Artificial Disco “I was a sell-out! Just kidding!”

From a trumpeter to a trip hop aficionado, Daníel, the one-man-army behind Artificial Disco, has come a long way. His recent album, “Slow Motion Psychedelics” is his dark but relaxed take on trip hop and lofi. Partially out of necessity and post-COVID reality, the interest in electronic sounds resulted in a vibe that combines elements of jazz, synthesizers and drum machines. According to his own words – “it’s the feeling of Iceland in November, and slowly fading memories”. If you’re feeling hooked already, here’s our more in-depth conversation.

Bartek: Being a trumpet player in Iceland, for an outsider, might sound a bit exotic. Can you tell us more about this experience in your life?

Daníel: Of course! I started lessons as a 9-year-old kid, mostly classical, then got interested in jazz as a teenager and formed a band with my high school mates. A few years later I was playing in all sorts of little bands around town and later formed another one called “Óregla (roughly translates as “Disorder”). That one was playing a bunch of some very ambitious compositions by me, blending in prog rock and Frank Zappa influences.

There was also a weekly jam session I frequented for a while, which got surprisingly popular, even becoming a bit of a tourist destination.

But all in all it’s been a frustrating experience. The audiences are small… I guess that’s true for jazz in any country but doubly so for Iceland. The jazz scene itself is quite insular also, and I never really felt as being a part of it.

The most successful project I’ve been involved in was a reggae band, believe or not! It’s called Ojba Rasta (the word ojbarasta means “ewww” in Icelandic, so it’s a bit of wordplay). That one got popular enough to tour the country and I have some great memories of that.

What made you switch to composing and playing electronic music?

First and foremost, COVID. COVID shut down all my musical activities at the time and isolated me at home, so I started wondering if I could actually make music by myself, without other people. To have my ideas realized in electronic form and make it compelling enough that people would want to listen.

Then I started revisiting some of the electronic music I’d loved as a teenager, and started thinking whether I could do that sort of thing. It was a really exciting time, actually. To really sit down and re-evaluate some things and start working on something completely new.

Electronic music, especially in the 90s, was an oasis of abundant styles. Which one inspired you the most?

My favorites were Aphex Twin, Squarepusher and Orbital. I always loved Squarepusher in particular because he also had that jazz going on while also being totally in control of the acid, jungle, drum and bass styles he was working with.

I also loved the funky style of Propellerheads and The Wiseguys, and The Prodigy.

Let’s talk about your latest release, an album entitled “Slow Motion Psychedelics”. Is there any particular story behind its creation?

I was being a sell-out! Just kidding… Well, not completely kidding. I wanted to try a style that is kind of current and that lofi thing seems to be everywhere. And I quite like it. There is some similarity there with the cool jazz of Chet Baker and Miles Davis, sometimes quite literally through all the sampling of old jazz music. The idea was to create that type of music but instead of using samples I would play everything. So, it also became a sort of a backdrop for some of my own straight-ahead jazz tendencies.

And then I started revisiting trip-hop as a genre, which is really the wilder 90’s version of lofi. My sister got interested at that point, and that inspired one song on the album.

After a few months working on those ideas I had material for a new album.

You combine trip hop with jazz in a very natural way. If you were to continue in this direction, what other genres would you like to include?

I’ve already done some jazzy drum and bass. I might revisit that. Or just get a little funkier, and with a little bit of a wilder sound design.

On “Forgotten Nights”, the only song on the album, you collaborate with your sister. How was this as an experience?

It was very nice. I kind of wrote it with her in mind, knowing that she’s a fan of Portishead and the like, and she connected with it immediately. It was also a relief. It can be stressful working with a family member or someone so close to you, because what if it doesn’t work out? That can put a strain on any relationship. But she had already sung with my old band (Óregla) a couple of times, and showed how serious she is about singing.

If you were to pick one Artist, dead or alive, without whom your music would not be as it is now, who would that be, and why?

Frank Zappa. He was my idol for years, in terms of approach to music and sense of humor and everything. I was so obsessed with him for such a long time that it was almost kind of embarrassing.

The final question is related to your after-album plans. Are you planning some concerts, or more new music already?

A friend of mine who is a drummer wanted to make some more lofi music with me, and that’s been on the backburner for a while. Personally, I’d like to put a band together to play that kind of stuff. There is nothing concrete yet though, just talk. Actually, I kind of wanted to see how this album goes and go from there.

I do have one song close to finished that my sister wrote, also in a trip hop style, where I’m producing. That will be out soon, I hope.

Beyond that I have a bunch of stuff in various states of completeness, but stylistically it’s all over the place and I haven’t figured out what to do with it.

I’m also a part of a little label / artist collective called CC Undefined which is more focused on IDM and experimental music. I might have something coming out with them soon.

Photos: Press release