It will be a chance to discover some of them for the first time, or get to know others a little better. We are often familiar with the music they play, but don’t always know a lot about the player themselves. I couldn’t be happier than to kick things off with Dan Mulqueen. When I first heard him play it sounded so fresh to me, a true inspiration!

So bro, could you please introduce yourself?

What’s up everyone?! Dan Mulqueen here…I want to start off first by saying a huge THANK YOU to David Charrier for inviting me to be featured on MasterTheHandpan and THANK YOU to you for reading this article.

I’m 27 years old and live in New Jersey (USA). My life in music started when I was about 10 years old when I took my first drum lesson. My dad is a huge fan of music and I grew up listening to bands like Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, and a lot more classic rock and always wanted to play the drums. After years of practice and jamming with other musicians in my neighborhood, I really started to enjoy playing in bands. Over the years I’ve played everything from rock, metal, hip-hop, jazz, blues, latin, hardcore, EDM, reggae and more. I really enjoyed using drum patterns and fills from one genre and mixing it with something from a different genre…so using latin fills over a reggae song or metal fills over EDM music. Through all these different bands and styles, I learned a few different instruments and became amazed with music production.

As I became more familiar with multiple genres of music and creating my own style that wasn’t locked into just one…I became really interested in fusion music and producing my own music.

How did you end up playing handpan ? What’s your story?

Thats where the handpan came into play.

I first discovered the handpan on YouTube in 2007. I saw Davide Swarup’s “Promo for Hang – 1” video and was completely amazed by the sounds of the instrument. A few clicks later I came across Manu Delago’s “Mono Desire” video and was completely blown away. Seeing Manu create a melody and a rhythm and a bass line and a lead line and using drum fill patterns and SO MUCH MORE just completely shocked me. I was immediately drawn to the sound along with the idea of having one instrument that you can create melody and rhythm on all in your lap.

The first time I touched a handpan was in late 2007…a first generation Hang (G Pygmy scale) followed by a second generation Hang (8 note D Minor scale)…so I had a very high quality bar set on my first night of touching the instrument after months of watching videos and doing research on the instrument. Also before I touched the instrument, I found an old cymbal I had that I didn’t use anymore and put 8 stickers around the circle to start practicing my scale runs and some of the wrist movements I noticed while observing the players I watched.

The day after I played these two PANArt Hangs, I received my first pan from Marco della Ratta in Italy. I loved it. I practiced every day for hours and even though it wasn’t a “top shelf” instrument, I was determined to get the sounds out of it that I heard online. From the years of playing drums, I was never one to blame my shortcomings on my equipment…I firmly believed that a good drummer can make any drum set or cymbal sound good…so why should the handpan be any different?

What do you like the most about handpans?

I really enjoy the freedom that the handpan provides to musical expression and composition. When I play, if I’m working on a new melody and want to hear a bass line or snare hit in a certain spot, I don’t need to wait for a drummer or bass player to play with me…I can re-adjust my pattern to allow for that “snare sound” and a “bass line” all while using my drum fills when the song permitted. I really enjoy knowing that the only real limitations on the instrument are ones that I put on myself. It seems that with enough practice and composition, if you hear something in your head, you can get it out in one way or another on a handpan…whether it be insanely complicated or beautifully simple.

If you were lost on a desert island with only one scale, which one would it be?

Ah….this is a tough one. Right now I can’t seem to put down my D Aegean scale…but anything F Integral is always a favorite of mine.

How would you describe your handpan style?

I would describe my handpan style as very beat heavy with a wide variety of flare/chops all built around well thought out melodies and chord structures. Personally, I think the most important aspect of being a musician is establishing your own style…obviously there is always influence from others, but I think creating your own style is the most important thing in becoming a better handpan player and better musician overall. I also produce a lot of beats to compliment the handpan…using very deep bass lines and glitchy drum beats along with some other bells and whistles. I think the production around my songs helps my style stand out as well.

At the end of the day, I think if nothing about what I do is distinguishable from other players/musicians, I will get lost in the crowd…so I strive to find new inspirations every day and make music that I really enjoy and hope that my style/compositions are liked by a few people in the process =)

On which handpan are you currently playing?

Currently I play on Aura Handpan, Ayasa Handpan, SPB Handpan and Jan Borren Handpan.

Could you describe us this brand new album you’ve just released? atmosphere, influences, other instruments, featuring?

YES!!! Finally the album is done. It is called “Handwriting” and releases on April 6th, 2018. The album process took a little over a year and I’m beyond happy with the end result.

It is a double album featuring one disc of all the songs produced with beats/bass lines/features/etc… and the second disc featuring all the songs solo on handpan just as they were composed in the beginning of the process.

The album features Jeremy Diffey on a song called “Levels” , Leanna Padalino on a song called “Losing Myself” and Marion Boivin on a song called “Stone In My Chest”

The production on this album varies a lot but in most of the songs, there is a very heavy bass presence…i love upright bass and sub bass sounds. There is a lot of minimal drum patterns with a bit of glitch/trip-hop element to them. There is also a lot of electric piano / Rhode sounds in there as well.