As 2011 draws to a close, Darin has become one of the most in demand DJs in North America. His Perspectives radio show just celebrated its five year anniversary and his Perspectives Digital imprint is now amongst the progressive house elite. Darin’s been quite busy in the studio of late and has a jaw-dropping string of releases that are about to drop. We had a chance to talk to Darin about these upcoming projects, his Perspectives radio show, label imprint and a variety of other topics. A transcription of the interview is below and we hope you enjoy it.
1. How did you get involved in electronic music? How did you discover your love for it and what made you decide to pursue it full time?
Darin: Music has always been an important part of my life. Even as a kid, I was always drawn to it. I remember being asked to DJ every dance party during summer camp for several years. It’s also helped me get through some really tough times.
Electronic music in particular inspires me like nothing else. Since the sounds are linked to technology, the possibilities are endless. The kinds of feelings and emotions you can experience listening to this kind of music simply do not exist anywhere else.
I grew up near Northwestern University, just outside of Chicago. Every week during the late 90’s, Northwestern’s radio station would feature local DJ’s playing a blend of underground house, techno, and progressive trance. It was all so new and exciting to me, and I remember being the only kid in school who was even following this kind of music.
It being the turn of the century, I can admit that I wouldn’t be where I am today without the help of Napster. Using Napster, I was able to gain access to music that was previously only available on vinyl and plug myself into the electronic dance scene in Europe.
Eventually, I grew such a strong attachment to the music that I worked a part-time job just so I could save up for a pair of turntables. It didn’t take long before I transitioned from being a passive listener to active participant in the scene.
2. Talk a bit about the electronic music scene in the USA, would you say it’s as strong as it was 5-10 years ago? How does it differ nowadays?
Darin: That’s difficult to answer because although electronic dance is clearly more popular than it’s ever been before, it’s mostly due to the commercialization of the industry. Attendance at raves and electronic music festivals in the US has soared dramatically. For example, Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas last June reportedly had 230,000 people in attendance over a span of 3 days. That number rivals even major outdoor festivals like Coachella. To say electronic music is a hot commodity now would be an understatement.
3. Your Perspectives radio show has been running now for 5 years, which is an incredible stretch. Talk a bit about the show. How do you go about selecting the tracks and is what you play on the radio representative of a Darin Epsilon club set?
Darin: I generally prefer to play music that can stand on its own and survive the test of time. I believe having good taste is ultimately what makes a DJ great. Not all the tracks I select are ones that would work in a club but there’s a time and place for everything.
4. The Perspectives brand eventually launched a digital imprint in October of 2010, what was it that made you want to start a label and give us your thoughts on the first year. From all accounts it seems to have gone very well.
Darin: Well, I don’t want to bore you with details, but I was getting frustrated dealing with certain labels. In one case, everything that could go possibly wrong with one release went wrong, from the cover art to the mastering to the promotion. Second, I wanted to have more control over my own intellectual property and release what I wanted when I wanted. Lastly, I realized how important it was create your own brand. I needed to do more than just the radio show because the significance of having one has seemingly disappeared.
5. What does the core of your current studio consist of and what are some of your favourite software programs to use?
Darin: I run Logic, Ableton, and Reason on my Macbook Pro. My laptop is hooked up to a MOTU soundcard and KRK monitors. I currently have an old Korg MS2000 keyboard as my MIDI controller. Favorite softsynths at the moment would be Rob Papen Predator and SubBoomBass, Synplant (great at creating complex percussion noises), Spectrasonics Omnisphere, Logic’s ES2, and anything from Native Instruments.
6. You’ve played all over the world, often sharing the decks with some of the world’s biggest DJs (Hernan Cattaneo, James Zabiela, Sander Kleinenberg, Jody Wisternoff, and John Graham all come to mind). What have been some of your most memorable DJ experiences and what are your favourite places to play?
Darin: Being able to share the stage with Hernan Cattaneo at Avalon Hollywood could definitely be considered one of my career highlights. He’s one of my biggest musical influences at the moment. Other milestones include playing the main room at Vision in Chicago when I was 23 (my first experience playing a world-class venue) and traveling to Siberia for my first international gig (it was a rave held at a car garage, for those of you wondering).
