Hailing from Breda in the Netherlands, the hometown of legendary tiësto, Dannic aka Daan Romers has managed to step forward as a worldwide respected artist, worthy of his heritage of origin. He began his career by working closely with hardwell back in 2012, while getting involved with his prestigious label, Revealed Recordings. After releasing most of his productions on Hardwell's imprint, Dannic established his own label, Fonk Recordings, which has sparked his current phenomenal rise to fame even more. Viralbpm caught up with him for an interview, discussing about his past and present – including upcoming releases, his relationship with Hardwell, his new fan-portal Dannicated.com and the evolution of his sound!
V1: It's been over a year since you've launched your own imprint, Fonk Recordings. What inspired you to establish the label, which part of its creation was the most difficult and which has been your favorite release till now?
Dannic: I think the most difficult has been sorting through all the demo's we receive –for real– haha! I receive hundreds a day and have a great team that also help me go through them, the response has been overwhelming and for us to be getting support from guys like Axwell & Ingrosso is insane. It would be too difficult to name my favourite track, I only release a track if I'm really into it and feel it represents what Fonk is about so I'll say out first release with HIIO – ‘Funky Time'.
V2: Can you elaborate on your transition from a DJ to producer and now to a label owner? Which are the impacts it had on your career/life?
Dannic: I was DJ'ing for many years before I began touring and then producing. The progression from DJ to producer felt very natural for me, like it was totally the next step. I've always received great support; the encouragement from my peers and the labels I've released on in the past so the transition was pretty smooth! I was fortunate but crafting a name for yourself can be difficult in the beginning. My journey wasn't without it bumps!
V3: Who has been your favorite artist to work with and with whom would you like to collaborate in the near future?
Dannic: The answer to both questions is Fedde Le Grand! He's always been a hero of mine. I was super excited and honoured to jump into the studio with him recently – we have a very special collab in the pipeline dropping soon…
V4: You've begun your career by working closely with Hardwell since 2012 and you've also joined Revealed miami 2017 Line Up. What's your relationship after 5 years with your Dutch native in the electronic music industry?
Dannic: We're great friends! I owe a lot to Hardwell and Revealed Recordings and it's great to go back and play with them. Even though we are both artists in our own right with our own agendas, he's like a brother to me. Being part of Revealed's party in Miami was super cool!
V5: Dannic, how would you describe your sound to people who haven't heard your music nowadays? Has it evolved these last few years and to which direction/genre?
Dannic: 100%! I'm still making electro, big-room sounds but these definitely have more of a groove-tipped edge and funky melodies. It's always been about the groove for me. I'm super inspired by Motown and to feed in that influence but also not alienate my other tastes – as well as my audience! – is important to me.
V6: Yourself, Tiësto and Hardwell all come from Breda in the Netherlands. How has this city influenced you musically?
Dannic: Coming from Breda has influenced me so much. Electronic music runs through Breda like nothing I've ever seen. The pride for this kind of art that The Netherlands has is off the scale, so that is always inspiring to see, even across many generations.
V7: You've recently released your new track ‘Fonk It Up', which is currently climbing the charts. What are your next projects on Fonk Rec that you've got coming up? Any other interesting news that you would like to share with our readers?
Dannic: We've dropped our Miami EP for Miami Music Week, while my collab with Fedde dropping soon. Some exciting surprises to be found on my new fan-portal Dannicated.com, a lot of releases and touring! You can keep up with everything over at djdannic.com and my Facebook and Twitter!
