City Nomads Radio: DJ Daryl C
PUBLISHED August 27th, 2015 04:00 pm | UPDATED August 19th, 2024 02:28 am
For our August edition of City Nomads Radio, we had a chat with rising star, DJ Daryl C, whose love for sharing music began at a young age with the joy of selecting tracks and recording mixtapes for friends and family. After being exposed to electronic music and club culture, curiosity made him push career boundaries and take his love for sharing music further.
With the simple goal of seeking music that makes people move (usually in the detroit house, chicago house, deep house, tech house, funk, soul and disco genre), he has opened for international acts such as Anoraak and Cezaire, as well as being picked up to play at ‘Para//el’ at Velvet Underground, ‘After Dark’ and ‘The Best Elements’ at Kilo, ‘Jack’s Hit’ parties, ‘Flea and Easy’ at Zouk, Dope’s ‘Secret Party’, Tanjong Beach Club, Gem Bar, Overeasy, Loof, as well as The Powder Room.
At the end of the day, Daryl C believes music should transcend all barriers, and most importantly, be enjoyed.
Hi Daryl! Tell us when, why, and how you got into DJing?
I’ve always had an affinity with music. My days are usually filled with some sort of music playing from the moment I wake till I go bed. I first noticed DJing and turntablism when I got into the whole hip hop culture when I was 15. Although I had no clue as to what they were doing, the concept of the DJ being able to manipulate recorded music on the fly to create something new intrigued me. But being a student and living off pocket money, the idea of buying a set of turntables was an impossible dream that died shortly after.
My interest was piqued again when I got into electronic music and partying. At the same time, technology had made it more accessible to start. So I got myself a simple controller set up and spent the next few years jamming in my bedroom, learning skills and techniques from YouTube and forums, and playing at occasional house parties.
It was only about 2 years ago that I started playing out when DJ KFC offered me a bar gig after hearing me jam at my store. I took up his offer and haven’t stopped since. I’ve always thought of DJing as a hobby and never did I think I’ll be playing at gigs. I guess things just happened quite organically.
Who or what influences your music?
This may seem unrelated but studying design gave me a fresh view of the world. I started listening to a large variety of music back then; such as jazz, funk, bossa nova, reggae, soul, trip hop, acid jazz, broken beat, and house. There’s always a perfect time, place and mood for any kind of music.
If I were to name a specific artist though, I’d say Motor City Drum Ensemble is one of my biggest influences. I like the way he explores and blends different genres in his sets. Also when I first came across the Raw Cuts series, it blew my mind. I knew immediately that it was the sound I wanted to pursue.
Having played for about 7 years now, how has your music progressed throughout these years?
When I first started messing around with DJing, it was just for kicks during the heyday of electro and the famous READYSETGLO (RSG) parties at Zouk. It was all about playing the crowd favorites and dropping the bangers. As time went by, my taste in music grew more discerning. I started to dig deeper and there was always something waiting to be discovered. Once you go down that path, it’s really difficult to turn back. My sound progressed into house music, disco, nu disco, funk/soul, deep house. At the end of the day, anything soulful or has a solid groove always gets me going.
You’ve been playing for quite a number of cool gigs in Singapore, what’s your favourite?
Definitely Para//el at Velvet Underground. Not only does it have the best sound system I’ve ever played on, it was nice to see so many familiar faces in the crowd. On a personal level, it was like a dream come true. When I was on that same dance floor 8 years ago, I made it a goal to be behind that console some day. Words can’t describe how it felt to finally get there.
Apart from music, we know you dabbled in design too. Tell us more about it.
I learnt the best lessons when I was studying Product Design years ago. It gave me a new perspective as to how I viewed the world. And suddenly everything in my immediate environment, regardless of the size, had a story. Someone thought of that at some point and it now exists to serve a purpose. I’d probably be a totally different person if I hadn’t got into design so it was definitely the best decision I ever made.
Currently, I co-run a menswear label called sifr, handling the branding and visual side of things. We have been at it for 6 years now, and I still get that satisfaction of seeing someone wearing the clothing we create.
Thanks for the curated mixtape, any inspiration and story behind this that you would love to share with us?
For this mixtape, I wanted to go back to the deeper, soulful side of things aka my personal sound. I picked out some old favourites that I’ve never had the chance to play, as well as some of the new ones I like at the moment. In short, it’s head nodding music I’d like to listen to over a dram of whisky.
August Mixtape feat. Daryl C by Citynomadsradio on Mixcloud
Do you have any upcoming gigs we should check out?
CATS ON CRACK and myself will be returning to Para//el at Velvet Underground on Friday, 28th August 2015. Mad excited about this one! As its a tech house night, I’ll be going heavier than what I usually play, check out the my Para//el promo mix here for a taste of things.
Catch Daryl C with CATS ON CRACK at Para//el at Velvet Underground this Friday, 28 August. To be updated of Daryl C’s future gigs, follow him here:
–
About City Nomads Radio
City Nomads Radio features monthly mixtapes curated by Singapore-based DJs, a community that deserves a whole lot more love from us.
