Pan Caliente: Nané taps into indie-soul sound for NPR Tiny Desk Contest

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Today on Pan Caliente, we take you over to the land self-proclaimed as the ‘Live Music Capital of the World,’ Austin, TX. The reason? To spotlight a band I have been infatuated with for just over a couple months now.

Nané (Nah-Nay), featuring Ian Green and Daniel Sahad, began playing and writing together in 2016. They quickly tapped into a sound of indie-R&B/soul, utilizing vocalist Daniel Sahad’s dynamic range, and in a short period of time, Nané got plugged into the local Austin scene and began performing as support for rising national bands. With that, came an introduction to award winning producers and engineers — John Spiece of Brownout and Adrian Quesada of Black Pumas — who they have since produced a couple songs with.

I came across their first single, “Always On My Mind,” during quarantine and the exuberance and fierceness of the vocals along with the rock-soul riffs of the guitar provided warmth and catharsis. Hopefully, Nané’s music can provide something similar for you during this time.

Check out their Tiny Desk Contest submission for NPR, which was name checked by Brittany Howard, for their single “Blue Velvet.” It’s clever and has a big energy with the live performance.