millions of hits. Dan Caplen BA ’12 and Ian Hooper BA ’08 create chart-topping hits abroad.ĭan Caplen BA ’12 performs live at O2 Academy Brixton in London on April 6, 2018.