Eric Escanes
Eric Escanes is a French-American guitarist, producer, and composer based in Miami, known for blending jazz, funk, fusion, and ambient textures. He has toured worldwide with Flo Rida since 2015 and has earned four grammy nominations collaborating with artists including Rhiannon Giddens, Valerie June, and Cimafunk.
He is one of the founders of the band Electric Kif a jazz funk fusion group that has recently been featured on Cory Wong”s album Starship Syncopation. He also releases solo projects, including the EP Take it EZ and the album Near & Far. His new EP Slo-Fi drops May 1st and is built on slow tempos, mood driven melodies, and ambient guitar layers.
What has previously been your approach to guitar?
My approach to guitar has always been about curiosity. I started off big into Hendrix and the Blues. Then I studied jazz and improvisation in France, and became very interested in blending styles; Funk, Fusion, Afro Caribbean Rhythms, electronic textures, and ambient sound design. Living and working in Miami really shaped that mindset. The diversity of cultures here helped push me towards a more hybrid musical voice.
How do you use Submarine pickups?
I've mostly been using the SubSix pickup in studio workflows where I process each string separately. This might mean sending one string through granular effects, and another into a synth patch. Or just picking out 6 random pedals and assigning each one to a string and jumping into the deep end. I feel like it turns the guitar more into a modular instrument.
What influence has the Submarine had on your creative process or workflow?
The SubSix has definitely made me look at the guitar more like an orchestra. It gives me inspiration in composing and arranging in ways I couldn’t have thought of before. It’s pretty amazing how it makes you play differently and approach the instrument in a non-traditional way.
What have been the surprising discoveries in the time that you've been using it?
One of the main discoveries is how I can blend different pedals and tones together. To have a long reverb on one string, a short delay on another, a harmonized note on another really opens possibilities for real time tone and musical explorations.
Do you plan on using it in any other projects and if so what ideas to you have for its future use?
I would love to record an EP strictly using the SubSix in the near future. I've used it recently in a video series the band TWYN is releasing soon. For the track all I did was route the high e string to an ambient pedal chain while also using the guitar in a normal fashion. I like the idea of sending just certain strings to a rig to set an ambient tone for a song.
How would you use it in a live setting?
I’ve yet to use the pickup in a live situation. But I would imagine using it by sending the signal of certain strings for certain musical roles, as mentioned above.
What is your favourite guitar gear? Hardware, software, pedals, anything...
That’s a tricky one because it kinda of changes depending what I’m working on. I love gear that makes you play differently rather than just sound different. I’ve been using the Kinotone Ribbons pedal a lot and some Chase Bliss pedals as well. In the studio my Elektron Digitakt II has become the center for rhythm and sampling. Software wise MIDI guitar 3 is great for translating guitar performance into MIDI data, which works great with the Submarine pickup system. I love gear that encourages experimentation.
What in your current arsenal has been the most inspiring/interesting to use with the Submarine?
Recently I’ve used the pickup to route 6 different pedals separately. And each pedal is synced to Digitakt’s MIDI clock. Having all pedals synced rhythmically really gave me some cool avenues to explore
How has having multiple channel outputs changed how you use these?
Having multiple outputs has changed how I look at the guitar as an instrument. Usually treated as a single voice, the guitar now with multiple outputs feels more like an ensemble. It definitely encourages more intentional playing. You start thinking about which string triggers what and how parts interact.
What equipment would you most like to see developed as a companion to Submarine?
I would say because the hardest part can be having an interface that has 6 separate inputs. A sort of multi effects board that could take each string's input and process it in however you’d like with effects and processing. Then you could send it out via ADAT to your DAW or separately.
Have you got any tips for other Submarine users?
When processing strings individually think of grouping them in string sets of two or three. Having the Low E and A string maybe playing octaves or fifths. The G and B string having something rhythmic and the high B and e string be ambient. But at the end of the day just experiment. Some of the best results come from unexpected routing ideas.
What are you listening to at the moment?
At the moment I’ve been listening to a lot of Bill Frisell and Lionel Loueke. Also been loving Ella Feingold’s recent album release, a very refreshing guitar and musical album.
What are you currently working on?
I am currently working on a mixtape style EP. It’s one 25 minute track weaving through ideas and sketches I’ve composed over the last several months. It has musical guests and is sorta of a journey through my world. I am big on collaborations, and have several in the works for release this year and next...
Eric can be found on instagram @eric_ez_e and @electrickif
A Deep Dive With... is an ongoing series where we interview Submarine users, explore their creative process, share tips, and hopefully inspire you to discover new ways to make the most of Submarine's creative potential.
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