It’s been nearly a decade since he released his first commercial track, but for Kevin Durante, there’s no time like now for another debut.
After a career of releasing singles and EPs on a variety of esteemed labels like Higher Ground/Mad Decent, Armada and Openers, Durante never released a full-length, although he admits that it’s always been an artistic dream of his. Accordingly, he’s has spent the last couple years culling together tracks for Enter, an impressive, first full-length. Set for April release on Anjunadeep, the 13-song effort is filled with diverse, but appropriately deep and groovy dancefloor sounds.
A winning mix of shimmering melodies, tough techy rhythms, pulsing vocal-house tracks, and euphoric old-school electronica flavors, Enter is one of the better electronic full-lengths of the early year. Two singles lead the way – the gleefully Underworld-ish “Hot Night” featuring HANA and the more groovy, but no less sublime “Holding On” featuring Nathan Nicolson.
Expect to hear Durante playing plenty of Enter during his set at the Anjunadeep’s party at Oasis on March 23 during Miami Music Week. We caught up with the Los Angeles-based Durante, 31, to discuss his journey and his latest debut.
DJ LIFE: Musically, what were your first influences? What made you want to pursue music?
Durante: My mom played a lot of New Order and The Cure around the house growing up. There’s pictures of me banging pots and pans together like a drum set when I was only 2. I was always fascinated by music and how it could make me feel. I remember staring at speakers and imagining a little band inside making all of the great noise. Music and sound is something I’ve always been captivated by my entire life. It wasn’t until later that I was able to channel my love of music into something more. Over time, the progression feels very natural.
DJ LIFE: What were the first DJ or electronic artists that you appreciated?
Durante: The Chemical Brothers, Aphex Twin, Cobblestone Jazz, and Cirez D.
DJ LIFE: Were you a clubber or a raver? What was the scene like where you grew up?
Durante: I was a resident opener for the raver-friendly weekly at a bar near my university in Gainesville, Fla. The scene was very accepting, and I loved being able to learn to open up a room here properly. I’ll always remember my 21st birthday when the owner of the club threw me this big party with balloons all over. Good times.
DJ LIFE: Did you learn any traditional instruments?
Durante: I started taking piano lessons at the age of 7. I stuck with it for a while, but fell off once I started learning production on a computer.
DJ LIFE: I read somewhere that Duke Ellington was a big influence on your musical approach. How does that influence show up in your musical output?
Durante: Duke Ellington’s band is amazing at keeping the general motif of an arrangement, while also quieting down to sit underneath solo elements. There’s a lot of “conversation” going on between the instruments, and I do my best to replicate this idea in my music. I think a great example of this is in my track “Reaching” from my upcoming album. The sounds come together to make a chord progression, and the different elements do a great job of following each other and really feeling “alive,” so to speak. Duke Ellington and his band were masters of making music feel alive.
DJ LIFE: Creatively, how did you approach Enter?
Durante: The album came together in a “stone-soup” sort of story. I had the skeletons for the tracks almost in about the first month or two since I started the album. When I had enough money to buy a piece of gear, I would buy it and record new parts for all the tracks. I did this up until the last month the album was due when I purchased the [Elektron] Digitone [digital synth] and recorded parts for the last few tracks I felt weren’t completely finished yet.
DJ LIFE: From my listening, the Enter album has tracks that can certainly work a dancefloor, but it also has tracks that just really fit together and connect with the others. It’s an overall listening experience, not just a collection of banging singles. In the age of singles and EPs, why an album now?
Durante: I have been releasing music under the moniker Durante for about 10 years now. I always grew up listening to albums, and in the back of my mind I knew I always wanted to make one. When I got serious about starting to work on the album, I was on the verge of turning 30. I had thought about all my hopes and dreams I had since I was a child, and the album was at the very top of the list. I knew if I put my mind to it I could make something I could be proud of. Here we are two years later, and my album, Enter, is finally being released.
DJ LIFE: The single, “Hot Night” with HANA, is a memorable track – it has a bit of a favorable Underworld vibe. How did that one come together?
