Hammarica.com Daily DJ Interview: Darin Epsilon

10 years ago Beats and Music no Responses

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Internationally acclaimed DJ, producer, radio host, and label owner Darin Epsilon is often referred to as a leader of the Progressive & Tech House scene. His Perspectives radio show and podcast, along with his frequent guest appearances on Sirius/XM Satellite Radio (www.siriusxm.com), allow him to reach tens of thousands of listeners on a regular basis. He launched his record label Perspectives Digital (www.perspectivesdigital.com) in November 2010 as an extension of the brand, further solidifying his influence and presence within the global dance community.

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You will be performing at White Wonderland NYE in Anaheim, CA. This will be one of, if not THE biggest, New Year’s events in the nation with other headliners such as Ferry Corsten, Dash Berlin, Avicii and Tritonal. Could you tell us what we can expect from your performance that night?

It’s most likely going to be a combination of my own material, tracks I’ve signed to my label Perspectives Digital, and other tunes I’m feeling at the moment that best represent my sound. I don’t want to give too much away because then it wouldn’t be a surprise!

For the past six months, you have been regularly playing for Insomniac Events, particularly their Awakening club nights at Exchange LA. How did you get noticed by them and what can we expect in the coming year?

It’s kind of hard to say, really. I don’t even know if I have the correct answer to that. I think I was on their radar for a few years, but it didn’t really click until they launched their Awakening nights and needed local DJ’s to fill the opening slots. Rumor has it the talent buyer got hooked after spending several hours on my SoundCloud profile.

One of your new tracks got signed to Nick Warren’s upcoming Renaissance album. As a talent from the new generation, how does it feel to be hand-picked by such a legend for such an iconic compilation series?

The feeling is just incredible! There aren’t really words to describe how special this moment is for me. I spent years and years working on music and finally achieved a long-term goal. On top of that, my track appears on a mix CD by two of my biggest musical inspirations.

Your record label Perspectives Digital has been making the marks with one top-notch release after the other. Have you found some new artists to appear on your label for 2013? If so, please tell us something about them.

Yea for sure, I’m working with some incredible talent at the moment: Jamie Stevens from Infusion, Antix, Andre Sobota, Deepfunk, Marc Poppcke, and more. These guys come from all over the world and I can’t wait to share their music with everyone, especially the US audience.

You recently designed the exclusive Perspectives Digital t-shirt. Did you enjoy the process of making these? Where can people buy these?

I never would have imagined printing t-shirts would be so complicated, but it was a great learning experience! There are so many pieces to the puzzle: you have to create a design that’s appealing, find the right printing company to work with, set up an online store, and then find the best way to get the product to the consumer.

Speaking of which, you can get the t-shirts at http://store.perspectivesdigital.com. I’ll let
you and the readers in on a little secret. Right now, you can get 10% off using promo code “10OFF” or 15% off your entire order with “15OFF” when buying two or more shirts.

Could you share one simple production trick that is native to the Darin Epsilon sound?

I like using Native Instruments’ Guitar Rig to spice up some otherwise flat and boring sounds. It’s amazing how much flexibility this program has. You can use it on anything: vocals, synths, pads, bass.

Could you give a few highlights of the best gigs you had in 2012?

I really enjoyed playing in Africa for the first time. Kenya was definitely one of my highlights this year. I also had the privilege to play some of the world’s most famous clubs including Vertigo in Costa Rica, Stereo in Montreal, and Vision in Chicago.

What is the biggest mistake beginning producers/DJs make? And what would you
advise them?

Being a label owner, the biggest mistake I see producers make is that they don’t really understand who their audience is. They send their demos to a million different labels, hoping they’ll be lucky enough to get signed. Obviously I’m not going to sign a big-room trance or electro track, when the label’s entire purpose is to release quality house music. The same idea applies to DJ’s. Don’t send your commercial house set to a promoter when all they book is underground techno.

Pick a sound, stick with it, and try to be the best at it. Also, be original and avoid being a copycat!

Your Soundcloud account is popping with over 500,000 plays. Have you tried their new design and how do you like it? Was Soundcloud not social enough?

The new layout is a bit of a step backwards, in my opinion. I miss being able see what my peers are commenting on right when I log in. On the plus side, the new design seems like it would be great for iPad or Nexus 7 users.

Instead, what I would like to see are improvements on the classic theme, such as adding concerts and a cleaner bio section. They could get really creative with it, so it’s not just another Myspace.

Your favorite record of 2012?

There are so many worth mentioning, but I was especially impressed by the way Sasha’s remix of Hot Chip appealed to both underground and mainstream audiences. It has a slight commercial edge but never gets overly cheesy or formulaic.

Anything else you would like to mention?

Thanks for inviting me to do this interview! For you readers out there, I’m really easy to get a hold of, so don’t ever hesitate to message me on Facebook, Twitter, or SoundCloud. Hope to see you all next year if we survive the Mayan doomsday 🙂