Darper weaves emotion through organic deep house and progressive…
From the coastal town of Hastings, UK, Darper blends melody and texture into moving shades that defines his cinematic style.
Having played from London to San Francisco, Berlin to Burning Man, Darper brings the same storytelling sensibility to his Electric Fiction mix series and his immersive DJ sets. His releases span respected labels such as Anjunadeep, Culprit LA, Sound Avenue, Balance Music, and The Soundgarden, and he has featured alongside artists including Brian Eno, Matthew Dear, and Nick Warren.
On this Balance Selections, the producer delivers an organic touch that arrests attention. Featuring tracks from Fort Romeau, Rival Consoles, Luca Bachetti and more, this is a colourful journey documenting the deeper house corners of progressive.
Tracklist
01. Djrum – Reprise
02. Darper – Spice Drum
03. Seb Wildblood – FLUSH
04. Dauwd – Idris
05. Lauer – Gammelan
06. Fort Romeau – Heaven & Earth
07. Genius of Time – Endless
08. Luca Bacchetti – Für Danila
09. Altaya – Merci G’alert
10. Hubbabubbaklubb – Et Annet Sted (Axel Boman Remix)
11. Elias Dore, M.O.N. – La Llorona (feat. M.O.N.)
12. Rival Consoles – Known Shape
13. nthng – With You
14. Helado Negro – Best for You and Me
15. Bi Disc – Pieces, Falling (Gold Panda Remix)
16. Fort Romeau, Gold Panda – Stay Here
17. Elkka, John Carroll Kirby – Passionfruit
18. Sébastien Tellier – La Ritournelle (Mr Dan’s Magic Wand Mix)
19. Blond:ish, Rowee – Garden of 3Den (Meditation Mix)
20. Darper – Crystal Voyager
21. Rex The Dog – Laika
22. Jazzuelle, Fka Mash – Glitch 3D
23. Tiago de Renor, Siavash – Translation (Last Men on Earth Remix)
24. Four Tet – Lion (Jamie xx Remix)
25. Daniel Avery – Chaos Energy
26. Darper – Sona
27. Darper – Midnight
Name: Andrew Bonwick
Location: Hastings, UK
Alias/Producer name: Darper
Labels affiliated with: Earthly Delights, Seven Villas, Sound Avenue
My late dad, Richard, was very into psychedelic and prog rock, which was most of the soundtrack to my childhood. He had a vast vinyl, tape, and CD collection and played music constantly.
He was always very encouraging of all things music; we always had guitars and drums set up in the house so he, my brother, and I could have an impromptu jam at any given time.
He also built me a massive sound baffle for my bedroom window so I could play and listen to music louder without disturbing the neighbours.
I got really into playing guitar in my teens and taught myself mostly by ear, listening to Hendrix, which was quite limiting and not the most technical way to learn guitar. I then got quite into grunge and more modern rock before moving into more electronic-based music.
A few key moments stand out. I saw The Avalanches‘ Frontier Psychiatrist music video on MTV when I was 16, which really opened my mind to the world of sampling.
This sent me down a rabbit hole of sampling everything I could get my hands on and making a lot of interesting… tracks in the now-extinct Acid Pro DAW.
Around the same time, my brother had some Prodigy, Chemical Brothers, Leftfield, and Fatboy Slim CDs that really made me want to follow that direction and sound.
It felt limitless in what could be made and not bound by the restrictions I was feeling with rock at the time.
Fatboy Slim‘s Better Living Through Chemistry was a very notable album in my youth and got me started on my rave journey.
Also, DJ Shadow‘s Private Press was a very memorable album, which again opened my mind further to the world of sampling.
It was at Concorde 2 on the Brighton seafront when I was about 17. This was right at the end of the Skint Records and Big Beat years. To be honest, I can’t remember the DJ or what they played, but I do remember it being a very transformational experience..
On the deeper side of things, my influences include Axel Boman, Dave DK, DJ Koze, DJ Tennis, Daniel Avery, Leon Vynehall, Luca Bacchetti, Maceo Plex, Nathan Fake, Robag Wruhme, Soulwax, and Sofia Kourtesis, among many others.
I also have a huge love for the music I grew up with and used to listen to more, like The Chemical Brothers, DJ Shadow, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Plump DJs and Thievery Corporation. The list could go on for a while…
This mix of organic, electronic, and instrumental influences forms the foundation of the music I now produce and DJ.
For me, music just has to give me a certain feeling for me to love it. It’s not very easy to explain, but hopefully my music, DJing and mixes convey that feeling to the people who hear it.
Landscape from Memory by Rival Consoles. I put one of the tracks from it, ‘Known Shape‘ in this mix. It’s fantastic.
My current production setup is mostly in a log cabin studio at the top of my garden, which has a little bamboo jungle outside. In there, I mainly use an NI Komplete Kontrol keyboard and a UA Apollo Twin interface.
I have three sets of monitors: tiny Genelec 8010as (which I use the most), KRK VXT8s for loudness, and an old pair of KRK V4s. The studio has other hardware and synths that I occasionally use, but I’m pretty much working in the box these days on my laptop.
I use Logic Pro X with plugins mostly from Native Instruments and Arturia for synths (I use a lot of the old classic analog modelling stuff), then Soundtoys, Universal Audio, Output, iZotope, Devious Machines, and the native Logic plugins for everything else.
I like to keep the setup simple so I can move around with it. I have another basic setup with a Komplete Kontrol keyboard and some wireless AIAIAI Unit 4 monitors that I can take anywhere. This allows me to have the same kind of setup as at home, whether I’m in my van, my lounge, the kitchen, in bed, or on holiday.
DJ wise, I’m all Pioneer CDJ/XDJ these days and have an XDJ RX2 in my studio. I also use a pair of Rode NTH 50 headphones for production and DJing, which I take everywhere, as they are a great all rounder.
I’m working on a few projects for different labels, including my first album and a few EPs.
I’m taking some time to focus mostly on the album at the moment after a bit of a hiatus from producing music (some life curveballs got in the way for a while…). But there will be a bunch of releases coming out next year.
I’m DJing next in my hometown, Hastings, on the 22nd of November at my friend Sonny Beau’s “Deep Down In The Deep End” event.
At the Brewing Brothers courtyard, which is a very cool venue in an old Victorian plunge pool with a really nice sound system. I am also working on a lot of new dates for next year.
I also have a mix series on Soundcloud called “Electric Fiction” that has taken a hiatus, but it will be back next year as both a mix series and an event series with other DJs. I’m just figuring that all out at the moment.
This was made in Ableton mostly over two long weekends, after a few months of collecting tracks, going through my archives, and making playlists in Rekordbox.
I have included four of my own tracks, including an unreleased one: “Sona.” There are quite a few bassline-heavy tracks in this mix, as I am very big on large, deep basslines…
It also includes a range of other track styles, all with an inherent deep, organic, and melodic sound.
The Substance
I’m not great at picking favourites, but I’m a big fan of ridiculous comedies. I love shows like Our Flag Means Death, Toast of London, Brassic, The Mighty Boosh, and What We Do in the Shadows.
Baleal Island in Portugal
