Music Credits: Danny Hughes (DCPA)
Titled Track: I Feel It Too
Release Date: TBD August 2022
Explain in depth of how you went about your latest track?
I’ve always held the spiritual belief that our human experience is driven by a complex universal network, consisting of our actions/ideas and those of others, and how we respond both individually and in the aggregate. “I Feel It Too” started off as a sudden melodic idea when I woke up one day in April, but it manifested quickly into something much deeper and reflective. There was a lunar eclipse that week, and simultaneously I was feeling a cosmic connection to another soul in my life. As I began to manifest in the energy, I found myself really digging into my past. I took a deep introspective approach in writing the song to embed the spiritual essence and messaging. It’s an acknowledgement of a soul contract.
I grew up playing mid-range, lead instruments like trumpet, piano, and guitar, so a melody is naturally the starting point for most of my tracks. I can usually tell if an idea is good enough to build into a full production, and therefore needs to be recorded ASAP before I forget it. I needed a vocal track, and “I Feel It Too” seemed to be the best catch phrase and therefore title of the track. I searched Splice sounds for any samples containing the title as a lyric, or something close to it. I found a solid recording of the phrase “I Feel It Too” as part of the Kate Wild sample pack and then went through a bunch of verses in the Jovani Occomy Vocal Sessions to fill in the story line. I grew the track from a chill house arrangement into more of an electro house, festival ready production. I thought I was mostly done with it a month ago, but in revising some of the introductory verse sounds, I ended up down the path of adding all sorts of new layers of guitar riffs, vocal chops, and a deeper, more percussive bassline. I like to take nature hikes while listening to each new demo and really take a critical listen without distractions. Where I live just outside of Austin TX, we get some amazing views at night. The moon and stars feel like you could reach out and touch them sometimes. I spend time outside every night to enjoy the astrological essences and see if any new ideas are inspired.
The titled track holds some heart for you. How did you discover that?
The track was inspired as I reflected on a soul connection from a prior chapter. I spent many years getting established in my 20’s, worked in accounting in Dallas, had a great experience over the past 10 years. I travelled the world, socialized frequently, climbed the corporate ladder while starting my music persona DCPA. This was a great way to live out the decade, but I realized there were many distractions and few opportunities to tap into my higher purpose. I transitioned into my higher self fully when I broke into music full time in 2020. I have a lot of time out here in my RV to self-reflect and explore intuitive thought. I do lots of research on human behavioral patterns and how they affect our life paths when synchronized across the universe.
Every minute I spent looking back and self-reflecting brought me to build upon my original melody and really reconcile the cosmic connection I’d felt via producing the track. It’s been a real mind trip making the song. The song represents connective soul energy. It’s something we all feel as humans, but the physical realm can be a distraction and barrier to these greater feelings. I believe we’re often prone to ignore or even run from such energies. I believe when it comes to existential fulfillment, the physical and spiritual realms are tantamount, one is not greater than the other but both are necessary. The song has been an amazing opportunity to grow more as a musician, but also as a discovery mechanism and reinforcement of those things I know to be true. I feel a greater sense of guidance on my life path because of the song.
How far deep do you reach emotionally while creating your music?
When I first started making music again, the messaging was usually light-hearted, it was hard to fully tap into the emotional side at first. After deciding to pursue music full time in 2020 I started to fully embrace the emotional intake and output of a music career. I’ve chosen a life of few distractions and moved to a nature setting, and my intuitive inspiration has grown as a result. I jump between two worlds when going from live shows to the studio. In a live setting, I’ve learned to look past my physical being and truly connect on a higher plane with the audience in front of me, it gives me the adrenaline rush I need to really live in the moment. I love showing up to my gigs and building around the crowd vibe as the night progresses, and equally I enjoy neutral settings where I can create the vibe from scratch.
Did you want to take your time when making this music or did you just want to get it out NOW?
I feel compelled to get this next track out as soon as possible. It’s been a few months working on it now, but I had to fully reconcile my thoughts and the meaning of the track. So, I didn’t force anything in the production and am now ready to release it officially in just a few weeks! Fans won’t have to wait much longer to listen, I’ll be putting out pre-listening links and previews on my Instagram and TikTok in August. I made a playlist of similar music called “Cosmic Summer” on Spotify which fans can follow and listen to, they’ll get an idea of the vibe that “I Feel It Too” is bringing!
Who is responsible for making this music happen overall?
I’ve found that it falls on me as the producer to get the job done and keep the sounds, content and messaging flowing to the listeners. As a DJ I’m responsible for curating new musical experiences out of mine and similar music, or music specific to an event. There’s a huge role the audience plays too though, the more they participate and share, greater abundance is created for the artist and then more significant musical experiences are reciprocated back to the fans.
What is the turning point for you when it’s time to perform this music LIVE?
I’m always open to playing unreleased demos in a live setting, it helps get a first-hand idea of how a crowd will react and how the track will translate onto a big club system. There’s a point though when the track must feel complete in most aspects, and it needs to embody DCPA vibes to make sense in my DJ set.
Turn on the sound and let’s get LOUD! Where can fans listen to your music and maybe get LIVE sounds from you! We know they want to jam out with you LIVE!
Follow me on Songkick and Instagram so you know as soon as the next show comes up!
LINKS TO SOCIALS
⇒ Amazon
⇒ Audius
⇒ Beatport
⇒ Deezer
⇒ Pandora
⇒ Spotify
⇒ Tidal
⇒ TikTok
⇒ YouTube
⇒ Website
End of Interview
