Danny Olson is bestowing the world with another production, this time he’s releasing on Seeking Blue and has built in a theme that’s deeply personal and touching within the music. Fantasy driven and highly imaginative, the emotional vibes going on with this one will grip you from the start and hold your attention all the way until the end.
The single focuses on the worst phase of Danny Olson’s life, his Dad passed away and flipped his world upside down. Making a long story quite short, this track is some of the silvering lining of the moment and represents Danny moving on and making productive moments be apart of his life, even though he has genuine hardships going on. A brave dude!
Between the brass inclusions, basslines, and soothing synth works, theres a ton to love in a track that means a lot.
“In the beginning, shortly after my Dad died, I found myself experiencing brief periods of relief from the almost constant sadness. These moments felt like I was waking up out of a bad dream. Positivity, inspiration, and a feeling of it all being okay would shine through. The grieving process, I learned early on, is not linear. Acceptance and ‘waking up’ from the nightmare can happen randomly, at different times, and for different amounts of time, just as an EP about grief can have a transcendent, euphoric first chapter. What comes after that, though, is a mystery.” – Danny Olson
Danny Olson took the time to chat with up about his Seeking Blue release, making music, tips, and more.
Before we get into your Seeking Blue release – let’s take things back to the start of the year when you dropped Club Cinema. How was releasing that project independently and how is it different from what we’re getting with this upcoming EP?
Oh man, it’s completely different. A lot of the steps are inherently the same, from finishing masters, to distribution, to asset creation, but the entire process behind a self release relies solely on you and your team (management). With a label, like Seeking Blue, you have an entire infrastructure that assists with, advises on, and wholly constructs the narrative with you, and also finances the majority of the elements that require money. I financed Club Cinema in its entirety, on my own, solely bearing the financial risk against its success. Ideally, a label is best at what they do for a reason – so that you can focus on the music and then can help you bring that music (and story) to life in the most effective way.
“Waking Up” is your first single with this new EP. What does the song mean to you and how did it come to be?
In the beginning, shortly after my Dad died, I found myself experiencing brief periods of relief from the almost constant sadness. These moments felt like I was waking up out of a bad dream. Positivity, inspiration, and a feeling of it all being okay would shine through. The grieving process, I learned early on, is not linear. Acceptance and ‘waking up’ from the nightmare can happen randomly, at different times, and for different amounts of time, just as an EP about grief can have a transcendent, euphoric first chapter. I expressed this all to Becca in a session together and we wrote ‘Waking Up’ around this sense of escape from the sadness – almost like being able to remember the happy moments and focusing on those, for a period of time.
This whole project centers around one of the most emotional parts of your life – the passing of your father – can you give us some insight on what you found surprising during the creative process for the EP? How did it differ from your usual process?
While my writing process always strives to be authentic and truthful, this process is authentic and truthful in a much more intense and emotional way. There are times in collaborative environments where someone really wants to write about an experience close or familiar to them. Sometimes you don’t resonate much with it but you roll with it anyways, sensing their authenticity and wanting to encourage and amplify it. I’ve been on the latter side countless times, but this was the first time where I felt like my collaborators didn’t know exactly what I was going through. Nevertheless, they supported me, encouraged me and helped shape my story. It was truly a gift.
Seeking Blue is a fantastic label – how’d you get hooked up with them and how has it been working with them in putting together everything that goes into creating an EP with a story like this?
They truly are. They’re incredibly supportive, insightful, organized, and compassionate. From our first conversations, I knew their involvement would be crucial to the impact and success of this story. I sensed their eagerness to get involved right away, but not to impress any sort of control, as labels sometimes do. They’ve let me be me throughout the entire process, while also remaining hands-on and attentive to our every need.
Without giving too much away… what else can we expect from this EP?
This EP depicts my grieving process as I went through something so universal, yet so personal at the same time. The loss of a loved one. Each song is a chapter in grief, though maybe not in ways you’d expect. I hope the rest of the EP can lend a vulnerable and accessible account of what I felt over the past year; one that hopefully [and sadly] many people can and will relate to. I hope it will be an insight into what I went through, while also bringing comfort and understanding to those who need it. I’ve also got a couple songs with big vocalists and another track with David Frank who I’m always happy to work with.
As a composer you come from a unique perspective – are there any producers out there that have really caught your ear that you’d like to work with?
Absolutely.. I really admire some of the pioneers of the bass movement.. Illenium, Dabin, Seven Lions, Nurko, Trivecta to name a few. A lot of producers are composers within their own right! The balance between composition and production can oftentimes be indefinable.
Do you have any quick tips you’d like to share to any fellow producers out there who are looking to stand out with their work?
Yes, it’s simple in theory, yet incredibly complicated to execute and develop: be yourself and trust yourself. Chase that feeling of excitement that comes from finding the right chord, hitting the right note or polishing the right mix. You’ll know it when you feel it. That feeling will make you keep chasing, and keep wanting to get better. There’s no perfect answer to finding your own sound – it comes with years and years of energy and effort. But eventually, you’ll know when you find it.
Last question… What’s your biggest goal for the rest of the year?
My biggest goal is to get out there more in front of my fans, from a live perspective. I have a ton of exciting collabs, projects and releases even beyond this one, and I want to show everyone how I’m going to change the live performance space in a major way. My hope is that I can keep procuring more opportunities to bring my live show to fans so that they can experience my music in concert.
Connect with Danny Olson
https://www.facebook.com/DannyOlsonMusic/
https://twitter.com/dannyolsonmusic
https://www.instagram.com/dannyolsonmusic/
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