INTERVIEW: Dragonz — Music Musings & Such

INTERVIEW:

Dragonz

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I have been chatting with producer Dragonz…

about his new single, Dream Days, and working with singer Joe Bateman. He reveals how he came to meet the singer and whether he is working with Bateman again; the sort of music that drives his own creativity; what he hopes to achieve before the end of the year – Dragonz reveals three albums that mean a lot to him.

I ask the producer whether there will be any tour dates coming up and what advice he would give to new artists emerging; if there is an upcoming musician we need to get behind – I ask whether Dragonz gets any time to chill away from music.

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Hi, Dragonz. How are you? How has your week been?

Pretty good. I have been busy with the launch of our single, Dream Days, which came out on 6th July - and also been working on some new tracks.

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourself, please?

I’m a producer and songwriter based in North London. I write melodic Pop tracks and work with various featured artists.

Dream Days is the new song. What is the tale behind it?

These are pretty dark times for the world and I just wanted to write a positive, happy love song.

Was it easy putting it all together? Was the creation quite natural and fast?

The writing of the song was fairly straightforward, yes, but it took some time to get the production sounding right.

Joe Bateman is on the track. How did you come to meet him? How did you react to hearing his vocal back?

I met Joe online. He’s very talented as well as having a great voice; he plays guitar, piano; violin, mandolin and drums to a high level. I was delighted with the vocal he did on the track. It’s very beautiful and I think it is reminiscent of Sam Smith at his best.

IN THIS PHOTO: Joe Bateman

Which musicians are most important regarding your own sound? Did you get into music quite young?

Yes. I took piano lessons from an early age and did up to Grade 8 on it. I also taught myself the guitar and music production. I’ve always been a huge lover of music and have a very wide range of music that I like, from the 1950s to the present-day.

Is there going to be more material coming later this year do you think?

Yes. I’ve already recorded another track with Joe and hoping to bring that out a month or two after Dream Days comes out.

Are there going to be any tour dates coming up? Where can we see you play?

There are no tour dates arranged as yet, but would be great to be able to do that.

Is the stage somewhere you enjoy being? Is there a different sensation being out among the people as opposed to the space of the studio?

I prefer the studio myself, that’s my natural habitat, but I do enjoy playing live as well.

Do you have any ambitions to fulfil before the end of the year?

I would love Dream Days and its follow up to become a success.

Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music – the one that sticks in the mind?

I haven’t got one particular memory, but my favourite part of the songwriting and production process is when I hear vocalists singing my songs and bringing them to life - never tire of that

Which three albums mean the most to you, would you say?

That’s a difficult one because I like a huge amount of music - and also much of the music I like these days tends to be single-based. But, if pressed, I would have to say:

London Calling by The Clash; Very by the Pet Shop Boys and Hot Fuss by The Killers.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Work hard at improving your skills and never give up. It’s a very tough business and you are probably going to need to handle a lot of knock-backs before you become successful.

IN THIS PHOTO: Jon Sine/PHOTO CREDIT: KIDKUTSMEDIA l Photography

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

I’ve been listening a lot to a producer called Jon Sine recently. I like his style. He also has a great YouTube channel documenting his musical journey.

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

I’m very into travelling. I’ve been to Taiwan and Hong Kong recently. I also like sports.

Finally, and for being a good sport; you can choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

Here’s a song I really like by Max Jury (Little Jean Jacket) - remixed by Jon Sine, who I mentioned before