One of North America’s most exciting producers brings us an avalanche of new sounds
Interview by Dan Prince
Darin a massive welcome to DMCWORLD… where in the world are you today?
“Thanks for having me! I’m currently in San Francisco about to meet Dave Dresden (from Gabriel & Dresden) for lunch.”
What was the first piece of music you heard this morning after rolling out of bed?
“I went to visit my sister and Tchaikovsky was playing in the background.”
As you said on Facebook this week, at the moment you feel like it’s Christmas, New Years and your birthday all rolled in together due to the fact you have 3 huuuuuuuge releases all creating carnage out there! Let’s kick off with ‘Outliers’. I believe the track started with some e-mail action between you and Cid?
“The idea was originally pitched back in 2013. Hard to believe it’s been so long ago. Cid works as the mastering engineer for Perspectives so we bounce emails back and forth every couple weeks. I believe I started with about 1 minute completed and then passed it over to get his feedback. He really liked what he heard but was facing a severe case of writers’ block at the time. Fast forward a few months later and his father passed away, so we didn’t get a chance to finally wrap things up until mid-2014.”
https://soundcloud.com/perspectivesdigital/sets/cid-inc-vs-darin-epsilon
Why was Peter Dundov chosen as remixer?
“I absolutely love his remix of ‘Ocean Machine’ by Falko Brocksieper and that was the track that got me thinking “this is the right guy to do it.” His sound and vision are on point, combining intricate melodies and atmospheric pads with a modern Techno sound.”
Beatport will be hosting an official remix contest in April for the track… what are you hoping from the aspiring producers out there?
“I’m always on the lookout for new and undiscovered talent. This has been the mission of Perspectives since day one. All genres are welcome but it would be especially amazing to hear someone use our remix parts to create something totally unique and unexpected.”
Next up is your remix of Omid 16B’s ‘Nu1’… you love a bit of pressure when taking on a task right? How did the rework go?
“This was a rather difficult one to work on because the remix pack only contained 3 parts, only 2 of which I brought into my version. Omid’s name is well recognized and respected in the industry so I was definitely feeling the pressure. Fortunately I work well under stress and Omid gave his support right away upon hearing my interpretation.”
https://soundcloud.com/sudbeat/sb065-omid-16b-nu1-darin
A person from history you would love to have a beer with?
“Leonardo da Vinci or Frédéric Chopin.”
A great quote from you when discussing remixing… “Factors I take into consideration are how well established the artist or label is and where they are located. I always think long term and what makes most sense for me several years down the road.” So refreshing to see! Why don’t more producers think like this?
“Being a full-time musician is a job like any other and I take what I do very seriously. It’s important to always be one step ahead of the curve.”
And your third track out there right now is ‘Feel Right’ featuring Canada’s stunning Amber Long. The tune is coming out on the mighty Perfecto Records… but this wasn’t always the plan right?
“There’s an interesting story behind this one because it was originally written as an instrumental track for Max Graham’s ‘Cycles 6’ compilation. He wasn’t able to work with it at the time so I thought of adding vocals to give the track a stronger and more universal appeal.” Amber and I had never met in person but I was familiar with her collaborations with Kastis Torrau and Kassey Voorn. It turns out her voice was exactly what the song needed. We sent the track to Perfecto and got it signed right away.”
https://soundcloud.com/perfecto-records-fluoro/darin-epsilon-feat-amber-long-feel-right
Paul Oakenfold and Perfecto are in the middle of the 25th Anniversary celebrations. When did you first come across this historic label and what have been some of the tunes you have embraced over the years?
“When I was growing up in Chicago, I accidentally stumbled across his ‘Tranceport’ compilation at a local record shop and was blown away by the track selection! My first experiences seeing him live were at Moby’s Area: One Festival in 2001 and then Sasha & Digweed’s Delta Heavy Tour in 2002 along with The Chemical Brothers. Paul just released his ’25 Years of Perfecto’ compilation and, while there are many classics to choose from, the ones that mean the most to me are Tilt vs Paul van Dyk ‘Rendezvous (Tilt’s Quadraphonic Instrumental)’, Ascension ‘Someone’, and BT ‘Flaming June’.”
Not many people know this… but Darin Epsilon is really good at…
“Poker and Starcraft.”
An album in your collection we would be surprised to find?
“I love everything from Nirvana to Enigma to Slipknot.”
Loved your little dig at the ‘pre-recorded DJ setters’ out there with the photo of Tiesto lying by his turntables as the dancefloor is going mental. It’s crazy isn’t it – thinking about what you are going to play, building a set, making the odd mistake, changing your mind last minute and slamming in an old classic, seeing the crowd going crazy… it’s why all you DJs got into this lark in the first place right?!???
“DJ sets are always best when they have a spontaneous and improvisational element to them. I’m not going to name names but it’s a shame that certain celebrity DJ’s take advantage of their fans with pre-recorded mixes. It’s an even bigger shame that their clueless fans are paying for this kind of cheap entertainment.”
3 bucket list adventures you wanna do in your lifetime?
“Write a full album, go on tour in every continent, and visit Machu Picchu or the Pyramids of Egypt…”
The last time you pressed rewind on a track and listened again as it was sooooo good?
“Ricky Ryan sent me an excellent bootleg he did of ‘Camouflage’ by Guy Gerber. It’s not released so very few people have heard it.”
It is your birthday. What 3 DJs do you ask to play and what club do you hold the party in?
“Hernan Cattaneo, Nick Warren, and Sasha at Green Valley in Brazil.”
Where has been the strangest place you have received a demo from recently… and have you received any amazing stuff lately?
“In a public bathroom… just kidding. We encourage anyone to send in his or her tracks (assuming it fits our sound) to demos@perspectivesdigital.com. Maybe only 1 in 100 actually gets picked up but we love finding those golden nuggets.”
You mentioned in an interview a while back that the ‘Outliers’ track took a wee while to get going due to Cid and his writers block. Nightmare. What is your solution?
“When you hit a creative block, the best thing to do is anything BUT music. Go out for a walk, wash some dishes, exercise, or play your favorite video game. Just get your mind off of the track. As soon as you come back with fresh ears, you’ll hear the project in a completely new and different way.”
Was DJing/producing always going to be the career for you? Was there anything else you were interested in?
“I have a business degree but I couldn’t imagine doing anything other than music. Some of my previous jobs have included telemarketer, bank supervisor, product specialist for a dot com, catering, record store clerk, and radio station programmer.”
What did your family think of your choice of career?
“My mom and dad were quite resilient at first. Like most other parents, they would rather see me grow up to become a doctor or lawyer, but they knew they couldn’t stop me from my destiny.”
Proudest moment to date?
“Performing 7 major festivals for Insomniac Events, signing a track to Nick Warren’s Renaissance compilation, and being named one of the winners in John Digweed’s last DJ competition.”
And finally, what is coming out next from you studio wise?
“Several new tracks are on the way and Beatport’s remix contest for ‘Outliers’ launches in mid-April. The best place to receive my updates is… www.facebook.com/darinepsilonofficial
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www.facebook.com/darinepsilonofficial
Twitter: twitter.com/darinepsilon
www.soundcloud.com/darinepsilon
www.instagram.com/darinepsilon
www.youtube.com/darinepsilon
www.beatport.com/artist/darin-epsilon/31025