1. Introduce Yourself please... who are You and what do You do ? What's Your mission statement ? What do You stand for ?
William Daniel: Hi to everyone at Trancesound.net I hope you are all well wherever you are in the world!
Well to introduce myself my name is William Daniel and I am from Glasgow in Scotland. I play a wide variety of music but my main passion is Trance music in all it's forms ranging from progressive right through to the harder more Tech influenced stuff. I am currently Resident DJ at the biggest clubnight in Scotland called Inside Out which is at the Arches in Glasgow and have been playing there since 2003 which is something I really love and treasure. I also do the Trance reviews for M8 magazine. I don't have a mission statement as such but if I had one then it's just to be happy, keep smiling and enjoy music and life as best you can as you should live it to the full as you never know what tomorrow can bring or take away and I guess that can count for what I stand for as well :)
2. Who are You main influences ? Are You just into EDM or do You listen to other kinds of music ?
William Daniel: I have loads of influences really but I really respect anyone that is trying new things and in the scene for the right reasons :) I guess if I had to narrow it down and name names then it would have to be producers like David Forbes, John O'Callaghan, Sander van Doorn, Ferry Corsten, Richard Durand, Above & Beyond, Heatbeat, Paul van Dyk, Armin van Buuren, Deadmau5, Fred Baker and Ummet Ozcan but there is also many talented up and coming producers who I really rate with a great fresh approach and sound to their productions which I really admire. I'm not only in EDM and do listen to bands like Jurrasic5, Coldplay, Kings Of Leon and The Killers but I also have a soft spot for Eva Cassidy who was an amazing Singer/Songwriter. I'm also a massive fan of Thomas Newman who is just an absolute Genius just for his Film Scores.
3. What inspires Your style, rhythm and sound ? How do You come up with subject matter ?
William Daniel: Alot of things can inspire my sound be it things that happen in everyday life or experiences with friends and stuff like that I can draw inspiration from anywhere really. However, regardless of how I'm feeling I always want my productions to have emphasis for the people in the clubs, the dance-floor and also have loads of Energy! I also like to look at things from the clubbers perspective and that along with going out to clubs nearly every weekend helps me know what works and what doesn't in productions I feel this is very very important as both a DJ and Producer really. Also listening to alot of different styles of music inspires me as I don't believe you should be pigeon hold and listen to one style of music only as there is so much great music out there in various genres to be embraced.
4. Tell me about Your work, past and present and even future if You would love the idea to share anything with us, to make us the first to know :)
William Daniel: The productions have been going well recently and the people seem to be liking the productions which is one of the best things you can ask for when you make music. 'The Act of Fear' which was a track by David Forbes and myself on Spinnin' Reset records was released in April and was a huge success getting to number 1 on Trackitdown.net and number 3 on Beatport.com so I was over the moon with how well it's being received not only by the public but by DJ's as well. 'Future Primitive' has just been released on Reset records and also got to number 1 Trackitdown.net so again that's something I'm really happy about. Also check out a track called 'Freefall' which has just been released on Freefall Black with mixes from Re-Ward and Tiegran on Beatport.com
5. What would you say to someone who hadn't heard "Future Primitive" yet, made along Mark Sherry and James Allan ?
William Daniel: I would ask them to check it out at Trackitdown.net and Beatport.com to have a listen to it to make up their minds :P However it seems to be blowing up pretty big at the moment with some massive support so I hope that they enjoy listening to it be it at home or in a club. :)
6. I know that for a fact, that You have been well supported by EDM top leaders from all around the world, therefore tell us a bit about that, spread some names with us :)
William Daniel: I am actually really humbled to be getting support from guys who I really admire and look up to it's all a bit mental really and it makes me happy that these guys like my sound and approach to music as these where the guys that really got me into EDM in the first place so to have them support my music is unbelievable and a huge honor to me. Guys like Tiesto, Armin van Buuren, Ferry Corsten, Paul van Dyk, Sander van Doorn & John O'Callaghan to name but a few have all supported the latest releases.
