Electronic music rising star and visionary, Dave Nothaker – alias Notaker – is fresh off the tracks after releasing his third EP, PATH.FINDER. A Monstercat mainstay, Notaker has crafted a unique sound meant to reflect the intricacies of the alternate universe he has created. With an ever-evolving sound that knows no boundaries, Notaker is poised to be a well-known name in electronic music. In this exclusive interview, we discuss his longtime relationship with Monstercat, the inspiration behind PATH.FINDER, and the creation of ‘The Vessel’…
Hi Dave! Thanks so much for agreeing to an interview with us at DMCWORLD. Where in the world are you right now?
Hey great to get to chat! I’m smack dab in the middle of the US in St. Louis Missouri.
We really loved your latest EP, PATH.FINDER – congrats on the release! Production and structure-wise, this piece is quite different from your last EP, EREBUS I. Could you outline the differences in conceptualizing PATH.FINDER compared to its predecessor?
Thank you! PATH.FINDER was born from when I wrote my song ‘Into the Light’. I discovered the PATH.FINDER feeling with that record and from there the ideas just snowballed into what became my EP. For EREBUS I it was a similar series of events but it was more of a challenge because of how dark and gritty it was compared to what I would normally write. Both were amazing and very fulfilling experiences.
You have become a staple in the Monstercat family. How did your relationship with them come to be? Do you have plans on going in a different direction in the near future?
Monstercat is my home. They’ve supported me in every part of my career and made things possible for me that otherwise wouldn’t have been. I couldn’t ask for a more amazing label to work with. It all began when I signed Infinite with the label, I knew an A&R, Sacha Vibes, who had recently started there and shared my track with him. After that I kept sending music and we kept working together. I don’t see myself straying too far away from Monstercat, perhaps maybe a one off with here or there with releases but my big projects will likely be under Monstercat.
How did you come up with ‘The Vessel’ series? Any particular inspiration behind the story?
I’m big into sci-fi and I wanted a way to infuse that interest into my music so I developed The Vessel. With The Vessel I’m able to tell all kinds of stories with my music and artwork and give my fans a totally new immersive experience.5/ Your tracks have recently gained a lot of traction in the gaming community including a massive feature in Rocket League. Are you a gamer yourself? If so, what do you like to play in your spare time? I’d call myself a casual gamer at most, but yes I love games! I wish I could play them all the time but sometimes duty calls (no pun intended). My go-tos are Rocket League – of course – Forza, Call of Duty (and zombies), and Madden. I’m pretty mainstream but sometimes I’ll go throwback, bust out the Gameboy color, SNES, or N64 and binge on a classic.
Now back to the PATH.FINDER EP. Are there any tracks that you have a particular affinity for? Which one is your absolute favorite and why?
I think it would have to be ‘Into the Light’, it’s really what kick-started all the creative momentum for the EP and where I first discovered the PATH.FINDER feeling. That being said, I absolutely love every record on this EP and am incredibly proud of it all.
You’ve collaborated with some extremely talented producers and vocalists in the scene. Could you tell us a little bit about what you think working with others contributes to your creative process?
I enjoy working with others so long as it’s artistically motivated and not just “business moves”. Everyone I’ve every worked with felt very much like a proper collaboration where contribution to the music was very mutual and natural feeling. That’s mainly what I look for in collaboration.
Lastly – and probably a question you receive quite often – what are your plans for the latter half of 2019? We can’t wait to hear what you have in store for us!
I don’t want to divulge too much as keeping secrets is just too much fun, but I’m currently working on things in that are really exciting me a lot and tons of new music. Be on the look out for some groundbreaking stuff, more stories, more visuals, more vessel.
Check out the new Notaker Remix of Haywyre’s ‘Tell Me’ out now… www.fanlink.to/tellme-notaker-remix