7. What do you feel has been the biggest moment of your career thus far? Both from a DJ and production standpoint?
Darin: Some of your readers may already be aware, but I was recently selected as one of the winners in John Digweed, Bedrock & Beatport’s DJ competition. His last DJ contest was held seven years ago (correct me if I’m wrong). For me, it was a validation that all those years I spent practicing and annoying the hell out of my parents, siblings, college roommates, and next-door neighbors had been worth it.
8. You have some amazing producers on the Perspectives Digital roster; Cid Inc., Dousk, Lank, Satoshi Fumi, and Ian O’Donovan to name but a few. Who would you love to have on the label in the future and why?
Darin: I feel very fortunate to have worked with such talented producers, but since you asked, my dream team would include Christian Smith, 16 Bit Lolitas, Jody Wisternoff or Way Out West, Tom Middleton, Robert Babicz, Quivver, Hernan Cattaneo & Soundexile, Marc Marzenit, Guy J, Henry Saiz, King Unique, Max Cooper, and Eelke Kleijn! The music they create is intellectually stimulating, inspiring, and displays a high level of musicality, to say the least.
9. You’ve accomplished a great deal thus far in your career. Your productions have been played by DJ’s like Hernan Cattaneo and Nick Warren, your Perspectives radio show and podcast is hugely successful, you’ve performed alongside some of the biggest names in the world, you’ve licensed your music to film and TV, and you’ve got a top-notch progressive house imprint. What goals do you still have in electronic music? What would you still like to achieve?
Darin: Well, there’s always more people to collaborate with, more production techniques to learn, more cities to play, more listeners to reach, etc. Further down the road, I would seriously consider releasing at least one full-length album. It would also be nice to land a high-profile compilation deal. Maybe be able to say I’ve played in every continent (minus Antarctica of course!). I could do more film and TV work so my music is not strictly limited to the dancefloor.
10. This is one we generally ask everyone and I know it’s a tough question but please list your top 5 all time favourite tracks? Also what are your 5 favourite labels at the moment?
Darin: Haha, I don’t think I could ever choose just 5 but here goes. In no particular order:
Rob Dougan – Clubbed To Death (Kurayamino Variation) (1995)
Leftfield – Song Of Life (1995)
DJ Shadow – Midnight In A Perfect World (1996)
Dead Can Dance – The Host Of Seraphim (1988)
Bedrock – Heaven Scent (1999)
Favorite 5 labels of the moment: Bedrock, Sudbeat, Vapour, microCastle, Hope Recordings.
11. If you were trapped on an island for the rest of your life, what is the one album you would take with you?
Darin: I would probably go with Leftfield’s first album Leftism from 1995. It covers so many genres of music and is about as perfect an album as you could possibly get. It’s one of those pieces of work you can listen to over and over and never hear the same thing twice.
12. What can we expect to see in the near future from Darin Epsilon and also Perspectives Digital?
Darin: I’ve got quite a lot of new releases hitting stores in the next few months. First up is my Metamorph single (w/ Luis Junior & Deepfunk remixes) on Mesmeric. Then in January is my remix of Fusion F & Come T on Canadian label Nueva Digital and my single Bahamut (w/ Fiord & Cid Inc remixes) on Replug Records. After that is my remix for Black Hole Recordings and another original track, Lapis Lazuli, on Flow Vinyl. This one’s been generating huge buzz ever since it was charted #6 on Hernan Cattaneo’s Top 20.
As for Perspectives Digital, we have a busy schedule with upcoming releases from DAVI, Inkfish, Beat Factory, Ian O’Donovan, Satoshi Fumi, Estroe, Alessandro Diga, and Mariano Favre. If any of you are interested in dropping us a demo, we can be reached at: demos@perspectivesdigital.com
13. Finally, what advice would you have to all the aspiring producers and DJs out there?
Darin: Be confident in yourself and always remain positive even when things aren’t going your way. Be able to look at the bigger picture and understand where you place in the industry. Capitalize on your biggest strengths and continually work on improving your weaknesses. Most importantly, network network network because even one person can make a significant impact on your future.
Release Promo sends a huge thanks to Darin for taking the time to do such a great interview!
Darin Epsilon Presents Perspectives Digital, Vol. 2 now available on Beatport and Darin performs at Avalon Hollywood with Hernan Cattaneo and Nick Warren on December 17. Also be sure not to miss Darin’s ‘Metamorph’ single on Mesmeric Records which is out on December 13th.
