Dnte

The Eastern Bloc Series: Interview with DNte

Here we go the interview @ Beat Odyssey

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We continue with our Eastern Bloc Series in this interview with DNte, originally from Hungary and now living in Berlin. His album Moments drops May 24th via Mad-Hop, a beats label currently based in Eastern Europe. We also asked Dnte about tour dates; “not yet” he said, they’ll be announced soon.

Beat Odyssey: How did you get started with music and where do you see yourself going with it?

Dnte: I get this question really often but let’s start from the beginning. Before music I had tried to draw and I had started writing lyrics as an mc ( that was a really funny time) and I used to go to Hungarian hip hop parties. I wasn’t really a popular mc, but I had some fans and I got some good feedback from the big names. Somehow I felt that words have too many limits, so that way wasn’t really what I was looking for to express myself (my thoughts, feelings…) that was only a life stage. Another important thing on this way was that I didn’t find music which really fit to my lyrics and my taste, so I started to create music and so on. Afterwards I bought my first piano when I was 14 and during those years I was digging really deep into the sample oriented hip hop music, but sometimes the golden years were so tiring for me so my soul was hungry for new things, I improved my skills in music theory and I used some other elements in my music and the rest is history. I would like to show my songs in many places where I can, will be a nice small EU tour after my Moments EP. I have some good opportunities and many remix requests but I would like to focus on my LP.

Beat Odyssey: What was it like making this album?

Dnte: About my Moments EP, actually I really had no concept when I was making it. I had something, but I can’t say that the concept was x-y, not like when I was making my previous album (Wake me Up). This time I just let the moment flow through me. Every song has its own moment – own universe. I’m really happy with the Moments EP, it was really great to work with Mechanical Elephant and Gargle & Expel.

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Beat Odyssey: Who is blowing your mind in the music world right now (labels, Artists, Scenes)?

Dnte: I really like the latest album from fLako and Dimlite, Nosaj Thing. I like the directions of labels like Ninja Tune and Brainfeeder.

Beat Odyssey: What’s the music scene like in Eastern Europe for electronic music?

Dnte: It is quite hard to answer this question. I think in Eastern Europe we have so many talented artists and finally we are getting more attention day by day.

Beat Odyssey: Who are some of the stand out artists/beat makers?

Dnte: For me the most outstanding artist is Robot Koch. He is a genius, but we have so many standout artists in Germany: Hazeem, B-ju…and in Hungary: Headshotboyz and Yonderboi

Beat Odyssey: Favorite club/ music venue?

Dnte: I don’t really have any favorite clubs but I like to go to Cafe Wendel, Monarch, Gretchen. I think the soundsystem is the best in Gretchen, however it’s only my opinion. In Berlin I like party series such as HitYaWitThat, BeatGeeks. In Hungary I like the party series by Bounce records, and the Monday Session.

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Dnte: If you are open-minded enough you can realize that inspiration just comes from everywhere

Dnte is a producer who mix electronic music, hip-hop, soul, funk, wonky and many other styles. His EP Moments will be released 24th May by Mad-Hop Records label. It will be available in digital and limited vinyl version. Upcoming premiere is a good opportunity to ask Dnte about few things.

musicis.pl: DNTE, DNte, Dnte, dnte – I’ve seen few versions. Which one is correct? What does it mean exactly?
Dnte: I found my name on the internet in many different versions too, but the correct one is Dnte. My name comes from the words Dante Alighieri and Andet. I used  d a n t e andif you sort the letters in a good way, you’ll get a n d e t. I eliminated letter a from my name so that’s why it’s Dnte nowadays. What does Dnte mean exacty? It’s an alter ego under which I show a piece of myself.

musicis.pl: How did your adventure with music start?
Dnte: My adventure started with sample oriented hip-hop music. But before music I wrote lyrics as an MC. I had made many instrumentals for hip-hop bands before I started to create my own songs. I started to focus on the piano and real instruments. I learnt to play the piano and music theory. My debut Wake Me Up EP was much more unconventional comparing to the hip-hop music we are used to know, and it exceeded the borders in many ways. It contains elements of wonky, soul, funk, electro and hip-hop music, and balances them my way.

musicis.pl: You mix electronic music, hip-hop, soul, funk, wonky and many other styles – where do you find an inspiration?
Dnte: My roots come from classical music and jazz, but many things inspire me, such as a beautiful picture, moments of life (river ripples, birds fly) and love. I really liked punk music, there was a band called Junkies, and I enjoyed the earlier period of their music when I was really young. I have the soul and funk influence from my mom’s side. Nowadays I mostly listen to classical music because it can clean up the daily mess from my mind, like a meditation, what I often do as well. If you are open-minded enough you can realize that inspiration just comes from everywhere.

musicis.pl: What artists/kind of music do you listen to? 
Dnte: I mostly listen to the classical music but I really like Clark, Dimlite, Robot Koch, fLako, just a few names of my favorites.

musicis.pl: How do you create your music? Do you use only computer?
Dnte: I work with Ableton Live with tons of VSTs, MIDI keyboard and if I have opportunity then I use analog stuff such as Moog, Juno too. Sometimes I start the process of creating music with drums, or melody, it depends on the song. I don’t have an exact way. I think recording a real instruments, noises is always a nice thing to do.

musicis.pl: What makes your tracks so atmospheric?
Dnte: We should ask my listeners instead of me (laugh).

musicis.pl: 24th May is the date of your EP Moments release. What can we expect from it?
Dnte: The Moments EP is like a bunch of songs where every song have their own unique world in their own universe. These are five moments. Whether the audience can get it or not, it depends on them. That’s why I gave the Moments title to it. I had no concept when I was making the EP.

musicis.pl: What is more important to you – listeners’ opinion or your own satisfaction? Are you satisfied with your music?
Dnte: If I said  that I don’t care about the listeners’ opinion, I would tell you a lie. I am satisfied with my new stuff.

musicis.pl: Do you plan cooperation with any artists? Who would it be?
Dnte: Yeah, I have many plans for my LP, but those can’t be announced yet.

musicis.pl: What are you doing when not creating music?
Dnte: I’m hanging out with my friends, do some meditations…

Dnte - Moments EP Pre-order !

For all our early birds, you can pre-order the limited 12” vinyl 
DNte - ” Moments ” Ep of just 300 copies. 


You can listen to one track which will be also available in visual version expressing emotions of being apart ,showing objects inour life which surround us but maybe we can not see them everyday because we are looking for something else… 

On the Ep you can also find 2 remixes of great artists which names we are gonna announce soon. 
Order 12” vinyl for special available just now during pre-order 

Stay Mad!

releases 24 May 2013 


Mad-Hop


1. Dnte - Translucent 
2. Dnte - Fold Her (feat. Mechanical Elephant )
3. Dnte - Stoned
4. Dnte - Around my mind
5. Dnte - Out of control
6. Dnte - …. (Remix)
7. Dnte - …. (Remix)

 

Yeahhh (at Berlin)

Yeahhh (at Berlin)