DJ Ditto Daark Spins Strong and True

Photo Credit: Zeyad Abouzeid

DJ Ditto Daark is the modern shaman, and his work is that fire and percussion that we find so comforting and healing. He is an introvert with a strong sense of self as well as a meticulous tastemaker, encouraging fellow creators to find their value.

The Toronto-based composer, bass/guitar player and audio technician is making waves all around the city, from Discord servers to roller skating pop ups to a space catered to aspiring artists of all forms. Guaranteed to pull you into a seemingly effortless groove, Ditto Daark possesses talents and skills many only hope to achieve.

I had the privilege to sit down and speak with the video game “nerd” (as he claims) and find out how his dreary pandemic experience led to his conscious mixing process, and what makes his art feel the most rewarding.

SPARKY: First of all, thank you very much for taking the time to meet with me. I’d like to ask you a couple questions about your music. First of all- what kinds of things are inspiring music at the moment?

D: During phase one, I guess of the pandemic lockdowns, everything- I spent a lot of time on Twitch. This is where I encountered the label Juke Bounce Work, and LA when I started DJing again. I'd actually stopped thinking it was ever going to come back and all the clubs were gone. When I started DJing again, they further opened me up to a Chicago-based sound called Footwork and Juke. I was already spinning house and bass music, which consists of house, UK garage, Bmore, techno, drum and bass and jungle. So, it's, like, all kinds of fast stuff. And I’m noticing that the tastemakers are current DJs in the Toronto scene.

A lot of the women like Bambii, Young Teesh, Chippy Nonstop, Nino Brown, those DJs are spearheading the shift in the culture where people are open to a lot more music; most people will maybe feel like it's frantic. You're getting into the rave scene and you get more respect from the UK scene where we get a lot of our sound and influence from. I'm seeing that the wave of getting this music is coming through the city and it was kind of cool. I was listening and checking it out and wanting to go and play this music, and then seeing my peers, my colleagues and my mentors also throwing this music into their sets was deeply inspiring, for sure. 

SPARKY: What was your first introduction to electronic music? 

D: My first introduction was when I was maybe nine. Daft Punk had dropped. I was late to it. It wasn't brand new.

It was an album called Discovery and it had a movie called Interstella 5555, with an animated breakdown. I heard it on Much Music for the first time, I was mystified by the animations- because I was a huge  anime fan. 

But because-being a Jamaican born, first generation immigrant- it was a lot of dancehall reggae and R&B with my sisters, then maybe some hip hop, but nothing in that dance or electronic category. And that's something I just kind of discovered on my own. I thought that was the deepest that house music would go. 

SPARKY: How important is building a relationship with the music that you're playing for your own approach? There's such an abundance of music out there? And do you believe it's possible to build meaningful long term relationships with a particular track at home? 

D: It is kind of funny because I am a bit of a nerd, a lot of times I apply video games to my life,  and, sometimes, I think about tracks as Pokémon.

When you're getting to know a track you're training yourself, but if you look at it in that analogy, you're getting into all the grooves of everything and like learning how to expand on that. When you use certain songs on a set, it's kind of like you're picking, choosing that Pokémon so they come out and battle on the dance floor. You get to build these relationships preparing for a set. I listen to the same 30 to 40 songs for two weeks, constantly, and figuring out all the different ways that I can blend them. The main place I go is a site called Bandcamp,  it’s all independent, but there are people who are well known as well it's where you find that Nelly Furtado remix that's to an R&B beat.

 SPARKY: Where do I get that?

D: You can’t Shazam it. You can really dig deep and give back to the artists who create these tracks, which is also really important to me. 

It is essential to really know your music in and out and know what's happening in every section. The first point is to know where to blend them, where to put them, or how to transition them. They are also tracks that you cherish- you've listened to them enough that you know every corner, every sound, every step, every symbol, and every synth that's in there. It all becomes part of and gets infused to you.

SPARKY: That's a really cool explanation. Did you have one that would be your Pikachu?

D: Yeah it is called “What You Gonna Ask For” by Theo Parrish. 

SPARKY: What is your creation process like?

D: For mixing, I usually start with a process of removal. I start a note, and I write down at least three words to set a mood, then add in any tempo ranges that I want to sit within, and then, I will start to put them into a playlist. 

If on the first listen, something doesn't hit immediately, then I just remove it, because it usually is too many. And then after that point, it's as I'm listening to the playlist on shuffle, I start to think about how certain tracks can go together. There are certain things that I am not really thinking about in terms of the order until after a while, when I start to rearrange it myself. And then once it's kind of set in an order, I listen to that top to bottom for at least two or three days before I'm good.  At that point I put it into the software, and then and then I start practising it. And then from there, if I can hit those transitions, then it's recording it. If there's anything that doesn't, I cut it out. 

SPARKY: Describe your sound in three words.

D: Seductive. Soulful. Ascension. 

SPARKY: How did you spend your lockdown and pandemic time? What were you able to accomplish? Before the entertainment world began to open up for in person events?

