Episode 4 : Dan Doherty (Darklands Audio Recording Studio)

Before Christmas last year, I met up with Dublin based producer Dan Doherty down at his recording studio, ''Darkland Audio''. 

Located in the creative hub known as ''The Chocolate Factory'' Dan has worked hard over the years to set up and create one of the best new studios in the city. And I was delighted that he took time out from his busy schedule to allow me to come down have a chat.

Dan and I go way back. We were in various bands together (Sickboy / Ghost Estates) for ten plus years and shared many fun times.

Since then, he has gone on to be a producer in demand and has worked with many artists and on many various projects while raising his family and setting up Darklands.

So it was great to meet and have a proper catch-up face to face. Be warned, though, in this episode, the language is very blue. So if you are sensitive, you have to be wanted  !!

Enjoy 



http://darklandsaudio.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAnKeCBhDPARIsAFDTLTKCD8xbQss0IyzLRKuncnkzKt78eAjDn9jmx9F-hqLhteGZQJjIR3UaAlwJEALw_wcB



http://www.chocolatefactory.ie/darklands-audio



https://www.instagram.com/darklandsaudio/?hl=en



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcSFh7NVZt4&ab_channel=DanielDohertyDanielDoherty



https://www.breakingtunes.com/creativecrime1



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hthrbns5scs&ab_channel=TheRawSessions



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GO8BvL87eks&t=6s&ab_channel=LorcanFinnegan



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiQTKbHASsM&ab_channel=DanielDohertyDanielDoherty

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:09

The sound of my own voice

Speaker 2 0:11

As probably when you listen back to it, this is the thing it's just like, Aw, man, where she sound like that. Oh, squeaky and,

Speaker 3 0:20

I think I've got some folk at knives on mine, a coffee, just me. How fans, can you keep all these?

Speaker 1 0:26

Yeah.

Speaker 2 0:35

Welcome to another episode of life's questions answered and hope everybody is keeping it safe and well out there. And today's guest is the fantastic Dole based producer in demand. Daniel Dardy. Uh, Daniel wants his own studio at dark lands, audio recording studio down in the crate of hope at a chalk factory found in the city center. And, um, it's really gone from strength, strength studio, as well as dance. You know, he's, uh, he's really in demand. He's worked for everybody from the foreign teens, all be Trice Dame-o see slow rides and worked on various film scores. So scrape crime and broken arrow. And you also want his own band crave crime and air during the process of finishing off their debut album. Um, but Dan's also a really good friend of mine. We go way back. We were various bands back in the day, um, go States and sick boy and have many fun times get and a lot of fond memories. And, uh, it was just great to catch up, put him a metal plume in the studio before Christmas. And, um, over the interview, we were a sharpened T, which we'll hear. Sorry about that. And it was this a course called catch up and let's go forward and I'll put it up with a good, good friend. Um, another thing about this podcast now is that there is a lot of swearing in it. So you have been warned if you are faint-hearted and bought out. It's not too bad, but anyway, no photo, no chart for me here is done.

Speaker 1 2:08

So we're recording. We're recording. Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 2 2:14

Thanks a million down for having us in dark lands. No worries. How are you, what have you been up to

Speaker 3 2:20

Am just working away with various, um, Chancy as usual Irish music scene

Speaker 2 2:28

And you've, if you've had a busy, um, go to this the eight this year for you so far, like this being an idea for you, like any important.

Speaker 3 2:36

Yeah, no, it started off like, um, started off pretty good working with loads of different cool artists from, from around Ireland. And then obviously COVID here and, I just had, I was closed for like four months, four and a half months now. I think things on Paris shapes things when ops. So, um, but I used that time to build while we're sitting in there, this big brothel look, the control room.

Speaker 4 3:05

I've been in it since like I was helping lift planks down.

Speaker 3 3:10

I lost the phone. Hey, you came to the rescue and it's like, I lost your phone for the pleasure.

Speaker 4 3:18

It looks on rail. Like, yeah.

Speaker 3 3:21

I'm very happy with it. Yeah. And I'm very nice. Everything's there. It's definitely just a better space to make music and chill out. Like my old control room was a bit like a hot price now that I think back, what did[inaudible] yeah, yeah. Be grinds. Yeah. So exactly. Yeah.[inaudible] Sophia just definitely knows her to do it is so locked down was a combination of tear my hair and then having some great time with the kids and all of us.

Speaker 4 3:51

You've been busy since it's been back open. Yeah. Yeah. Since it's been back,

Speaker 3 3:55

I called and asked for a better start, like, uh, to be honest, when I opened back off, he was in, I think TV people. They were the first and they were the first people back after lockdown and I didn't have my control room glass in. So there was a big to me or Wired's hole in the wall and they also shot a video. They shot a video for it and I was real paranoid. I was like, awful, can you just can show a video was while right. I don't get any of the, you know, wow. Hanging in fork and everywhere. And then they showed me a call, a video and there's a big, dirty shot looking. And I was like, I was like, it. Like, I don't, I didn't give a bollix like Charlemagne, but it's just funny. Yeah.

