We sit down with Baltimore native and dance party expert Dan Deacon to discuss his upcoming Australian tour, as well as his new album and what it’s like working with the director of The Godfather.
Hey Dan, how are you?
Good, how are you?
Yeah, good thanks, where are you calling from today?
I’m in Texas
You’re on a solo tour at the moment aren’t you?
I’m doing a comedy tour with the collective I’m in called Wham City. And on this tour I’m doing a few solo dates.
So you’re dabbling a little in comedy as well?
Yeah, about once a year Wham City does a comedy tour of the United States we have a fun time. Bunch of us get together and tell some jokes.
Do you prepare for a solo show differently than you would for a show with the collective or the ensemble?
Yeah, This upcoming Australian tour is going to be an ensemble tour. Yeah, it’s definitely different, I’ve got to practice differently the performance is a little different and the structure is a little different. This will actually be the first tour with the new five piece ensemble, so I’m not really sure how different its going to be from the solo or the other ensemble, or if it will be a completely new piece to prepare for mentally. But our second show will be the Falls Festival.
Nothing like going straight into the deep end?
Yeah, if you’re going to do it you may as well go all the way.
You have played in a wide variety of bands and groups. So what was it that first drew you to electronic music?
I think computers were probably the first thing, just being able to create the sounds and hear them back instantly. You get that instant gratification that our culture is so fixed upon. You can just click some notes into a computer and hear it loop back and add upon it and play upon it. I just really fell in love with that.
Where there any main artists or inspirations that helped get you into that music?
I guess Devo would be a big inspiration, and Iannis Xenakis, who I think has made some of the most beautiful electronic music, that I think has ever been written. I guess that’s it, that’s all I can think of off the top of my head.
We’re nearing the end of the year now, what have been your main highlights so far?
Doing the score for the new Coppola film was real fun.
Ah, excellent segue there, was just about to ask you about that. What was it like working with Francis Ford Coppola? And what can you tell us about the film or soundtrack?
For someone who has had such an insane impact on modern culture, Coppola is insanely humble. A fun dude to work with. At first I was a little daunted, that I wouldn’t know what to say or be able to voice my own ideas. But he was very open, I think he just wants to hear what you have to say and wants to work with experimental people. Only downside was that I had two weeks to make all the music so it was a huge rush. But then sometimes its nice to work under the gun
From what I have read about the movie so far, it’s fairly improvisational. With the plan being that the film to edited or re-edited every time it’s shown?
Well that’ll be for one specific tour. There’s also a theatrical version which will be coming out next year. But there’ll also be a tour where he’s [Coppola] cutting up the film live and I’m re-editing the music live as well.
That must present a fairly interesting challenge?
Oh yeah definitely, I don’t think its ever been executed before. It’ll be interesting to see how it turns out.
Will the soundtrack be out for release?
I don’t know. I hope so. We’re still in the process of working on it. You know a film likes to have as many lawyers involved as possible, there’s another composer involved as well. So it’s basically got to get to the point where is agreeable to all parties. I think everyone wants to make sure there is a record; it’s just trying to get it out.
Has work begun on a new album of your own?
Yeah, it’ll be done with mixing and we’re sending it off to mastering before we head off on tour, so a little before Christmas. I’ve actually been recording it since early July, and I’m excited for it to exist.
You’ve not been back to Australia for a couple of years now, any fond memories from your last visit?
Yeah definitely, it was just crazy. I mean the Golden Plains festival was really fun. The first time I went we went to this beautiful nature and wildlife sanctuary outside of Melbourne; the Architecture in Helsinki guys brought us there and that was a really fun time. I also enjoyed heading over to Perth and having a swim in the Indian Ocean. It just seems like a crazy place, just has this amazing vibe and I had this delicious trumpeter fish, which I’m looking forward to eating again. I think what I’m most looking forward to is summer time in my winter. Leaving the frigid cold of Baltimore and going to this second awesome hot summer is just crazy.
It is definitely a bonus.
You’re here for the Falls Festival; do you approach the festival show any differently to say a club show?
Not really, I try to just it give it my hundred per cent. After years of playing to five or six people it’s great to play in front of a huge crowd. But I think it’s almost more important to give it your all to a small show, because there’s just so much more to prove to people that are there when no-one else is. Do you know what I mean? It’s not that you don’t want to give a hundred per cent at a festival. It’s different. I mean if I had the amazing ability to fly I’d probably reveal it at a festival than at a show with only six people. But unfortunately I’ll never have the ability to fly.
Which do you prefer?
They’re different, they’re totally different feats. I mean one of my favourite shows ever was playing Lollapalooza with the ensemble and that was a massive show with like 20 or 30 thousand people. They’re both fun. Again, it’s do you like salty foods or sweet foods? I like them both and they both have very different feels. But when you finish a song at a festival and you hear that roar from the crowd it’s insane, you can’t hear people clapping, and at a club show you have that connection. You know what I mean? It’s just different.
So other than the Falls Festival, are there any other dates planned? Being in Perth I’m hoping you’ll be making the trip across again.
Ah yeah, I believe all the dates have been announced now. There are a few festivals, the Sydney Festival and a bunch of sideshows. They’re all listed on my website and the Misteltone website [and at the bottom of this page] I think we’re in Perth, it’s not for the Perth Festival, but I’m sure we’re playing in Perth.
What can audiences expect from your show this time round?
I’d like for them to expect nothing. I think having expectations is the death of any enjoyment of experience. I think if they just go open minded and just hope to have a good time, that’s all good. If they go expecting it to be this or that and it’s not that then it just doesn’t make any sense. Open mindedness is the way to go.
So what are your plans for the future? You’ve just signed to Domino Records, and I know you’re working on about five or six different projects at the moment.
Well I guess just trying to find time to tour and not lose my life at home. I’m pretty next year is going to have a pretty busy touring schedule most likely with a couple of tours happening, including the new album tour. Doing my Carnegie Hall debut, I’m looking forward to that. And I guess that’s it, just looking forward to writing new music. It’s always fun to record music, but I always feel like by the time a band actually finishes a record all the songs feel so old I’m just excited to get back to writing some new ones.
The new album is that with the ensemble or is it a solo record?
It’s actually got about thirty players on it. So it feels, well I’d definitely say it’s a Dan Deacon record. But it certainly has the largest acoustic element that I’ve ever had on a record, and there’s a very large orchestral section. Any sound that could have been acoustic is acoustic.
Well that’s pretty much taken us to the end. So thanks for talking to me.
Cool, catch you later on.
See you in Perth.
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Dan Deacon Tour Dates
MARION BAY, TAS: Falls Festival, 29th Dec – 1st Jan
BUSSELTON, WA: Southbound Festival, 7th & 8th January.
ADELAIDE: Fri 6th January @ Adelaide Festival Centre, Space Theatre.
SYDNEY: Wed 11th January @ Sydney Festival @ Hyde Park Barracks Museum, Keystone Festival Bar, Sydney.
BRISBANE: Thu 12th January @ Woodland
MELBOURNE: Fri 13th January @ Mistletone Fright Night
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