David is from London, and he signs his work under the artist name Daverage J. Normal or DJN. He finds inspiration mostly just cooking away in the back of his mind and from noodling around with synths, generally leaning towards a retro-futuristic and science fiction vibe. Daverage J Normal has a very simple process, power on, mess about, oh, he likes that, let's evolve it. He writes music because he feels a need to express part of himself and connect with others. His focus is on music production especially synthesis and sound design. David likes to think his sound is retro-futuristic.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
What strengths do you have that you believe make you a great musician?
I wouldn’t go as far to say I’m a ‘great’ musician, but you do need a certain strength of character to maintain productivity levels in ensuring that you can find good tracks within all the sometimes-questionable ideas that come up creatively. Right now, my biggest strength is the routine I’m following for making music. At the very least, I will work on something for at least 30 minutes every day. I’m up at 5am and after having made some coffee, I will sit down and have a creative burst.
Who inspired you to make music?
I come from a musical family so have been surrounded by musicians my whole life, I can’t pin a finger on who specifically inspired me to do it, just that I don’t really understand a way of life where you wouldn’t do it.
Your latest track is 'Incredulous'. Can you share with us the background of its creation and did any unusual things happen during its creation?
Believe it or not, the story behind its creation is a process of experimentation, exploration and seeking a feeling of having fun through a process. The many guises of electronic music and production provide a plethora of avenues for expression and discovery. It started with a 4 to the floor kick and off beat rolling bass, a little bit of a keyboard noodle and grew from there.
What is your creative process like?
Sometimes it is a defined process, as in “I want to do this today, with that” other times its very much a let’s see what happens. There are days when everything slips into place seamlessly and others where a closed mindset can take over, where nothing is good enough and that can feel like fighting a brick wall. The main part of the process is to have ideas often and act on them.
What is the most surprising fact you’ve learnt about yourself?
Nothing springs to mind, though that would suggest I’m potentially very dull, which would be a surprise.
Do you think that education is important?
Without a doubt!
What is one message you would give to your fans?
Thank you for listening and be kind to one another.
How do you feel the Internet has impacted the music business?
Well, at risk of going into a lengthy essay on this one…. The net benefit for the music ‘business’ has been positive. The whole idea of a business is to make money, and the usual suspects, the big 4, seem to be doing fine in that regard, to the tune of billions, apart from that murky Napster in the late 90s, they seem to have recovered fine…
The net benefit for artists has also been positive, we can access new audiences globally, independently, and engage directly with our communities at the swipe of a button.
What do you think is the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen or experienced?
I am a father of 2, and these early years are full of beautiful moments.
What are your plans for the future?
Carry on making music every day and see where life takes me. Nothing grander than that really. Success for me is not hitting the daily commute Monday to Friday while having time to be a parent and make music. I seem to be there already if you ask me. That and world domination, muahahaha…