Danny Darko Talks Youth, Environmentalism, and Passion!

Italian Electronic Music Producer Danny Darko has released a fantastic cover of the Phil Collins Hit Single “Another Day in Paradise”, which is available from his Youth to download on iTunes and stream on Spotify.  Check out his great reinterpretation and read through his Q&A below!

First things first, tell us about your new album, Youth. What’s the overarching theme on the songs, and why that title?

YOUTH is a voyage between chill, tropical , deep house and indie-dance sounds.  There are seven different singers, and it took a few months to produce it.  Most of the tracks are “light-hearted” with an overall happy and sunny mood, so, even if some of them are really different , they are fresh, full of energy and sun. Strangely enough for me, in this album there is maybe one or two track that are a bit melancholic, but absolutely nothing “dark”.  I wanted to express the joy of living and feeling still young like a kid even if I’m now over 30, that is why the title YOUTH.

Tell us about the various vocalists you chose.

The singers featured on the album are all singers I discovered in the last two years. Out of the many demos I received, these are the most talented and professional I could find. If they are in this album, it’s because I love to work with them.  Julien Kelland and Jova Radevska are “long time” collaborators, with both I already made several singles and I can’t hide they’re my favorite ones. Solara is a fresh new “gem” I recently discovered, and we have already one super single in the pipeline. You are gonna hear a lot about her in the future :-)))

All the other vocalists featured, Mary Dee, Echoes, Hannah Young, Q’Aila and Todd Michael Shultz, are “first time” collaborators and we’ll see what come s up in the future.

 

Beyond your music, how would you describe yourself?

Passionate, ambitious, super creative and with a big heart 🙂

 

How did you first get involved in music?  How old were you? What instrument?  Did you have any formal training?

Well, it probably started in elementary schools when they forced me learn to play the flute; I hated that. Then at about 15 I started playing around with a keyboard and at 16 – when I discovered electronic music – I started to produce music at a time when there were no vst, soft synth, fruity loops and that stuff, using my pc , samples a keyboard and tracker software.  I had formal training in guitars, the rest I learned by myself.

 

If you could hire ANY vocal talent, from any era or genre, for a big name commercial release opportunity, who would it be, and what style of track?

Well it depends. My heart would say, choose an artist from the ’60s, probably Rolling Stones, style, would be a surprise – My mind would say, choose Rihanna or Katy Perry and make a chill/tropical style track with big commercial potential.

 

You stated that you had previously created a number of versions of “Another Day In Paradise” before setting it aside, how do those differ from the Nu Disco version you ultimately chose to release on Youth?

They differ a lot, most of those were electro house tracks, with a totally different mood and they were all instrumental

 

You have a pretty significant history being involved with the animal rights movement, can you talk about how you became involved and what your ultimate vision is?

I think it started in 2007, at a moment where I had so little faith in humanity, then it never abandoned me. Generally speaking, I’m an environmentalist, so whatever I can do to preserve nature and its beautiful population, it’s great! I try and use my music to increase awareness to certain topics, both regarding animals or environmental issues. The two most recent album, Sensations and Youth, were both light-hearted, but the next is gonna be more “committed” .

 

How do you go about putting a song together, from songwriting to composition to production?

It depends. Sometimes my creative process start from a melody in my head, sometimes from good vocals and good chords, sometimes I start when I hear a good song on the radio and say to myself “ok, I want to do something like that”. The production process is pretty simple, once I have an idea, composition and production is done at the same time.

 

How do you relate to your fans?

I try to answer anyone, or at least, give a like or favorite to their comments, and answer their requests.

 

What is the craziest moment you’ve had with a fan?

Uhm, nothing so crazy so far!

 

We know that you play electronic music, but is that the music that you personally listen to all the time?  What is your favorite song?

I love all music, so I don’t listen only electron music. I appreciate the latest pop hit like that old rock classic. So the perfect way for me of listening to music is “on the radio”. I don’t have a favorite song, I have a lot.

 

What is your top ten go to albums to chill?

It really depends on the period, my top ten to chill change quite drastically depends when you ask me. I am not really a fan of top ten and charts, by the way, ahaha –

 

And finally: Beer, wine, daquiri, bloody mary, whisky & coke, or water?

I would say wine. A good bottle of the best wine on earth “Juda’s Blood” (it’s a typical wine of northern Italy)