Dan San (BE)

Taking the time to do things properly and returning at the right moment. Seven years after the release of Shelter, Dan San makes a dazzling comeback with Grand Salon. Long-awaited, this third album suspends the relentless pace of our hurried lives through a collection of clear, seemingly effortless yet timeless songs.

To craft this new collection of sophisticated pop, the six members of the Belgian collective nurtured their shared vision, putting Dan San’s purpose back at the center of their lives after years full of collaborations (production, touring, music for film, etc.), notably with The Feather, Condore, Pale Grey, Kowari, and Sharko.

Guided by demos conceived by Thomas Medard and Jérôme Magnée, Dan San’s new album was shaped collectively, in a back-and-forth of ideas and impulses. More than a hastily penned title, Grand Salon draws on the imagined aura of the brilliant artistic exchange spaces of the past—places rich in innovation, research, and multidisciplinary avant-garde. To finalize the album, the band retreated to the outskirts of Paris, into the heart of La Frette, a former manor converted into a recording studio that holds a special place in the history of modern pop. Feist, Patrick Watson, Timber Timbre, Idles, Parcels, and Arctic Monkeys have all recorded some of their best songs there.

In spring 2021, nestled in this landmark of music, the Belgian band assembled their ideas under the protective ceiling of the “grand salon.” The elegance of the room, its molding, and its exquisitely refined curves are reflected in every note, providing a vintage framework for sessions recorded alongside producer Yann Arnaud (Sparks/Annette OST, Phoenix, Air, Syd Matters). Confident in his experience and sensitivity, Arnaud champions restraint and guides Dan San to new heights.

Despite its French title, Grand Salon neither hides its ambitions nor its preference for typically Anglo-Saxon sounds. Away from hype and algorithm-driven listening, the musicians drew inspiration from their record collections: Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, Neil Young, and Nick Drake are all essential references to understand the DNA of this album. A renewed passion for the Beatles, sparked by Peter Jackson’s documentary, as well as reading a biography of Geoff Emerick, also fueled the band’s imagination.

On this album, Dan San thrives on positive vibes (Hard Days Are Gone, The Unknown) and even, for the first time, experiments with love songs (Midnight Call, No One In The House). But not everything is rosy. Depression is confronted head-on on the track 1994. Elsewhere, despair in a hopeless situation (Father, Mother), the urgency to fully live the moment (When The Ghost is Alive), or the strangeness of a post-operative awakening (Awake) give this essential record countless layers of reflection. While the themes explored in Grand Salon are firmly rooted in 2023, Dan San’s music willingly steps outside the timeline to give life to timeless, unexpected melodies.