Earlier this year an unknown artist emerged from Nice, France releasing one of the best Future Bass tracks of the year in ‘Stability’. From the moment I heard the tune, I was impressed and knew he was an artist to keep an eye on. In just 6 months, Dakat has grown from a virtually unknown producer, to a well respected artist with over 3000 SoundCloud followers and releases on Unborn and Otodayo. His signature sound combines evocative samples with lush bass and perfectly placed percussion that transports listeners to exotic locales around the globe. The artist has operated under a slight air of mystery but we had the honour of interviewing him to get to know him better.
FUXWITHIT: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Dakat: I’m 18, I’m passionate about sound and I come from the South of France.
FUXWITHIT: When you first came out there was a bit of an air of mystery around you. It wasn’t known if you were one person, a duo, a new artist or a group of established artists. Was this done on purpose?
Dakat: At the beginning, I didn’t wanted to say a lot of things about me. I said to myself that if people listen to the music I do, they do it because they like it, not because they like the person who made it.
FUXWITHIT: How long had you been producing music prior to releasing music as Dakat?
Dakat: I started to make music when I was 11 or 12, so I’m going to say 5 years.
FUXWITHIT: You’ve done releases on Unborn and just released ‘Ghost’ on Otodayo. A lot of artists are releasing music on different labels. What are the benefits of this? How do you go about deciding who you will release a song with?
Dakat: Actually, Otodayo asked me to make a release on their label before the creation of Unborn, this is why I released ‘Ghost’ on Otodayo. I don’t think that there are a lot of benefits to release music on different labels. In my case Otadayo and Unborn don’t release exactly the same type of music so the choice is all about the genre.
FUXWITHIT: What is your production process like? How do you go about putting together a song?
Dakat: Generally, I start searching melodies on a keyboard or just redo melodies that are in my head. If the first melody is a “lead” I will search the good chords, but if I start with the chords, I will search the lead. After that I have no clear pattern, it happens to start with the drums to find a good rhythm or start with sound design to create original synths. Then I just need to assemble and to find a good theme.
FUXWITHIT: What is your goal when creating music?
Dakat: When I create music I want people to think “Hm… yeah, right in the feel”. I like big leads but I like big drops too, so my goal is to make a mix between these two kind of things.
FUXWITHIT: Can you eleborate on what you mean by “right in the feel”?
Dakat: Well, right in the feel means that I want that my music to bring internal travels to people. That’s my aim, communicate loud emotions through music.
FUXWITHIT: Have you done a lot of DJing recently or has your focus been solely on production?
Dakat: I still haven’t done a true gig under the name of Dakat, but it’s provided.
FUXWITHIT: So will you be performing as Dakat soon? Also have you DJ’d under a different a name and do you enjoy it?
Dakat: Yes I will perform as Dakat (I will not use different names now) soon but I can’t announce this right now. And, yes I’ve already DJ’d under a different name, and with a good crowd, I really enjoy this.
*Update: Dakat’s first show will be at UNBORN Act 1 at Social Club in Paris. You can find out more details here.
FUXWITHIT: What do you enjoy doing when you aren’t making music?
Dakat: I like to play video games, I’m a big fan of soccer, but chillin’ with my friends is a priority.
FUXWITHIT: There seems to be a huge resurgence of French producers in the past year or two. From DJ Snake and Mercer to Tomsize, Simeon, yourself and more. What do you think sparked this? How would you describe the French music scene right now?
Dakat: The French music scene has always been present in the international scene (mostly in the electronic music). I don’t know what caused this, maybe just the French touch? Or a new generation very effective and productive.
FUXWITHIT: I came across your music on SoundCloud when Tomsize reposted ‘Stability’. How did you connect with Tomsize?
Dakat: I’ve known Tomsize for 4 years, we always share our tracks and give advice to each other. If I remember correctly, we met on MSN! Now, when he goes to the South of France, he’s always welcome in my studio.
FUXWITHIT: I saw a photo of you two in the studio together. Can you give us any details on what you worked on and when it will be released?
Dakat: The last time we worked on a remix but I don’t think we will release it for the moment, maybe later, I don’t really know, we have a lot of projects.
FUXWITHIT: What can we expect from you for the remainder of the year?
Dakat: I have a lot of goals for the remainder of the year, I have like 3 or 4 tracks close to be finished, a live show to prepare for and maybe a collaboration with a singer (I’m working on it).
FUXWITHIT: You’ve mainly produced Future Bass. Do you have any intention to explore any other genres?
Dakat: Yes, I’m very interested in House music. I’ve already made dubstep, trap, electro/house, electro/rock with a different name but now the kind where I have the most fun is Future Bass.
FUXWITHIT: Can we expect a House release from Dakat or would it be released under a different name?
Dakat: I’m working on it, don’t know if I’ll release it. But if I do, it will be as Dakat.
FUXWITHIT: Any last words for your fans?
Dakat: Thanks a lot for the love you give, all your messages, commentary are very useful, they are the best way of motivation.
Follow Dakat
soundcloud.com/dakatmusic
facebook.com/Dakatmusic
twitter.com/Dakatmusic
Follow FUXWITHIT
soundcloud.com/fuxwithit-1
www.facebook.com/Fuxwithitblog
twitter.com/fuxwithitblog
