This beatmaker is going viral for proving that music production has no age restrictions
Nick Hayes makes industrial hard techno using modern gear, pushing the message, “You’re never too old to make music”.
Music production can feel like an ageing process. By the time you’ve finally cracked the perfect snare drum, you’ve got lines, and wrinkles and… jeez, don’t get us started on the lower back.
One viral UK-based producer, however, might be able to quell your ageing concerns, proving that age is no obstacle when creating noisy, electronic dance music, even experimental styles like EBM and industrial techno.
That man is Global Shuffle Dance Music – real name Nick Hayes – a relatively older producer who, for three years, has been posting clips of him making hard-hitting dance music to YouTube, then sharing the results on Instagram (techno producer Blawan follows him, obviously). According to Hayes, his music-making journey began six years ago in 2018.
Check out one of his brilliant videos below:
The clips, which are becoming increasingly popular with each upload, see Hayes play with a range of cutting-edge gear built for electronic syles. In one, he creates a devastating techno drum track using the Elektron Syntakt. In another, he takes Teenage Engineering’s OP-1 for a ride. Hayes’ music tech arsenal also includes a Roland S-1 and a Maschine MK3 (watch out, Fred again..)
Hayes is not the only unexpected producer to go viral in recent years. On the other end of the spectrum, then-six-year-old musician Miles The Kid stunned the music world in 2023, when a video of him making a track in the legendary Electric Lady Studios went viral. In it, he makes the studio his own, constructing a track from scratch with complete confidence.
This and many of Miles’ other videos display the youngster’s acute ear for a good melody, arrangement skills and strong work ethic to get tracks finished in time. Let’s be honest, we could all take a leaf out of Miles’ book.
Follow the Global Shuffle Dance Music YouTube page, follow him on Instagram and check out Nick Hayes’ music on Spotify.
