Dastan is a US DJ Producer\/Artist who\u2019s name translates to story. As a journeyman of dance music, and a fan of the long form experience, he\u2019s been obsessed with quality sound and the state of being lost in music. We caught up with him recently to find out whats happening with him in 2022, and his recent track \u201cLuft\u201d on Nick Warrens The Soundgarden label…<\/p>\n
Hey Dastan, It\u2019s great to meet you! How\u2019s your summer been so far?<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s a pleasure, thanks for having me. It\u2019s been an unbelievable summer so far. I\u2019ve been quite busy with performing and production, and fortunate enough to play alongside my friends and even dj idols. It\u2019s all a bit surreal to be honest. Looking forward to another handful before the perfect endcap of Burning Man.<\/p>\n Congrats on your new release Luft on Soundgarden’s Summer Collection 2022. What was your inspiration behind this record?<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s really quite funny how it worked itself out. I\u2019d started the song as something quite dreamy and airy, and hit a wall when trying to finish it. I think as I was striving for something that wasn\u2019t really where my head or heart was at that point. My friend Mustafa Ismaeel was over one weekend, and we spent a night collaborating. We finished the track together quickly, sending copies back and forth until it was done. Miraculously, the melodies and groove just came naturally. The song was meant to be light but now I think it does a good job of uplifting any spirit or dance floor, without being too heavy. A solid mix of delicate and deliberate.<\/p>\n Does Storytelling play a big role in your process as an artist? What is that you\u2019re aiming to express with your music?<\/strong><\/p>\n It absolutely does. It\u2019s in my name after all. I grew up fascinated with stories and had a strong imagination often losing myself in daydreams or whatever was at hand. I want to share that full immersion with the people around me. I spend a lot of time being deliberate in what they\u2019ll experience, whether it\u2019s a dj set, song I write, or experience I\u2019m a part of. I try to imagine myself in the middle of the room feeling what I aim to deliver and if it sticks, it goes in the set or song.<\/p>\n I aim to express a range of emotions. Happy, sad, tense, excited, and sometimes rage. The human experience has all these things and what I stitch together I hope is compelling enough to feel and express that honestly.<\/p>\n What does your setup look like?<\/strong><\/p>\n In the dj booth, cdjs, a xone 96 mixer, and my eventide effects pedal which my brilliant friend enamour put me on to years ago and it travels with me everywhere since. What studio gear do you believe defines your sound?<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019ve gotten pretty nifty at writing music with my push, I love the hands on feel with any soft synths and the instant feedback. That, my 303 and the moog are choice. The 303 as a cv input makes for some really interesting patterns too.<\/p>\n
\nIn studio: ableton live, a moog sirin, korg minilogue xd, 303 and my trusty ableton push are my most used items at the moment. There\u2019s a few other revolving pieces of gear but these are what my hands touch most.<\/p>\n