D: Phase one was quite sad. I think I played one last party. It was technically illegal or whatever.

And I truthfully felt like it was going to be a long time, longer than what we had before things opened. And if they did open, or if the world did open up again, that the industry would be toast. I don't know, it was just so silly. I had to be realistic, and when you need money to eat and to stay alive, I decided I was just gonna go and work. And so after I  played that last party, I deleted all my music. 

SPARKY: Wow. Dramatic. 

D: It was very dramatic. I didn't need to do that but I did, off of the hard drive that I was using. And then I was quite literally sulking for months, then found a regular job, but was still managing to write music, because I also play guitar and bass and I compose. So I was finding ways to stay creative. But in terms of DJing, and parties and events, I was thinking that was just not going to be a thing, I really thought it was over. And so maybe in December 2020, a friend of mine, Katarama, reached out- another fellow DJ- and she was actually starting to DJ more and wanted some tips on it. And I gave her some pointers, and then she talked to me about what kind of music she wanted to spin. And  at around the time where I was listening to that music, I wasn't thinking about DJing at all, but I was listening to the music that I used to spin and she had quite literally the same type of music that [I did] and I was like it gives me a bit of purpose or drive if there's someone else to share it with. I worked regular jobs to keep the lights on but it was through that period that I just found the drive on the path that I wanted to go. I decided, I didn't want to be playing music, that I didn't want to be playing whatever someone asked me to. If I waste my time playing this music just for the money, then I am not in it for the right reason. . I don't want to have that feeling of- nobody wants to have a feeling of regret- not living up to their standards and values. 

SPARKY: I'm happy to hear that you're really saying true to yourself, that's also something that I want to achieve. In all aspects of my life. 

D: Yeah, exactly. Your character. Strong and true. Unwavering. 

SPARKY: How do you usually prepare for your sets? Are there any rituals that you do before you start? 

D: For me to have a good set, I just get into the flow of the music in some way like to, I guess, hit that wavelength.

I do have a bad habit of adding buzzer beater additions to my folders. Like trying to squeeze in a couple of tracks here and there. Every day I’m discovering new music so leading up to the set, you're like, “oh, well, I mean, maybe you might check this one and check this one”. I kind of like to be there as early as possible. . I find I enter gigs and always  have to solve problems with equipment. It's funny because it never used to be a thing but maybe I just didn't notice it, because I wasn't working in that industry, now I'm very hyper-aware.  So I show up as early as I can, just to make sure that there aren't any hiccups, I like to be a problem solver. Otherwise, I can't say there was too much of a hard hard routine or ritual besides like, I gotta just literally get in the groove.

SPARKY:  I've seen you on your Instagram page and I know that you do plenty of sets at Open Concepts. Could you tell me about how you started building a relationship with them? And what's your favourite thing about being in that space? 

D: So Khary Safari, the dancing photographer, is the founder of Content Day, which is a production studio that runs Open Concepts. There's a collective called Blank Canvas that used to go to their events called Dead Poet, , they created a space where creatives can come together.  He had his own event going on where he had it started. From there, a DJ and dancer I met at Blank Canvas, Keston, called me out to spin to help to sub in for him. That was about five years ago now, and it's been almost monthly ever since. I was just there as the DJ at first. But, with that space at OBJX, I really needed to get it all together, set up everything and manage the board, manage the artists as well as play the music, and keep the flow of the show going. And so that it's now a bonafide production, they film everything and we record everything. So it has taken some work, yeah, to get there. But it is fulfilling, it's actually, very exciting. It's not something that I do for money, it’s really an entire community that comes together, the money just keeps the lights on so to say. What I wanted through being a part of that team is just giving artists a place to try things out to test. If you want to figure out how to perform or get into your skin or what you want to be like on stage this is the place.  It's really easy for people to get thrown off by being intimidated and thrown off by venues. You need to exercise your value, and curate things yourself. So, people can test things out and take them to the bigger venues that are outside because we know we're not like a huge stage. But it's grown into quite a big following today.

So, my favourite thing about the space, it's gotta be the regulars. It’s just, that community has given me– especially coming out of the bleak minded pandemic brain that I had earlier where I didn't think there was much to strive for–the opportunity to meet, and work with, and do sound for all these new and returning artists. Also, to witness collaborations and inquire about collaborations myself in this space that looks like it's trapped within time. Every time someone performs we ask them to give their socials and promote themselves, so we've got a master list of everyone that we've come into [contact with], and it's my goal to give back the energy and show support in every way that we can. The collaboration and community found  in that space, is for sure one of the top most favourite things… I really cherish that spot and everyone there.

SPARKY: That sounds amazing. Also, being around creatives all the time must be really fun. Yeah, I've been to that space too. That space is so cool.

D: It looks beautiful in the summertime. 

SPARKY: Yeah, I know. I actually went to try to go up there and I got called out. They said: “Um.. what are you doing? You must be new here”. 

D: I can show you, there’s a secret door [laughs]. 

