Danny Avila, for those who don’t know, is a 17 year old (soon to be 18) DJ/Producer from Spain who has made the rounds at some of the biggest clubs and events in the last 2 years. Just this past weekend he was raging on the main stage at Ultra and will also be at Coachella later this year. This young man, who is soft spoken, transforms into a genre defying, energetic performer behind the decks. He jumped on the map last year when he release “Breaking your fall”. First noticed by Fedde Le Grand and then played back to back with Tiesto, this young Spaniard has wasted no time in claiming his spot in the Global EDM scene. Read on as he tells us about his journey so far, and what lies ahead.
TBB: Danny, at your age, you’ve been in the industry for about 2-3 years. It is at its immense peak right now, with revenues storming in, mainstream popularity and people going to every show, religiously. How do you see yourself making a place besides the big artists? What do you plan to do in the coming years?
DA: I mean, nowadays, there’s so much going on, especially in the states, you know, there are so many artists. There’s a lot of tracks coming out everyday. There’s a lot of competition. So the only thing I really know is that I have to work really hard due to the competition. I mean I have to produce more. I have a new track coming out this month. Like touring and that stuff, you have to work really hard. Otherwise, there’s too much competition.
TBB: Talking about that, we’ve asked all the producers we interview that are on tour, how do you feel about producing on the road? Would you prefer being at home and doing your own thing at the studio, or do you prefer being out on the road and being able to use the software you have?
DA: I think the cool thing about being a dj and producer is that you can actually produce on the road. I mean for us, its super hard, cause we’ve toured so much, so if we wouldn’t be able to produce on the road, its impossible. The cool thing about being a producer and dj is like you can make music, you can test what you’ve produced on the road in the clubs and then you can go back to the studio and then work on it. So I mean I think, both. I like to produce on the road. But of course you have to finish the record in your studio.
TBB: What would you say are the pros and cons of being at your age in the industry? Because I was reading an interview of yours, where you said that you feel like the fans are able to relate to you more. Is that something that’s still consistent now? Cause a lot of fans of mainstream EDM are a younger generation like under 25, do you feel at your age, at 17, doing what you’re doing, does it help for your image?
DA: I don’t know if it helps or doesn’t help. What I know is, in the states, there is the rave culture which doesn’t exist in Europe. So this culture is, I think, more stronger from 17 to 24, 25. So all the DJs who are between this age group like Porter Robinson, Madeon, Skrillex, umm…. We all know what’s going on in the industry, so that helps us even more.
TBB: So that’s definitely a pro for you. Who’s been an inspiration or a mentor, that’s really helped you come up in the industry or that has helped you get your foot in the door, so to speak?
DA: It has been pretty much my work, of course. I mean, I’ve played before Fedde Le Grand, once when I was like 15. And he saw me play, and he was impressed. He liked my set. So since then, we keep in touch, we’ve been talking. And he has helped me, he brought me to Amsterdam to play for him, he brought me for ministry of sound. I’ve played a couple of shows with him in Spain. So I would say its Fedde Le Grand, of course.
Danny at Gen Wild Tour @ Bijou, Boston
TBB: That’s nice. So coming back to something you were saying about the crowd, here in the states, has a rave culture and maybe the crowd in Europe is a little more mature. What other differences have you seen? Because you’ve been on tour with Deniz all month. What do you think is the difference between the crowd in Europe and the crowd in the US?
DA: I think the main difference is what I’ve said before, you know, the rave culture. But, its pretty tough to answer the question, cause for example, in Europe, you can go, for example, to London, to play at the Ministry Of Sound, and the crowd can be insane. And then you go like one hour from London, and then maybe they don’t know what you’re playing. So it’s really tricky, you never know what to expect. And here for example you go to America, and then you go to a village and they don’t know anything about electronic music. And then you go to Miami, and the crowd just goes crazy. So it’s different for different places.
TBB: So in an interview I read of yours, you said one of the most exciting moments for you was getting introduced at Ibiza by Tiesto, you played 15 shows back-to-back, with him. How has that been, you know, being at the best venues in the world, with one of the best DJs ever?
DA: It was a dream come true, man. Cause when I started DJ-ing, my role models were Tiesto, Fedde Le Grand, Roger Sanchez, Erick Morillo, all the legends. So for me to be able to play with him was just incredible. I mean, he invited me to play at the opening party, which was around May-June, and he liked my warm up, and he brought me back. And then I started doing warm ups for him, and after about 4 shows, he wanted me to close for him. So then kind of the last 5-10 minutes of his sets, we were playing 2 records together. So it was really cool.
TBB: Wow, that’s awesome. So I’ve been listening to your track since it came out, Breaking Your Fall. It’s been done really well and it’s really catchy, and you were saying you’ve got another track coming out this month. What can we expect in 2013, in terms of releases, like are you going to collaborate with people, are you going to do more remixes or are you trying to produce some original content?
DA: Well, right now, I want to focus on my own career. Of course I want to do more collaborations, I want to do more stuff, I want to remix other artists. But I really want to focus more my own stuff. Breaking Your Fall came out like 2 months ago and I have a new track coming out, which I think is coming out in like 1 month. And I’m just testing it out during the tour. And I’ll be playing it tonight. I’m glad cause it works really well, so I just have to finish it, you know, do the final mastering and stuff. But I’m really happy with it. And then as I said, I have a couple of options for remixes, and then I don’t know, just maybe thinking about collaborations.
TBB: That’s great. You have some pretty huge events lined up for this year with Coachella and the Ultra Mainstage. How does that feel? I mean, Ultra and Tomorrowland are like the 2 biggest festivals ever, and you’re playing at the mainstage at the Ultra this year. Are you going to do anything special to prepare for that set, or are you going to just try and make it like any other time to show the crowd what you’re about?
DA: I mean, For example, I’ve never been to Coachella, and I’ve never been to Ultra. But last year I didn’t go to Miami. So like between the week of the conference, I was just at home on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday, watching the live stream. So then I know exactly how the crowd reacts, I know what’s going on. So I’m super excited and, of course, I’ll prepare a super special set. For example, for Coachella, it’s gonna be incredible, but I don’t know what to expect. I know that they’re gonna go crazy, cause the festival is insane. But I know how the stage looks like in Miami and I know all the aspects of it.
TBB: So India, where our blog is based is a fast growing EDM market. Deniz was there earlier in 2013, just there in January and we got to interview him. SO do see yourself doing an appearance there this year, or do you think that might take you a little more time to get there, you know to reach out to that side and do more events in Asia?
DA: I was in Asia last year, I went to Dubai, performed a couple of shows in Abu Dhabi for formula 1. I went to Singapore, this year, I did Kuala Lumpur. And I love the Asian crowd, it’s so good. Especially because now, unlike 2 years ago, when electronic music was not that big, it’s just getting bigger and bigger. And I’m planning to do a tour in Asia for sure.
TBB: Well it’s great to see that you are exploring new markets and we at TBB are very excited to see you again in Boston or in India perhaps. Can you give your fans on TBB and in India a message?
We here at TBB are very excited to watch Danny throughout his career, his mixing style is fresh and from the videos and pictures you will find in our review of his performance during the Generation Wild Tour, you will see exactly what we mean.
Interviewed by Kabir Uppal, you can find him on Twitter
Edited by: Kabir Uppal & Shule Puri