Durante: I think when HANA and I write music together there’s a sort of magic that happens. It’s one of those things where the music just flows naturally, and we have a lot of the same tastes musically. I’d be lying if I said Underworld wasn’t an inspiration for the album. I feel they were really important in the growth of dance music, and still put on an amazing show to this day.
DJ LIFE: How do you work on your musical collabs? How do the connections happen and how do you execute each project?
Durante: For me, there’s generally one of two ways a musical collaboration can come together. Either I send stems back and forth with an artist until a track becomes finished… or we start the track in the same room and I’ll take it home and work on it.
DJ LIFE: Generally, what is your process for creating music? Is there a routine? Or is it more of “when the muse speaks” to you?
Durante: Funny you mention the idea of “the muse.” The first track from the album is written as an “invocation of the muse.” In general, I try to write music as often as possible. The muse can’t speak if you’re not ready to write down what it has to say. Some days, I’ll feel more inspired than others, but I take writing music quite seriously as a profession. Every day I have at home I make sure to.
DJ LIFE: From your main studio gear, what’s your DAW? Monitors? Vital hardware? Fave plug-in?
Durante: Ableton Live, ATC SCM25A monitors. My UDO Audio Super 6 and Novation Peak [synthesizers] are the centerpieces of my studio. My most-used plug-ins are a combination of ValhallaDSP and FabFilter. I think my favorite plug-in is Pedal from stock Ableton Live.
DJ LIFE: How has your music-making approach evolved? With which gear/software did you make your first tracks?
Durante: I definitely have gone more outboard in recent years. I like to mess around with my synths and record the process, taking the best parts at the end. My first piece of gear was the Korg minilogue [synth], which I used to write my songs “Split Wick” and “Maia.”
DJ LIFE: Which producer/remixers do you most admire and why?
Durante: My favorite producers at the moment are Koze and Logic1000. They have a raw and classic, timeless sound in their production. I really like when I hear a song and I can’t tell when it was made.
DJ LIFE: What’s your DJ background? How long have you been at it and what gear did you learn on?
Durante: I started DJing in university, about 12 years ago. I started with Native Instruments Traktor for the first year, but quickly switched to Pioneer DJ CDJs once I got the hang of them.
DJ LIFE: In the DJ booth now, what gear do you use and why? How would you describe your style of DJing?
Durante: I use Pioneer DJ DJM-V10 mixer and CDJ-3000 players. I really like the built-in FX on the V10 – you can make some really great build-ups on the fly.
DJ LIFE: What are a few tracks that are always in your “DJ box” and why?
Durante: The Guy J remix of Halo Varga’s “Future,” the Mambo Brothers’ “Control,” and my track “Evaporate.” These tracks fit the perfect blend of groove and melody for me. They always get a good reaction from the crowd.
DJ LIFE: Which DJs do you admire and why?
Durante: Guy J and Carl Cox. They do a really great job of keeping energy high and consistent for long periods of time.
DJ LIFE: In your view, what is a DJ’s job? What impresses you in a DJ?
Durante: I’m really impressed when a DJ can mix songs together so well you’re not sure when one ends and another begins. A lot of it has to do with song selection. If a DJ can do this consistently for three or four songs, I can just dance and lose myself in the groove.
DJ LIFE: What are your favorite venues to spin and why?
Durante: Space Miami is at the top of my list. I had the chance to play the terrace twice and they were both incredible memories. Audio in San Francisco and Sound in Los Angeles are also both favorites of mine. I’m excited to be returning to these clubs on my album tour.
DJ LIFE: What do you have on tap for Miami Music Week this year? Any big events you’re playing?
Durante: Anjunadeep party at the Oasis! I’ve come to this spot many times just to hang out, it’ll be really cool to play this event with HANA.
DJ LIFE: What’s next for you?
Durante: My album Enter comes out April 5th. I’m focusing on writing new music and edits to keep my sets fresh and exciting.