Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra

Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra

Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra is a funk group from the United States led by American multi-instrumentalist and producer Shawn Lee, with AM also listed among the members. It is largely a solo project in practice, with Lee playing nearly all of the instruments himself. His set-up includes conventional instruments such as guitar and drums as well as unusual vintage equipment, including a 1940s Clavioline and a Dulcitone.

Style and influences

The project draws heavily on 1960s and 1970s library music, the functional background music often made for television and film. Its sound combines funk with soul, psychedelic rock and cinematic textures.

Recordings and themes

The project is based in London and releases music on Ubiquity Records. Since 2004 it has issued more than a dozen albums, often built around particular ideas or approaches. Music and Rhythm and Voices and Choices establish a breakbeat-heavy, atmospheric style. Hits the Hits presents funk versions of songs by artists including Outkast and Britney Spears. A Very Ping Pong Christmas reworks holiday standards in a lounge-funk style. Miles of Styles and World of Funk draw on instruments collected from around the world, including the Chinese guzheng and Brazilian cuica. Hooked Up Classics applies a dub-influenced, Moog-heavy treatment to classical works by composers such as Tchaikovsky and Wagner.

Notable tracks and other work

The best-known track associated with the project is “Kiss the Sky”, featuring Nino Moschella. It appears in television, advertising and film promotion, including Eastbound & Down, ESPN and New Balance commercials, and trailers for The Monuments Men. Shawn Lee also composes for screen and games, including the full soundtrack for Rockstar Games’ 2006 title Bully, also known as Canis Canem Edit.