Nathan Shaw (born September 22, 1991), known professionally as Ekali, is a Canadian DJ, musician and music producer based in Los Angeles, California. To date, he has released one studio album, A World Away (2020) via Big Beat Records and two EP's, Crystal Eyes (2018) via OWSLA and his most recent, Alinea on June 23, 2023, through his independent imprint, Awakening.

Over the course of his career, Shaw has collaborated the likes of ZHU, Denzel Curry, KRANE, ILLENIUM and performed at a series of high-profile music festivals, such as Coachella, The Grass Is Greener, and Shambala Festival.

History 
Originally hailing from Vancouver, British Columbia, Shaw's first experiences with music started from a young age, learning the violin and branching out to other contemporary musical instruments as he grew up. He would initially gain recognition in the music industry as the bassist for Vancouver-based indie rock band, Said the Whale which he joined in 2011. Concurrently in-between touring, Shaw also began to learn music production and started creating sample-based instrumentals, as he didn't feel confident enough to perform vocals on his own material. He quickly broke into the local underground music scene as a DJ and would become a member of Vancouver electronic music collective, Chapel Sound. On November 20, 2013, Shaw released his debut single, "Unfaith" via SoundCloud.

In 2014, Shaw attended the Red Bull Music Academy in Tokyo, Japan as the only Canadian participant of that year, to workshop and collaborate with musical peers and contemporaries from around the world. A collaboration during the program between Shaw, American Grammy Award-winning producer/songwriter Om'Mas Keith and RBMA alumni, Austrian producer Dorian Concept called "On Me" would be released Jan 13, 2015 via RBMA and highlighted as a single for their "Various Assets – Not For Sale 2014"  compilation.

The following month, Shaw quickly rose to prominence after Canadian rapper and singer, Drake sampled "Unfaith" for his surprise mixtape, If You're Reading This It's Too Late released February 13, 2015 via OVO and Young Money Entertainment on the songs, "Preach" and "Wednesday Night Interlude" both featuring Canadian R&B singer, PARTYNEXTDOOR respectively. Soon after, "Unfaith" was officially re-released to streaming platforms on March 31. 2015.

Following the mixtape's release, Shaw's profile was significantly raised internationally as a producer and  DJ. In 2016, Shaw would officially leave Said the Whale to focus on touring his own music and producing full-time  and relocated to Los Angeles soon after, to sign a recording contract with American producer, Skrillex's label, OWSLA in 2017. Shaw would go on to release several singles through the label including, "Babylon" featuring Florida-based rapper, Denzel Curry on Aug 18, 2017 alongside the announcement of his signing. Shaw's debut EP, Crystal Eyes was released on Oct 21, 2018 via OWSLA. preceded by lead single, "Leaving" featuring Malaysian singer, Yuna released Aug 24, 2018.

On Jan 24, 2020, Shaw released his debut studio album, A World Away via Big Beat Records, featuring guest appearances by Au/Ra, Elohim, Kiiara, ILLENIUM, Wafia and Reo Cragun.

On June 23, 2023, Shaw released his second EP, Alinea via his independent record label, Awakening Records.

Discography

Studio albums
A World Away (2020)

Extended plays
Crystal Eyes (2018)
Alinea (2023)

Playlists
Awakening - Mix 1 (2017)
Awakening - Mix 2 (2017)
Awakening - Mix 3 (2017)
Awakening - Mix 4 (2018)
Awakening - Mix 5 (2018)
Awakening - Mix 6 (2018)
Awakening - Mix 7 (2019)
Awakening - Mix 8 (2020)
Awakening - Mix 9 (2022)
Awakening - Mix 10 (2023)
Awakening - Mix 11 (2023)
Awakening - Mix 12 (2023)

Singles

Remixes

References 

Living people
1991 births
Trap musicians (EDM)
Owsla artists
Monstercat artists
Electronic dance music DJs
Canadian DJs
Musicians from Vancouver