SPARKY: Is there someone or something in your life that has changed your career in the music industry in a positive way? Can you walk me through their influence on you as a person and a creative individual?

D: I got that push when I met my current manager, Paradise Pria, who has been a monumentally positive presence in my life and career over the past year. She’s always reminding me of my value, keeping tabs on my tricky calendar, and is quite talented at pushing through doors you’d think are closed. Her strong sense of self helps me stay confidently locked into the vision. I’d have a small fraction of the gigs I got to experience without her and I’d likely still be toiling at my dead end job. A true, bonafide hustler who is bound for greatness, I absolutely love her to pieces. She is my soul rider. 

SPARKY: I was wondering if you could tell me how you got started playing at the roller skating pop up.

D: I went to SUSO for the first time to skate with Khary because he knows Janine and we had briefly talked. I'm naturally introverted, which is crazy because I picked the entertainment industry– or rather, it picked me. I wanted to talk to Janine (Co-founder of SUSO Skate Co.) about DJing, and there was  already a DJ. I initially thought there was no room for me, but after a brief conversation and an instagram follow, here we are.

So, Fuse. Fuse Neon. Paradise is connected to Fuse, and they needed a DJ for the Italian Contemporary Film Festival. I started spinning with them for two weeks and I said, “I'm not going to call SUSO until I'm done with this”.  

I finished the festival and was just about to ping Suso, and luckily enough they had an opening. I locked that in immediately. From there, it was just kind of throwing me in wherever they needed it and where it fit. 

SPARKY: It worked out for you. Here you are, making waves.

D: Hoping to!

SPARKY: Your name is on a couple of posters for Vibe Town. Could you tell me a bit about being a part of that space and what it means to you?

D: Vibe Town is very special to me, it was started by another Juke Bounce Work member named DJ Elise, a cherished friend of mine who I met over Twitch, Vibe Town is like her streaming channel. It's her channel but also a Discord server. I was watching her sets religiously. She created the Discord server and there's everything in there: if you need help with mental health, if you need assistance with production, if you want to just chat about food she’s got something for that too. There's just such a loving community of people, of DJs and producers and creatives, and there's no egos there. 

I have a very big dream to have her come here and host a Vibe Town here. It's just an online space that a friend curated that is very deeply important to me to protect. Shout out to Elise!

SPARKY: Exactly. All right, well, actually, that leads into my next question. What would be your dream place to play a set?

D: Well, there's a legendary venue, but it seems kind of typical. I would love to play in Japan,  I've always appreciated how much they've got there in terms of versatility. There's a dance hall scene out there; footwork as well,  if I could find some way over to Tokyo, that would be amazing. Other than that, really, it would be kind of cliche,  but LA, Chicago, and New York.Just because house music was born out of Detroit and Chicago,like footwork and techno, it would make sense to go back to where it began. . 

SPARKY: Well, now it's in the universe. You put it out there- you manifested it just by saying that and it will live online forever. Did you have any more in mind?

D: I would love it if I could somehow bring the electronic elements to my home country of Jamaica and have a festival or something where it's palatable to them, where it's not just like the island's music. If I could throw a rave, if I could do it in Jamaica. There's definitely an offshore island somewhere that I can figure out. You're invited.

SPARKY: Amazing. I appreciate the invite and I will be there. What is the most rewarding thing about sharing your sound with everybody?

D: To me, the most rewarding thing is being able to engage with people. Music is a very spiritual experience, and in some ways being a musician can be meditative and shaman-esque. When I go to see other sets, I want to feel their music and release my energy, along with dancing of course. The way the heavy percussion used by spiritual leaders healed people through a sonic journey is impressive. As a DJ I can see people going through that experience, and losing themselves to the experience. Altering their state of mind through sounds and rhythm, and being able to see the audience's experience is incredible.

I don’t like to gate-keep my work, it’s an old mentality in the industry and I think it’s wrong. My goal is to bridge sounds and cultures together, erasing boundaries and joining people together. There’s no specific sound that is better than the other, everything is related and connected. We’re all just human and music is set to guide us and act as a bonding element.

A comedian made a joke–I think it was Russell Peters–who said everyone's just going to be beige at one point. Limitations don’t exist in my sets, and everyone is welcome, we’re just tearing down those boundaries in the name of the dance floor.

SPARKY: Is there anything we can, as fans, look forward to in the next coming year? 

D: I am working on an event series that will be at OBJX Studio. If you are a fan of Electric Circus and Boiler Room, if you like that kind of stuff, it will combine those things. So, yeah, let's just say I'm working on an event series that's coming in.  In April, there is an event called Culture Core that is going to be another series that's coming out that I'm quite excited for. I also have a secret project coming out in July, and finally, I have an EP slated for myself to release by August 1st.

SPARKY: Thank you. I very much appreciate all of your answers. You're such an intuitive, intellectual with an undeniable bright energy. I'm very honoured to have spoken with you and learn about your story.

This interview has been edited for clarity. 

Written By Kimberly Moon-Chong