We just discovered the wonders of youngster D/A/D and it immediately struck us to ask this dude a few more questions... This is some awesome and deep Eighties zoned-out music, complete with classic guitar shreds and layers of niceness! Playmakers, meet D/A/D and while you're at it, check out his rad videogame metal band, Dracula Mountain!
PM: What does D/A/D stand for?
Nothing. I'm a big fan of dads so this is my homage to them.
PM: Main influences of any kind?
Obviously the 1980s have so much material to gain inspiration from. There are several musical styles from the decade that find their ways into my music, these include synth-pop, new wave, synth funk, italo-disco, and most importantly in my opinion, 80s shred. But it isn't just the music of the 80s; it's the fashion, the pop culture, the technology, the attitudes of the decade that leave a strong impression on me.
PM: When did you start producing?
i've been writing music for a while but I think I wrote my first D/A/D song about a year ago.
PM: What's your favorite years in the eighties, and why?
I think late 80s are my favorites, and I'm biased with 1989 because I was born in that one. I'm also a huge fan of the early 90s so I love the years in the late 80s that sort of blend in with the 90s. The evolution of pop culture during these years is pretty fun to analyze, and admire!
PM: How do you compose what gear are you using?
Because I'm making most of this music in my dorm, I have very limited resources. I use Logic Pro and the majority of the sounds you hear on the EP are logic synth samples which I've tweaked. If i'm not using MIDI, i'll be using my JX3P (which I don't have in the dorm room). As for guitars, I'm using a strat and an epiphone sheraton with a teenie little vox practice amp. Ideally, i would like to have some junos, yamahas, and rolands, up in here, but that's going to take some more saving on my part.
As for actual writing, I usually write my songs in parts and then figure out ways to put them together. I feel like with dance music, producers get too caught up in repeating and looping, which is totally fine and absolutely works for the dance genre. I'm constantly looking for ways to keep the song moving, however, which I think separates me from the genre a bit. I consider D/A/D dance music that is meant to be performed live, not DJed. I would be surprised if someone played my stuff in a DJ set actually, but hey if it works go for it!
PM: What's your ideal environment as D/A/D?
Top down, shades on, cruisin....just cruisin.
PM: Future plans, releases, ... ?
I'm going to take a little break on the writing front, but I'm hoping to be playing live a lot more. I have my first show in Chicago tomorrow and I played back home in LA several times over the summer. If the album gets enough circulation, I'd love to do a mini tour no doubt. I'd also love to add some visuals to my set. I'm experimenting with visuals a bit tomorrow for the show and I think it's gonna come out real nicely.
I think late 80s are my favorites, and I'm biased with 1989 because I was born in that one. I'm also a huge fan of the early 90s so I love the years in the late 80s that sort of blend in with the 90s. The evolution of pop culture during these years is pretty fun to analyze, and admire!
PM: How do you compose what gear are you using?
Because I'm making most of this music in my dorm, I have very limited resources. I use Logic Pro and the majority of the sounds you hear on the EP are logic synth samples which I've tweaked. If i'm not using MIDI, i'll be using my JX3P (which I don't have in the dorm room). As for guitars, I'm using a strat and an epiphone sheraton with a teenie little vox practice amp. Ideally, i would like to have some junos, yamahas, and rolands, up in here, but that's going to take some more saving on my part.
As for actual writing, I usually write my songs in parts and then figure out ways to put them together. I feel like with dance music, producers get too caught up in repeating and looping, which is totally fine and absolutely works for the dance genre. I'm constantly looking for ways to keep the song moving, however, which I think separates me from the genre a bit. I consider D/A/D dance music that is meant to be performed live, not DJed. I would be surprised if someone played my stuff in a DJ set actually, but hey if it works go for it!
PM: What's your ideal environment as D/A/D?
Top down, shades on, cruisin....just cruisin.
PM: Future plans, releases, ... ?
I'm going to take a little break on the writing front, but I'm hoping to be playing live a lot more. I have my first show in Chicago tomorrow and I played back home in LA several times over the summer. If the album gets enough circulation, I'd love to do a mini tour no doubt. I'd also love to add some visuals to my set. I'm experimenting with visuals a bit tomorrow for the show and I think it's gonna come out real nicely.