Please can you introduce yourself to our Techno Mood readers?
I am ginger, I play & make house (all kinds) and techno. I have been making music and DJing for over 20 years now. I also own a couple of record labels 33 Music & 1980 Recordings.
How hard the year been so far? How’s the pandemic had an effect on you?
It’s been tough on all front. No child minder, so juggling work, partners work, entertaining a 2 & 1/2 year old as well as trying to stay relevant and upfront with my career so when the bookers do start booking DJs again then I am on their radar.
Releasing music wise, it’s been great. I have music scheduled up until September. I am finally getting back in the studio and finishing some originals off as well as doing some remix for people, I just finished a remix for Rui Da Silva’s next release. I feel I am making some of the best sounding productions of my career to date.
Congratulations on your recent ‘Ayahuasca’ release on 33 Music. Can you talk us through the production process and also the involvement of Skapes on the remix?
Thanks :-). I was send 3 demos for my label by Luis Meza. Sometimes I suggest a collab on the demos I get sent as the elements & ideas are there but it needs taken over the finish line, that’s where I come in. Luis sent me the stems. I am always open to collaboration, it doesn’t matter how big or small an artists you are.
One of the demos was called ‘Fear’, which is still unsigned, one was called ‘Ayahuasca’, which is this release and the last one we renamed ‘Cosmic Rest Face’ which is coming out in July with a Noble North remix.
I took the stems, rearrange, added elements, took away elements and produced it to what is the records you/will hear now. I then decided to sign two of them to my 33 Music label. We then had a discussion about remixers and I have always been a fan of Skapes sound (even before he was skiapes under his Calverton electro sound guise, back in the day), so I reached out and got him on board. I just put a post on my IG (@danmckiedj) the other day and I said ‘when I get remixers involved, I don’t give them a brief as I want them to be at their creative best’. So I didn’t give Skapes a brief, just do you thing and he did. It’s a great remix.
Carl Cox is a fan who plays your tunes, most recently ‘Ayahuasca’ – what does that feel like?
To have Carl Cox playing your track is always an amazing achievement. You want the big guns playing your tracks and you don’t get any bigger than Coxy! It’s an amazing feeling, I am so honoured. Maybe one day he might get me on at one of his nights 😉
Should dance music do more to raise awareness on social and political issues?
If I am honest I always try to stay away from political issues as I find you can never win the argument. There is always someone who will be upset at what your own opinion is. I try to keep my music as neutral as I can as I feel my music is for everyone to enjoy, like it should be… black, white, yellow, ginger, alien, human, trans, gay, bi… everyone should enjoy the music as they please.
There are other artists who are super political so I leave that to them, if they or I can use it for the greater good, then ok but I don’t go out to be political, that’s not my agenda. My agenda is to make people dance and keep the love flowing on the dancefloor.
How big has the impact of black culture been on you and how do you pay respect to that, given the current events?
We need to address the white privilege thing for sure. What happened to that poor George Floyd for using a dodgy $20 in a convenience story was horrific, those policemen, I honestly don’t know how they will live with themselves. Black people should not just be picked out of a crowd, a line in an airport, treated differently, etc etc, just because of the colour of their skin. We should all be treated with respect and love.
Do you think you will get to Ibiza to play this year? How important is the island on a personal level?
On a personal, super important. I have a lot of friends there and to be honest many times I go there I don’t even think about playing, I go to see my mates and hangout with them over some beers. I will hopefully get over there in July and August/September for sure. If I play is another thing as I think the emphasis will be on smaller parties this year and their are only a certain amount of DJ slots available, which many of them in my opinion, should go to the resident DJs that live there who have struggled without an income thus far because of the pandemic. The promoters should give back to them for sure.
What projects do you have on the horizon which you can talk to us about?
I have another track coming out with Luis Meza on 33 Music, as mentioned above. I have a collaboration with Keees (who are in the UK national charts at present), as well as a massive remix of Aki Bergen & Richter, Dazzla ft Damian Garry, Davina Moss and some releases on 1980 Recordings with remixes pacakges of which I need to schedule. I also have a dirty underground collaboration with Thomas Gandey coming out very soon on Nopresents. So plenty to look forward to on the production side of things. I just hope the DJ side of things picks up again.
Top 5 favourite records you love to play out at the moment?
Any final words for our Techno Mood readers?
Together we are stronger. Don’t discriminate, be nice, love each other. Enjoy the music together.
