We caught up with London based trio DaDa ahead of their single release “Black Horse” this Friday, 10th June on Black Wire Music. They told us how the universe, Conan Mockasin, Tame Impala, Ryoji Ikeda, Calibro 35 and many others have been influencing their music, their plans for the near future and more.
Hi there, how are you and what are you up to today?
Good thank you! How are you? We’ll be rehearsing late afternoon then a nice dinner at our’s friend’s place with some French wine! Yahoo
To those not familiar with you, how would you describe your sound?
True and raw before anything else. We like to see it as a prelude to much much more to come. This is just the beginning.
What are the 5 albums that have influenced you the most?
It is always one of the hardest questions to answer..
The Beatles – Abbey Road/Sgt.Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band
QOTSA – A Song for the deaf
Nick Drake – Pink Moon
Nirvana – Bleach
Soft Machine – Third
Frank Zappa – Hot Rats
Talking Heads – Remain in Light
Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures
Radiohead – Amnesiac
Minutemen – The Double Nickels on the Dime
The Flaming Lips – At War with the mystics
The Smashing Pumpkins, The Velvet Underground, Nico, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Interpol, Chet Baker, Byork, Dave Brubeck, Daniel Johnston, ATDI, White Stripes, Michael Jackson, Nujabes, Johnny Cash, Satie, NIN, Air, Rolling Stones, Fleetwood mac, Blur, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Blond Red Head, Primus, Black Heart Procession, Korn (early albums), Kate Bush, Pj Harvey, Deus, Eels, Beck, Arcade Fire, Modest Mouse, Sonic Youth, Pavement, MGMT, Neil Young, Tom Waits, Avishai Cohen, Brian Eno, Jimi Hendrix, Ryoji Ikeda, Fying Lotus, Sea Sick Steve, A Toys Orchestra and much more..
Which other artists are you into at the moment and why?
Some recent artists and releases we like are Conan Mockasin, Tame Impala, Ryoji Ikeda, Calibro 35. Conan Mockasin because of their quirky sound and relatively experimental approach to music. Tame Impala because they are a nice mix between the past and today’s music. Ryoji Ikeda because of the way he creates electronic music plus his exhibitions are sick. Calibro 35 because they are a hell of a band and musicians.
The UK music scene is certainly always changing. Some might say that at the moment it’s more electronic oriented. Do you think this makes it more difficult for indie/alternative acts to get recognition that it would have done ten years ago?
Well yes. We do agree with what is stated above. Music and the music industry over the past 10-20 years has changed drastically. Whether it is harder or not to get exposure can be subjective to opinions. Whilst means such as internet have opened up a way for everybody to share their art, more and more studios/labels have had to close or be absorbed by bigger ones creating a sort of oligopoly of the market. It is a fact that artists find it harder to sustain their passions and activities specially if they want to have a further experimental approach to art and not merely become a product to be sold. Music has never been and should never become something to be made in accordance to what the market requires. Music should always be unconditional, instinctive and free, a true and genuine reflection of feeling. We love electronic music but once again, with the right approach. Too often listening to popular chart lists make you almost feel you are listening to the same song over and over again. This oligopoly has definitely slowed down music’s evolution and makes it harder to hear something fresh and exciting.
What would you say some of the challenges artists face today in the music industry?
Well part of the answer we believe has been given above. Other reasons of course are the difficulties that bands have in actually sustaining their activity in regards to income. Money in our lives has become our primary need. We need money to survive as human beings. Money has replaced food, water a shelter as primary needs making it compulsory to earn money to survive.
This is our society today.
Where do you gather songwriting inspiration?
From our daily lives and experiences. From the experience of feeling and emotion. We find Space extremely inspiring because it reminds us of how little we are and we know. I think it is very stimulating to actually try to imagine how much more there is out there and cool it would be to learn about it.
Take us through your songwriting process. Are there any particular steps you take when put music together?
Not really. One of us will come up with an idea and then we start working on it together.
What’s the best gig you have ever done and why?
We are still waiting for that to come.
And the worst?
Same as above.
If you weren’t a musician what would you be?
I think we don’t really know, probably lost..
Do you have any particular gigs or festivals that you dream about playing?
Well we would like to play around the world and on all the major festivals like Glastonbury, Coachella, Sonar, Isle of White and many others.
If you could perform alongside any other band or artist, who would it be?
Well we would love and adore the opportunity of playing with any of those artists mentioned earlier. Unfortunately many are no longer alive. We would love to play with Radiohead, Tame Impala, Beck and many more.
Do you have any information regarding upcoming releases, projects or gigs in the pipeline that you would like to tell us about?
Absolutely! Our single “Blackhorse” will be released on the 10th June as a prelude to our EP ”The Pigeon Conspiracy” that will be released the 8th of July alongside our second single ‘‘Power Station”.
“Blackhorse” is a song that speaks about one of the most recurring sins of mankind for centuries, that Dada believes is simply a proof of how as a species we still have much to learn and come to. Whilst technology, architecture, science evolve at a frenetic rate, the depth of our thoughts and feeling as a collective don’t. We keep chasing that individualistic and capitalistic philosophy of being, often supported by the feeling of incapacity to change and ensure change. However Dada believe change is possible.
We will be playing three gigs in London to launch the EP before starting a UK and European Tour later on this year.
We are really looking forward to the upcoming months.
These are the dates I would make a note of in your agenda:
June 19th – Old Queens head
July 8th – EP launch, The Finsbury
July 28th – Tooting Tram & Social
