On the up and coming : Daktyl [Interview + Exclusive Mix]

21-year old Rich Lonbay, also known as Daktyl, has a sound that is nothing short of distinctive. He's quickly making a name for himself as a one-of a kind producer who can flawlessly combine sounds from a bucket full of genres-trap, garage, hip hop, funk, and house included. Hailing from the UK, this young artist, who is on the roster at Cosmonostro, has already released a superb 3 track EP entitled Chase Road, and has made a handful of original and remixed works, should be on everyone's watch list, as he's got big things planned for the future. We got a chance to interview Daktyl and get the scoop on what those big things are, what's inspiring him the most at the moment, and what his favorite track from the seventies is.

While you're catching up on latest with this London-based producer, make sure to check out the exclusive mix he crafted for all of you EARMILK fans. What he thought would be a "good mix to start a night with," this EARMILK exclusive was recorded as the sun set over the Shard in London, which Daktyl can see from the window of his studio. The mix maneuvers across a collection of genres, seeing its conclusion with a nice set of house tunes. Tracks by RL Grime, Yahtzel, Basenji, Major Lazer, and Daktyl himself make an appearance on this short and sweet mix that combines his individual style with loads of melody and heavy-hitting sounds.

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EM: Tell us the story of how you first fell in love with music.

Daktyl: My year 3 teacher gave everyone in his class a CD of Red Hot Chili Peppers and Radiohead songs. Track one was ‘Around the World’ and I was instantly hooked.

EM: What inspired you to start producing your own material and how old were you when you started?

Daktyl: I started making beats about 2 years ago. I guess I was inspired by the fact that with technology these days, you can make absolutely anything into an instrument; there are really no limits to the creative process.

EM: How would you define your musical style, if at all?

Daktyl: I’m not great at answering this question. To people who ask I usually just mumble ‘electronic’ and tell them to listen to it and make their own minds up! A good friend also coined the description ‘glochenspielic’ though..

EM: Your music is full of heavy electronic elements. Is that a sound that just came about randomly or have you always wanted experiment with that type of sound?

Daktyl: I’ve always wanted to experiment with new sounds. My music is quite sample heavy, but I also use a lot of synthesis.

EM: Where did the name "Daktyl" come from?

Daktyl: It's kind of a weird story. Some friends and I were in Amsterdam and some of them were on some substances… and basically one of my friends was collecting wax from candles in every coffee shop we went to. He ended up with this ball of wax and came up to me and said, "Rich, it's called Daktyl." Then a week later, I was making my Soundcloud account and the name "Daktyl" just popped into my head.

EM: Your favorite track that you’ve produced so far and why it's your favorite:

Daktyl: Probably "Eyes Closed", I really enjoyed making it. It took forever because of the number of layers and different things going on, but I think that made the whole process more rewarding.

EM: You DJ and produce. Do you have a preference between the two? What are the best things to you about each?

Daktyl: Producing any day. I would get pretty down if I wasn't making music on a regular basis. I'm pretty obsessed, I can spend 8 hours straight working on a track and it'll feel like 10 minutes. My favorite thing about it is probably the feeling of sitting in front of a finished song, listening back for the first time and knowing that at that moment in time, I'm the only person on the world who has heard it. It's a very special feeling. I love DJing. My favorite thing about it just having fun with it. I dance around a lot and just enjoy myself! It's also great seeing a crowd react when I play my own songs.

EM: Who would you work with on your dream collaboration track?

Daktyl: Hard question! Probably James Blake.

EM: What’s one thing that people would be surprised to know about you?

Daktyl: I used to teach people how to sail.

EM: Favorite 70’s track?

Daktyl: Curtis Mayfield – "Movin’ On Up"

EM: Favorite 80’s track?

Daktyl: 808 State – "Pacific State"

EM: Favorite 90’s track?

Daktyl: Outkast – "Rosa Parks"

EM: Top 5 artists that you follow:

Daktyl: I’m lucky enough to be good friends with some very talented producers:

The Ninetys

Maxx Baer

Phazz

Fitzroy

De$ignated

EM: Top 3 most-listened to tracks on your iTunes:

Daktyl: Shlohmo – "Places," Cashmere Cat – "Wedding Bells," and The Notorious B.I.G – "Machine Gun Funk" (Woody Remix)

EM: Three things you would bring to a deserted island with you:

Daktyl: Assuming I can’t take people I’d bring my laptop, my guitar and some rum.

EM: What's currently giving you the most inspiration as an artist?

Daktyl: Australia! There is so much amazing music coming out of Australia at the moment. Cosmo’s Midnight, LDRU, Yahtzel and Wave Racer to name a few. And of course artists like Flume, Chet Faker and Ta-Ku.

EM: What are your upcoming plans looking like? Any releases we should keep an eye out for?

Daktyl: I’ve got a guestmix on Toddla T’s Radio 1 show coming up in a few weeks. Other than there are quite a few forthcoming releases, including a single on Die High records and a couple of official remixes for some amazing artists.

EM: What would you like to see happen for yourself in 2014?

Daktyl: I just want to keep making music and see what happens!