April 2022
“My job is to get people to be like: ‘I’ve never heard this in my life, and I’m interested, and I want to know about it.’” says ShottytheBeam, pioneer of a new genre he’s calling Disco Drill.
What started as a quarantine hobby when the world stopped in March of 2020 became a
life-changing creative outlet for Nashat Kahn, known artistically as ShottytheBeam, who never picked up an instrument before the pandemic. As regular life became a place of isolation, Shotty discovered the internet as an influential place for his growing musical interest. TikTok, which became a catalyst for his career after gaining 100K followers, provided a huge platform for his growing craft that changed the scope of how he thinks about music and provided new forms of inspiration. Shotty also draws inspiration from artists across genres like Stevie Wonder and Tyler, the Creator, but he stressed that inspiration from other sources, like movies, is “how you create really interesting and creative music.”All of these elements came together as he created his new sound, Disco Drill. While watching
Saturday Night Fever, a 1977 hit that highlights the disco culture of the time, and enjoying the four-on-the-floor beats, Shotty began to reflect on the sounds of music today. He came to the conclusion that Drill, to him, is the dance music of today, and decided right then and there that he would try to combine the two into a genre that merges the old and the new.
His new track, “AH YOU MAKE ME FEEL SO GOOD” is an exploration of this genre and speaks to the false hope that often comes with the ‘talking phase’ of a new relationship. It’s about the struggle between enjoying the feeling someone new gives you but knowing it won’t last. Despite the somber message behind the song, Shotty has created something that still feels fun and exciting. When asked about what he’s most proud of on the single, Shotty highlighted a part of the track where he feels the beat is hitting perfectly, sharing that he knows that during a performance it will feel exhilarating to both him and the crowd. He sees this new song, and his genre as a whole, as something unique that is meant to be performed. Despite his fusion of two genres being something totally new, Shotty is confident it will catch on, saying, “People haven’t experienced [disco drill] yet, but once they do, they’ll be like ‘wow, this makes sense" He is looking forward to his performance on July 14th with Loveseat in Minneapolis. This new single is just the beginning for ShottytheBeam, who feels passionately about continuing to evolve his personal sound. He sees himself as a storyteller who is constantly innovating and bringing people into new musical universes. “I’m really scared of being the artist that’s like ‘oh he made the same song 14 times and called it an album’ – that’s dangerous to me,” he says. With this mindset, it’s clear that ShottytheBeam will continue to push the limits on our preconceived notions of genre.
Interview by Adina Shecter
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