It was just last week that Daniel Hall dropped his eleventh album Elevate, and since then, we haven’t stopped listening. The album is a thirteen track collection of dark, electronic gems that refuse to be categorised.
So fresh off the album’s release, we caught up with Hall to chat about his individual sound, physical copies of music, and what the future holds.
Fresh off the release of his incredible eleventh album Elevate, we caught up with Sydney-based artist Daniel Hall for a chat.
HAPPY: Hey, how’s it going? What are you up to at the moment?
DANIEL: I am taking a bit of a break now that the new album is out and concentrating on my business and work, however, I have always got tunes floating around in my head.
HAPPY: Congrats on getting Elevate finished and out into the world! How are you feeling about the album now that it’s done?
DANIEL: I am very proud of the work I have done on Elevate after quite a topsy turvy year which has resulted in making some very strong statements in my lyrics. It is part of the process of venting and I am pleased to finally get these things off my chest.
HAPPY: We think Elevate is one of, if not your strongest release to date. How do you view this new album as being different from past records?
DANIEL: I also agree that Elevate is one of my strongest albums to date. With the new album, it has a clearer direction and I focussed on the sound to be more electronic than my other albums.
HAPPY: For the album, you’ve provided an accompanying video for each track. We can’t really think of any other artist doing that at the moment. Why do you continue to do this?
DANIEL: I find that creating a video clip for my songs has much more impact than just releasing the song itself. It accentuates the lyrics and tells a story. Listeners can relate better to the message I am trying to portray and it is far more interesting, powerful and personal having accompanying visuals. Why stop at one video clip when I can do them all! Ideally, I would like to create an original video clip to support my songs however I do not have this experience so I am on the lookout for someone in the future to help me achieve this. Budding motion designers and filmmakers apply here…
HAPPY: You also do interesting things with the physical packaging of your albums. How important is the physical aspect of music to you?
DANIEL: As a creative person, I am always looking to do something new and refreshing. Having a hard copy of the album is very important otherwise the online digital releases just seem to blend and disappear into cyberspace, never to be found. It is like having a beautiful photo on your phone, no one gets to see it which is pointless. It needs to be out there to be really appreciated. If someone is interested in my work I then have a physical copy which I can give to them. Far better than asking them to login somewhere which they probably wouldn’t. The hard copy is proof and becomes a memento. The novelty compilation USB’s I have done are unique and create hype and difference.
HAPPY: We understand you’ve got a history in design. How do you feel this talent aids your work with music?
DANIEL: Design and music work hand in hand. The appreciation of one undoubtedly enhances the experience of the other. Design helps the music industry and vice versa. Visuals that go along with music have to give some sense of story and idea. They need to lure you in. As with the videos I have created to support my music, design does the same, enhancing the experience.
HAPPY: We’re picking up a lot of different sounds in your music. Are there any particular artists you draw inspiration from?
HAPPY: I no doubt have my favourite bands who I grew up with and who inspire me. They still do to this date and a lot of them are still around. I am not trying to mimic or copy them. The sound I come up with is part of my DNA. It just comes out that way however I find mixing beats or instruments from different genres an adventure and exciting process. There are no rules in music which I love and the combinations are infinite. If I want to have a classical guitar riff with a hip hop beat I can do that, which I have done before. I then put my electronic spin on top of it to create “ Me”. I draw obvious inspiration from bands such as Depeche Mode, Erasure, The Beloved, The Presets, Human League, Gary Numan to name a few.
HAPPY: What’s next for Daniel Hall? Any other exciting plans in the works?
DANIEL: I am sure I will release my 12th album, latest by the end of 2019. I seem to knock an album out every 9-10 months. However one cannot be as creative from one day to the next. The ideas will come un-announced and unplanned. I might do one new track in a month, I might do 2 in a week. I am hoping to do some more collaborations in the future, try new things to remain fresh and interesting and hopefully try and find a filmmaker to assist me in creating some unique video clips. As I venture into the unknown, watch this space.
HAPPY: Cheers for the chat!
Elevate is available now. Listen above, and watch all the album’s accompanying videos here.
