It all started out with an old PC and a borrowed synthesizer. When Dapayk, alias Niklas Worgt, at age 15 first started playing around in his own studio it soon became his second home. Obsessed with the idea of bringing together his favourite music styles from the early 90s in his productions, his journey led him from Drum’n Bass to House and finally to Techno. With 5 aliases under his belt, he continuously strives to experiment with different styles and production techniques to create innovative sounds. With more than ten LP releases and over 70 single releases on his record, he is one of the main protagonists in the world of underground electronic music. This month the Berlin maestro brings us his huge new album demonstrating his deep, dark and infectious talent. DMCWORLD checks in…
What inspired you to write your forthcoming album ‘The Calling’, which is coming out almost three years after the release of your last solo album #nofilter’?
The last album release I actually worked on was last year’s Dapayk & Padberg album “Harbour”. Dapayk & Padberg is a project that I do in tandem with my wife. The sound is much more applicable to ‘listening’ electronica and not specifically made for the dancefloor. After working on that record I really felt like I wanted to get back to making club music, and thus ‘The Calling’ was born. Most of the time I am working on new club tracks and ideas anyways, since I need to keep my live sets fresh. My inspiration for the sound comes from being in clubs. I usually try to show up some time before my set as like to observe the vibe on the dance floor… like which sounds are working and which don’t.
Talk to us a little bit about why you chose the name for the album…
After so many years in clubs, I still think it’s remarkable how many people feel drawn into the nightlife every weekend. Going to a club nowadays is almost a religious experience or at least a ritual for many people. For me it’s the same thing. I’ve been playing live for 22 years now, but when I have a weekend off, I can feel myself getting restless on a Saturday night. The rhythm of going out on the weekend has become part of my metabolism. And it’s not just ‘the calling’ of the clubs that I had in mind, I also feel a kind of ‘calling’ to continuously create new versions and sounds of club music.
You’ve chosen quite an interesting concept for the album, the journey of a survivalist in a digital, utopian future. Can you tell us a little bit more about this theme, and what inspired it?
For me it’s always been important to tell a story with an album. That’s really the beauty of putting together such a complex body of work. You have the time and the space to reach a little bit deeper and dive into something feature length. For “The Calling” as for most of my other album releases, the direction wasn’t clear right away. I had a few good ideas and some tracks finished, then went into the selection. So, what happens is, I single out the tracks that stick out most with me and really draw me in and then I see what story I want to tell and where I want to take the listener. They main story I wanted to tell was that of a journey.
There are two tracks that tie the album together, titled “Zoe’s Intro” and “Zoe’s Outro”. The first and the last tracks of the album. If you ask me they are the two most important tracks on every album. The first one taking the listener by the hand and taking them on this little journey with me and the last one is to send him or her out into the world.
The name Zoe is from Ancient Greek and can be translated as “life”. And “The Calling” like my other releases marks a time in my life and where I identify as both a musician and an artist. I know, the concept of the album is quite strong. The main idea behind it, was to deliver a strong picture of a journey, which could be anybody’s really. Some of the tracks have an almost score-like feeling and I use the story of Zoe to bring that out even more. At best, when you listen to “The Calling“, you’ll see the movie rolling when you close your eyes.
How does ‘The Calling’ differ from your other works?
All together this is my 10th album I am releasing and it’s the first time I am taking the sound to a “Synth-like, Open Air Feeling”, which I guess was quite a surprise for some people. But I generally enjoy changing directions and keeping people on their toes.
Do you have any rituals for writing your music/tracks? Are you the type to recreate a melody from your head by running straight to the studio? Are you more spontaneous with your creations or are they more planned out?
For me producing during vacation trips has proven to be the most productive time. The last few years my wife and I have been spending a few weeks in the summer in a little house in Provence, where I have the peace and quiet to experiment with new sounds. I have always felt that the surroundings I am in have a big impact on my productions. Another thing that helps me getting into a creative mind set, is to get a new machine and play with its functions. I would say I’m quite intuitive when it comes to working on new music. If a new loop doesn’t feel right, or I get stuck I just save it for later and start with something else.
As the owner of your own label Mo’s Ferry Productions – do you face any additional obstacles when it comes to releasing an album to the masses, or is it a much smoother process than a major label release?
Releasing on my own label is great because we hold all the cards. I get to decide when and how I want to release and which remixers or artists I want to cooperate with. I’m not going to lie to you… it’s a lot of work! But because of this, the final product is more real, and I feel like I have put all of myself into it.
You’re known for bending the rules and experimenting with new ways of impacting people with your music, do you feel it’s important to try new production styles and not stick to the normal confines of writing/production?
Absolutely! I’m aware, that sometimes I make it hard for people, by not delivering the same track over and over again, which they have heard a hundred times. But that’s just not how I work, I need to be entertained by music and sounds and I want my listeners to take on that challenge. And that’s why I’m not sticking to one way of producing. Sure, the computer and software is the center of the studio, but everything else changes regularly. I grab a machine, jam with it and see where it leads me. For 2 years now, I have been working with a modular system that allows me to go even deeper into sound synthesis.
What are some of your most career defining moments if you could name a few?
Holding my first vinyl record in my hands was a big one. Up until that point I had been producing for years, working in my little studio at my dad’s house. Having your own record opened up new possibilities for me. I felt like now my music will be heard by others and not just my friends at home in the studio or the people at the small parties I was playing my first sets at. I knew that moment that I wanted people to hear me.
During the creative process with your album, do you have input from others or is it purely your own opinions that sway the decisions on artwork, track names and overarching themes?
In the beginning I start off on my own. With “The Calling” I had been working on and collecting tracks and loops for about a year and ended up with 3 complete albums with different directions. When it came to the part of deciding which direction I should take, I started to play it to my closest friends and ask them for their opinion. It gives me a better feeling of which tracks work and which don’t. Sometimes I get a bit studio blind and need to see outside those four walls. When it comes to artwork I have been cooperating with my good friend Patrice Brylla on my last few albums. He’s a Berlin based photographer and has been doing a lot of my artist pics, artworks and even videos.
Who inspires you in music both past and present?
When I started producing my biggest influences were The Prodigy and later on Matthew Herbert. I have always admired their versatility in sound and I like it when I don’t instantly know how a certain sound has been created. Nowadays I don’t really look to any specific artist, I usually get inspired by sounds that are new or rare and just stick out from the masses.
And finally, can you give us a hint as to whether you will be touring in 2018?
Yes, I will start touring with a special new live set in April, when the album drops. I will be playing a lot of cities in Germany, of course, like Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt etc. and am looking forward to playing some festivals like Sonne, Mond & Sterne and Sacred Ground this year and across the boarders in Istanbul, Leeds or Lausanne.
‘The Calling’ is out April 6th via MO’s Ferry Productions
