EP/08: ARTIST PERSPECTIVE

The New Deal / Dragonette: Jamie Shields & Dan Kurtz in Conversation with Beatseeker

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What do artists think about new technologies that are changing the industry, for better or worse?  In this Artist Perspective episode we speak to Dan Kurtz and Jamie Shields. Longtime members of the Toronto music scene, Jamie and Dan (along with Darren Shearer) formed the New Deal in 1998  fusing electronic music with live improvisation. Dan also formed the electro-pop band Dragonette with singer/songwriter Martina Sorbara.

In past Beatseeker episodes we’ve covered how new technologies like streaming, social media and online concerts are changing the industry. In this episode we get an artists take on these trends. We sit down with Dan and Jamie to discuss how technology is impacting everything from how they make a living, how they make music and how they interact with fans. 

Find their music and stay up to date at: http://www.thenewdeal.com and http://www.dragonette.com

About DAN KURTZ and JAMIE SHIELDS

The New Deal first began in Toronto in 1999, quickly gaining support from Toronto’s underground club scene as pioneers in electronica, recreating the DJ experience with live, improvised music. Soon the band brought their interpretation of Electro House, Trance, Breakbeat and Drum & Bass to the US where they were embraced by the crowds at NYC’s Wetlands Preserve and cultivated a loyal following in the American jam scene.

After 12 years of touring, The New Deal took a hiatus in 2011; Dan spent much of the next few years touring the world with Electropop band Dragonette.

In 2018, TND welcomed drummer extraordinaire Davide Di Renzo into the fold. After several months of shredding in the studio, the band played their first live shows with Davide in June 2019, and released their first new album Phoenix in September 2019.