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DKAY/INTERVIEW
ISSUE 57
His biography ends with the line ‘D.Kay spends
most of his time in the studio and Djing all over Europe’.
Well, his musical output acts as a testimony to the
first affirmation. This guy is like a factory for the
mass production of beats and bass. Since his early outings
for manufacturers such as Architecture and Outbreak
under the soon defunct Mindmachine moniker, and as D.kay
for Moving Shadow, he has become a regular product designer
for the likes of Soul:R, Freak and the TOV labels. He
has co-designed with Concord Dawn (watch out for the
‘Be there 4 U/Morning Light’ fusion, ‘I’ll
be there in the morning’), has redesigned for DSCI4
( together with DJ Rawfull as Illskillz) Penetration
and Critical, and has production partnerships with DJ
Lee and fellow countryman Epsilon. A true Drum ‘n
Bass mercenary you might say. All this, together with
the imminent first release on his own Illskillz imprint,
left me thinking, “where the hell am I going to
be able to link up with the man?!”…
This is where the second biographical affirmation comes
into play. I managed to catch up with the Austrian Wunder
Kind not in London, and not even in his hometown of
Vienna, but in the Italian city of Turin, home of FIAT
(now you understand all the car making metaphors!),
where D.Kay was due to display his latest models. “Jungle,
Jungle, World-World-wide” for real IC!
So, tell us how your relationships with Drum ‘n
Bass and the Austrian scene began... “I got into
Drum ‘n Bass around the middle of ’97 through
a school friend who had been Djing for about a year.
He gave me a few tapes and took me to my first club
nights. I got into all the Roni Size stuff and tracks
like ‘Shadow Boxing’ and ‘Trouble’.
Then I decided to get a pair of decks and at around
the same time made my first trip to London, where I
picked up loads of tunes. When I got back to Vienna,
I decided to check out the local record shop, and realised
that the stuff they ordered was very similar to what
I had just bought in London. I started going there often
and it was through the record shop that I got involved
in the Vienna scene. I moved on to start promoting work,
which helped me gain experience, while at the same time
doing my own thing in the studio.”
And so the Austrian assembly line began rolling out
track after track, coming out left, right and centre,
and one different from the other... “I make two
to three tunes a month. Usually, when I finish a tune,
I try to give it to a label where I think it would suit.
All styles rock me. Different vibes for different people.
It’s definitely all about the dance. However, you
need to be innovative and think a bit about what you’re
doing. If not, you’ll get bored of using the same
old formula”. This is clearly reflected in his
eclectic style. From the stomping trance mayhem of ‘Platinum’,
to the, as DJ Lee puts it, ‘rush music’ of
‘Pipe Dreams’, you can hear a willingness
to move things along and to create something with a
meaning... “I like to try to change people’s
perceptions. For example, with the trancey stuff I write…you
like Drum ‘n Bass because you don’t like the
other stuff that’s around. But if you see someone
getting into a trancey tune, you open up to it more.
And when the collective consciousness changes, so does
the music. Also, I’ve started using vocals in all
my tunes, even if it’s very short. I find it gives
the track identity. I want to make music to hum along
to. Singing along to music sometimes gives me the goosebumps,
and I’d like to create that effect on people. It’s
difficult to sing along to a bassline, if you know what
I mean. Well, most of the time…”.
“Na Na Na Barcelona... When I hear this tune I
feel like drifting away... That’s why, that’s
why.” ...Oh, sorry ...all that talk of singing.
Anyway, let’s hear the story behind this summer’s
anthem... “We had lots of fun writing it. It only
took about seven hours. That and some good greens. It
was winter and we wanted to write a sunny tune to make
ourselves feel better. We wanted to recreate the feeling
of excitement you get before you go somewhere and at
that time I was thinking of going on holiday with my
girlfriend. She mentioned Barcelona as a possible destination
and the name seemed to fit perfectly. Then, when I went
to London, I gave it to Dylan, who passed it onto Grooverider.
The next thing we knew he was playing it on Radio 1
and it became big overnight. The track spread and everybody
loved it. Dylan then put BC in contact with me, who
said they wanted to release it, and the rest is history”
...D.Kay is however unphased... “It’s weird
to hear it on Radio 1. I heard it on the net from home,
but it’s different being in Vienna rather than
being in London. I’m slightly detached from it
all... I’m more chilled about it”.
Words: Francesco Caccamo
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