DAYV made a name for himself as co-founder and organiser of the Down Under parties @ Fuse in Brussels, one of the best-loved techno clubs not only in Belgium, but all of Europe. Down Under has impressed for years with their excellent lineups and their next party is no exception, with Francesco Del Garda heading the bill.
Since moving to the UK 6 years ago, DAYV has juggled his responsibilities at Down Under with regular bookings in London with his residencies at Cymatic and Cartulis Day, where you can catch him in April. Last time MEOKO spoke to DAYV, he told us that he had been focusing more on his DJ-ing and record collecting. In this interview his development as a selector, musical influences, his love for techno and weighs in on the vinyl/digital debate. After that have a listen to his house, techno, experimental, stranger than usual mix, recorded exclusively and lovingly for MEOKO.
LISTEN TO DAYV's EXCLUSIVE MIX HERE
When did you first get in touch with music, and then electronic music?
Music has always been very important in my life. My grandfather, who was also a musician and played in a band, pushed me to go to music school at the age of 7. This is where I learnt how to play the guitar and the drums. For about 7/8 years this was my passion, I then started to go out to clubs and heard electronic music for the first time. I was amazed by my initial clubbing experiences. Every Friday after school, I would go to see DJs play in a bar in my hometown. I was truly fascinated by it. I convinced my mother to buy me a pair of turntables (the very cheap JB Systems) and started to play at home. At the age of 16 I bought myself a pair of Technics 1210s so that I could practice properly, every day after school and all weekend!
What are some artists that inspire you musically?
Throughout the years I have been inspired by many different artists and music genres, the most important ones being Jeff Mills and Daniel Miller. I have a lot of admiration for Jeff Mills, for everything that he has achieved in the electronic music scene, a true pioneer of (Detroit) techno. He has taken electronic music to a different level, reflecting his life experiences in his music and combining different art forms including theatre, film and video. Now, in his late forties he is still pushing the boundaries and doing something completely different than everyone else. Sometimes his sound can be too hard for me but he does have some great atmospheric deeper tracks, which perhaps not so many people know about. I also love watching him playing vinyl. His skill is unmatched, with him being able to play up to 4 decks with super talent.
Daniel Miller (the founder of Mute records) is another icon in electronic music for me. I have really enjoyed watching his interviews, a very clever person and always so humble, especially given his achievements. It is people like this that truly inspired me. The way they speak about music, their musical intelligence generally is so motivating.. I also draw my inspiration from many other different genres including jazz, experimental, early electronica (Klaus Schulze, Edgar Froese), etc. Finally, this answer would be incomplete if I didn’t mention Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode, Terrence Dixon, Robert Hood and Ricardo Villalobos.
What styles of music do you like to play?
Everything between techno and the deeper sides of house, to more experimental electronic music. I like records with a good groove, usually minimalistic, sometimes discordant, with a hypnotizing and moody feel but never too dark. I love the futuristic, spacey sounds and effects in techno music. Techno has always had a massive following in Belgium. I think this is why it has been more influential for me than house music. There is something very mysterious about it, I am fascinated by its repetition, the small changes that keep the tracks interesting, often no narrative progression, no chord changes, no unfolding of themes, the art of just letting it play and it taking you into some kind of zone, a very comfortable zone. I enjoy taking people on a journey in my DJ sets and sharing my collection with them. This is best done in a long set, I love playing up to ten hours and more, often at house parties with friends (we don’t get this opportunity in the clubs so often).
Can you share one track that best represents your current musical mood?
“Velocette - Apsara” on Parallel Recordings, quite an atmospheric, dreamy experimental track with an interesting drum pattern.
DAYV was kind enough to upload the track on youtube. Have a listen below!
When did you start collecting vinyls?
At the age of 16, when I had my first turntables. CDJs did not exist yet so I learnt how to DJ with vinyl and I am still very happy I did. From the beginning of my DJ career, I have always tried to go record shopping as much as possible. Being a teenager however I didn’t have much money but I still managed to buy a few records every week. I still remember my first trip to the record store. I bought around 10 records, including the Daft Punk album Homework and a Plastikman EP.
Do you always play with records?
I do mostly play with vinyl because I find myself most comfortable with it, and am more able to get into the set.
I like playing with vinyl because of the physical aspect of connecting with this motion, this clockwise motion of the disc. You tend to use your ears more in analogue format (vinyl) than digital format because you have to listen to the frequencies and the structure of the song to give you cues for when to do what. Playing with a laptop is a definite no go for me! I also like going through the records in my bag rather than looking at hundreds of titles in a CD folder. For two to three years I was playing with CDs but looking back I realize that I didn’t enjoy it as much. CDs can be a good alternative though when you are at a club or an after party and the DJ booth is not big enough to put your vinyl bag down and play comfortably, or simply the equipment is not good enough to play a vinyl set. Another plus is that records come with a nice sleeve. I am really interested in photography and graphic design so I enjoy looking at the artwork. The sleeves also help me to memorize the tracks, which is a great help during my sets.
Can you explain what makes you so attracted to playing vinyl compared to playing digital formats?
If we talk about sound in production, I usually like to find records with analog synthesizers and drum machines. That’s probably why I play so many old records. Especially considering the style of music I like, everything can sound a bit crunchy, dusty, and not always super clean. Otherwise I am not anti-digital, I think everyone should decide what works best for them and their sound.
Thanks for that DAYV. You also recorded an exclusive mix for MEOKO. Can you tell us a bit about this mix?
I recorded the set at home with 2 technics, 1210 turntables and an Allen & Heath xone92 mixer. For this one I kind of stepped away from preparing the set as I wanted to keep the live feel in the mix as much as possible. I tried to bring a lot of variety in the set with some more experimental parts going towards the end. I hope you will enjoy listening.
Catch DAYV play next at his own Down Under party on the 28th of February with Francesco Del Garda, Onirik and Dezz Terquez.
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