7. Reading your biography, lately there's numerous references to the fact You are described as a pioneer in Scotland, having numerous gigs in "hotspots" such as Arches (and we do know what MixMag said about it lately), Colors, BTTF, Nuklearpuppy, Boombox, Rectify, Infexious, Impact and many more, just to name a few... That seems You do have a very bright future when it comes to EDM, please share that feeling with us, how does it make You feel like ?
William Daniel: Again it's really a massive honor that I have been lucky enough to play some awesome gigs and crazy places over the year and it's something I feel really lucky to be involved in. I love everything about EDM and it's almost an obsession for me so to be part of it makes me feel really lucky and happy! It's the one thing I love doing and want to be doing for as long as I am alive so I hope I can continue to make music that I and other people enjoy...
8. I can easily see from miles away that several A&R's from Armada and Vandit and a few other major labels keeps a closer eye on Your work lately. Please tell us how did You end up in something like this ?
William Daniel: It came from just repeatedly sending the tracks to various labels over the years in the hope that a good label would sign your material. I think however after you are signed with a well known label and if your tracks do well and get good support then the A&Rs will sit up and take notice. 95% of them are really on the ball and know what's happening in the crazy EDM world...
9. For someone that is about to start right now dreaming, wishing and praying to become someone like You, what would You tell them is Your "recipe of success" ?
William Daniel: I am actually flattered by this question however I know I still have a long long way to go as I am still in my early twenties so I guess it's still really early in my career. However, the advice I would give to someone who is wanting to be successful in this game is to never badmouth anyone and stay out of the forum bitchiness and spitefulness. Also be in it for the right reasons, work hard at what you do, don't worry about what others are doing and work hard and it will happen. That's what I believe :)
10. Any upcoming projects that You would like to share with us, such as unreleased tracks, any future gigs, any future aliases or anything else that makes us wonder "what's next when it comes to this Scottish wonder boy" ?
William Daniel: David (Forbes) and I have just signed two tracks called 'E-motion' and 'Illuminatus' to Armada's Captivating Sounds imprint which is another first for both of us and they should be out soon. Also forthcoming is a track called 'Wired' on Reset and 'Devils Theory' which is forthcoming on Tetsuo as well as some other exciting projects so it's all systems go! I'm also planning on doing a vocal track in the near future which I'm really excited about!
Gigs wise it's been a bit hectic and I'm supporting Tiesto at the SECC in Glasgow which is a massive 15000 people show. Also on the agenda I have the Parklife Festival in Scotland which is a 10000 capacity show as well as all my Inside Out gigs and I'm also playing over in Ireland soon which I hear is pretty crazy you can check out my myspace which will keep you in the loop with my latest productions, gigs and all info www.myspace.com/wdanielmusic
11. Please tell me more about Your production side... What is that "thing" that makes You feel wonderful, makes You feel productive in terms of new tracks or remixes ?
William Daniel: I use Cubase SX4 and alot of VST's and plugin's however the thing I love most in my studio are my monitors (I have a set of Mackie HR824 Mk2's) and my Virus TI hardware synth. The sound out of both of these is incredible and I can sit for hours on end just working about with sounds and FX and I usually find that hours and days pass so quickly when you are producing it's really addictive but most of all it's fun and that makes it all worthwhile!!
12. Thank You very much indeed for doing this exclusive interview. It's been a real pleasure, but good things always come to an end... so let's finish off with anymore thoughts and comments you might like to send to the TranceSound.net community or anyone else reading this interview please :)
William Daniel: Thanks for the great interview questions and a massive thanks to everyone at TranceSound.net I hope to see you guys soon and keep smiling xxx
Interview made by Cosmin Lukacs (TranceSound.net admin/founder)
Links:
William Daniel @ MySpace
Cosmin Lukacs official website
Cosmin Lukacs @ MySpace
New-Wave Management official website
