Get to know...Daniel Donnelly

DANIEL DONNELLY

Sounds: Progressive House driven by solid basslines & big breakdowns

It can literally happen overnight. In 2011 it has never been easier to start producing your own music, the need to access a professional studio with banks of the latest equipment is no longer there, all you need is the drive to succeed and an unwavering belief in your music. 21 year old Daniel Donnelly embodies that sentiment. Having only started producing music a matter of months ago he's now looking at the imminent release of his debut EP, 'Playing Serious', two massive tracks set to provide those dancefloor moments which we instinctively crave and already supported by the likes of Paul Taylor, Steve Murrell and Funkagenda no less.

Armed with a copy of Ableton Live and the patience to sit through hundreds of online tutorials he quickly developed a sound which is far beyond what his limited experience would suggest: a subtle euphoria, underpinned by driving basslines and a solid tech-house foundation. Siting the Toolroom fraternity as his main influences his latest tracks certainly wouldn't go a-miss in a set from Mark Knight or Michael Woods, bringing together those big, hands-in-the-air moments with searing basslines and driving energy.

The first track to be picked up, 'Sias' - a 6 minute monster which would feel right at home on the terrace at Amnesia - was incorporated with Miami House Muzik's most recent compilation and we ourselves quickly jumped on it after initially hearing it on Soundcloud. With His debut EP lined up for release next week on 'Muchiq Records', and numerous other tracks already appearing on Soundcloud, we can see it's only a matter of time before Daniel makes it big, some would argue he's already there...

Check out some of his tracks below as well as an interview with the man himself:

Daniel Donnelly - Sias (Original Mix) by Daniel Donnelly

Daniel Donnelly - Playing Serious (Original Mix) SNIPPET by Daniel Donnelly

Daniel Donnelly - Ljus (Original Mix) SNIPPET by Daniel Donnelly

Daniel Donnelly - Until Daylight (Original Mix) UNSIGNED by Daniel Donnelly

S: So let’s firstly talk about what inspired you to start producing and what originally sparked your love of dance music. Can you tell us who influenced you and what pushed you to take your passion for music further?

DD: I guess I’ve loved all genres of music all my life. I started producing my own music when I heard about Ableton Live. It’s an outstanding piece of software that enables you to do pretty much anything with music. I managed to get myself a copy of Live and just started messing about with it. It’s frustrating at first but from watching countless videos, reading tutorials and basic trial and error, I managed to get the hang of it. The first tracks I made were terrible to say the least but you get excited that you’ve produced your own music so you keep at it until I started to produce a more professional sound. Recently I’ve really started to love the sounds of Toolroom Records (Mark Knight, D.Ramirez, Chris Lake, Funkagenda, Kim Fai etc) I guess my current sound relates to listening to these big artists and trying to create something similar.

S: Your sound lies primarily in Progressive House, echoing such artists as mentioned above. What is it about this style which captures your imagination and are there any other genres which you’d like to experiment with?

DD: Like I’ve said before, my music taste covers all genres but when it comes to production I love progressive house. I love how each track has a melodic element along with a driving sound that can really have a massive impact on dance floors.
I don’t want to limit myself to producing only progressive house therefore I’m currently listening to a lot of Tech House and trying to find my feet in the production of that style. In essence producing Tech House is pretty simple; groovy percussion and a good bass-line. But I’m sure over time I’ll get the hang of it.

S: Having only been producing for a few months your track ‘Sias’ was picked up by Miami House Muzik for a compilation last year. How did it feel to be recognised so early and how did the release actually come about?



DD: It was quite a shock to be honest! I had only been messing about with Live for a few months and found this chord progression that sounded pretty nice. I created the sound on a plug-in called Z3ta, and the track basically fell together for me.
It was a great feeling to get that first release under my belt and it gave me the confidence that I could produce music people would want to listen to.

S: Production wise, could you give us an idea of how you go about making your tracks and talk us through some of the software and processes that help to create your current sound?

DD: In terms of the actual sound/style of the track, it all depends on my mood that day. Some days I can start and have most of the track done in 4 or 5 hours, other days it will take some time to get going. Starting a track is always the exciting bit for me, others may find it boring but I like to lay down a basic beat with a kick, snare and some hi-hats for about 8 bars. This way you’ve already created a groove to work with. Then I will think about a bass-line. For Bass, I usually use a plug-in called Sylenth. It’s a great synth and usually helps me create the sound I’m after. Next, I’ll start adding in the Stabs, Pads and other synth sounds. These sounds again, usually come from Sylenth or FabFilter Twin 2. When I’ve got the sound I’m after I then move onto the arrangement stage which is basically about listening to your track over and over and making it Dj friendly. And that’s it!

S: You recently played at a night called Jilted at the Soundhaus in Glasgow, but do you ever find it difficult to pick up DJ gigs when your tracks harness such a big-room sound?

DD: Definitely! Up until now I’ve not really been pushing for a lot of gigs, mainly due to the fact I’m focusing on my own productions. Like you said, my tracks harness a big-room sound and therefore can only really be played in big nightclubs. When I start finding my feet more in tech house production, I’ll then try and find myself some gigs in local bars and smaller clubs.

S: Finally, how do you plan on taking your production further in 2011? Things are obviously moving quickly for you at the moment but do you have an ultimate goal that you’d like to reach?

Late 2010 was a great time for me. Everything moved so fast. I’m really excited about 2011. My first release of the year is out on Feb 8th on Muchiq Records. It’s my own EP titled ‘Playing Serious’ and features two tracks, ‘Playing Serious’ and ‘Ljus’. The EP has had great feedback so far and just last week I received a message to say that Funkagenda, Paul Taylor and Steve Murrell plus many more, were all supporting the EP already. This of course is massive for both Muchiq Records and myself. It’s released on all major download sites so I recommend everyone get themselves a copy when it’s released!

;-)



As far as the rest of 2011, I’ve got another couple of tracks lined up to be signed at the moment, ‘Until Daylight’ being one of them and I have also started collaboration with Lee Sanderson who also has an EP out on Muchiq Records called the ‘Deep Water EP’. Lee creates some big sounding Tech House so that’s one to keep an eye out in the next few months. To finish off the question, my ultimate goal would be producing music professionally but for now I aim to keep producing quality tracks that will continue to be recognised by the big names in the industry and hopefully that will lead somewhere.

Daniel Donnelly on Soundcloud
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