Welcome
Danny Daze has never forgotten where he came from. As a DJ, he eschews the modern tendency to conform to cultural expectations and continually references the flawless technique of the DJ legends he grew up idolising.
Daze yearns for the return of battle-mode turntablism, noting its morph into what’s now known as ‘controllerism’. As a producer, the Miami bass sound remains a prevalent influence on his bass-heavy dance music, modified to encompass his love of Detroit techno and Italo disco.
We caught up with Danny to talk gear - click through the gallery to discover some of his favourite studio pieces. His Dual EP is out now on Ultramajic, while his remix of Terranova's Tell Me Why is out now on Kompakt.
For news and DJ dates, visit the Danny Daze Facebook page.
Starting out
“When I first started making music at 13 years old I had absolutely no clue what I was doing - it was all in the box, using Fruity Loops. I would render out MP3s at 96K because I thought, ‘Ooh, it’s less space’. After learning I could render out at 320K, or full WAV files, it made a big difference and obviously changed my life [laughs].
“I didn’t even have a Mac; I was running PC-based cracks. The VAZ modular plugin was my go-to; I still use it to this day. The sounds that I get off that are amazing; the way you edit and everything about it is perfect for me.”
Studio Electronics ATC1-X
“This is my go-to for bass. Whether it’s a sub kick or wobbling LFO, I go to this for everything low-end.”
Roland JP-8080
“I’ve been going back to the JP-8080 simply for its drones. I use this synth in some way on every track.”
Moog Voyager XL
“The Voyager is a classic I think everyone should try and have. I run the XL by sequencing it with the Rene Sequencer on my modular setup.”
Current software
“I switched to a Mac, because everything’s much easier. I used Pro Tools for a while, then Logic, but for the last five years I’ve been using Ableton.
A lot of the money I make is going into my studio and expanding it as much as I possibly can - getting cooler sounds and weirder instruments for techno and dance music, but also for experimental stuff like movie scoring.
“I don’t really use virtual synthesizers; I tend to use effect plugins. Paul’s Extreme Sound Stretch is one of them - that’s freeware. I’ve used that a lot to get transition noises and really weird stuff - you can put Justin Bieber through it and it ends up sounding amazing.”
Shadow Hills Equinox
“I use this to sum 30 inputs of audio. Combining this with UAD Apollos and outboard gear is the perfect way to have seamless digital/analogue integration.”
Sequential Circuits Pro-One
“I’ve MIDI-modified the Pro-One, but I really love its internal record option and use it quite a bit. It has a really powerful sound.”
Oberheim Matrix 1000
“It’s very raw and Drexciya-sounding; very Detroit. You can’t really do much to it; it comes with 1,000 patches and you can’t edit the parameters very well - you have to buy a patch editor. I barely even touch that and just go straight to the patches.”
Empirical Labs Fatso EL7
“The Fatso has a very distinct sound. Every synth runs through it - even digital synths out of the computer to fatten them up.”
“Michael Stipe said it was his favourite dance album – he used to put it on and then write his lyrics for REM to it”: Rave icons Utah Saints on their legacy, sampling Kate Bush, and the challenges of making their debut album
“They're French. I would say it's a kind of techno prog band”: Elvis Costello reckons that the Brooklyn warehouse gig he saw Justice play was “one of the great shows I've ever been to”
“Michael Stipe said it was his favourite dance album – he used to put it on and then write his lyrics for REM to it”: Rave icons Utah Saints on their legacy, sampling Kate Bush, and the challenges of making their debut album
“They're French. I would say it's a kind of techno prog band”: Elvis Costello reckons that the Brooklyn warehouse gig he saw Justice play was “one of the great shows I've ever been to”