Speaker 4 4:42

And, um, another album that you been working on is a slow rides.

Speaker 3 4:46

Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Very, very excited about that records. It's like that data vast on sign by hand. I think hands down the corn genome, I don't know anyone that comes close. Um, in that terms, I just think they are very, very, uh, unique kind of

Speaker 4 5:05

Different style, completely different. Yeah.

Speaker 3 5:09

They're just animal bond and rafters are, you know, just as vocals makes the hair stand up on, on the back of my neck, you know? So,

Speaker 4 5:19

So I can call them sledgehammers when it's like, what the hell?

Speaker 3 5:24

Yeah. So hopefully they get, and they get to do a lot of shows at some stage over the next while. How do we know each other done? We know each other since I met my brother, I walked into my bedroom when I was, I think I was probably 14. And you were friends with my brother. And it was like, who are my little brother's mates? You have folk inside barns and the head side to grab them. They had full conside burns now little did I know that little did I know 20 years later I was still able to walk and be able to grow sideburns. But anyway, I was quite worried at a fact and my little brother's mates had so burns, but he just had all the albums on the bed. I remember. And it was all like Beals and stone roses and all that kind of stuff. So that was the first time probably we met.

Speaker 4 6:19

I was there. I was in a band with your younger brother.

Speaker 3 6:21

That's right. Yeah. Sorry. He is replaying the bike as well as like, if we're brave friends with Tony's did everything together.

Speaker 4 6:28

You're a bit ahead of me in skills, but two years or a year[inaudible] so you were like the older brother. Yeah. You were kept back about eight years or so because they were, and then eventually we had been in a band.

Speaker 3 6:49

Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Um, I started playing music, um, after yourselves and Evan and all, I got drums and had a little band of my mates. And then I think at our skill and PSN employed, Mr.[inaudible],

Speaker 4 7:06

Mr. Martin, come

Speaker 3 7:07

To me. It's the wrong time. Yeah. I seen you playing bass. I think we need a bass player. And I was like, I asked you, I think in the Jackson, in the jail

Speaker 4 7:18

Smoke break came open the hell of your[inaudible].

Speaker 3 7:27

Oh yeah. And then you came around and then a few weeks later come[inaudible] come down and, and then

Speaker 4 7:33

Boy, he was born. He was born

Speaker 3 7:37

Mika share with the motorway, meet me here.

Speaker 4 7:43

Yeah. And that was started at all for me. Yeah.

Speaker 3 7:46

Yeah. That was the star of some gas for continuously phony.

Speaker 4 7:52

Only things go crack. So we're going to make a star on this. Yeah, cool. There's no right or wrong answer. It's just like, whatever, whatever. You're whenever you're thinking, like she's fake four questions.[inaudible] what's your favorite curse word? boy.

Speaker 3 8:22

Yeah. I dunno. It just feels right.

Speaker 4 8:23

Every time she has satisfaction saying multiple uses. Yeah.

Speaker 3 8:29

Calms me for a

Speaker 4 8:31

Split second. You can use any.

Speaker 3 8:33

Yeah. Just so I can assess the situation, length, outward word.

Speaker 4 8:38

What's next. Um, so you're obviously a creative person. You're a producer and musician and you'd be known being involved with loads of different projects. And um, you know, can you remember where and when the crave spark start starting you? Um, I

Speaker 3 8:56

Don't know. I guess like I just, um, I just, I was kind of PR like pressured into book my mates to get a drum kit. Cause they all have guitars, so I got drones and there Dennis was obsessed with them. Yeah. I just really, once I got them, I was like, this is what I'm going to do. everything else.

Speaker 4 9:15

So was a big moment. Like, well,

Speaker 3 9:17

Daphne I knew like I was like, I know it was quite goddess sports and all that, like before, like the basketball and was marred intra and, uh, Josia, I guess it was turned the age as well, 15 like cans and birds were already happening. And I was like, rock and roll. You know, here we go. It's only going to be Palm trees and jet-skis for now. Didn't quite turn out that way. Let's go, Craig. And how did you move on? Like, you know,

Speaker 4 9:47

You've been a trauma, you've been a Forman and a producer, like, you know, how'd you procrast on sort of things like,

Speaker 3 9:55

Um, I, I think the second thing I got hard was a base because my brother, Aaron, he, uh, had a base in the house and he was going to sell it. I was like, don't sell it. I bought it off him. So I was tapping away on there and I was shy on the Apple. That was definitely the first time I wrote a song. I was on the base. I remember listening to make, had given me on the world, no dog, no bass on my head, man and forking at dirty APIC was on that. And I remember listening to that and I think there's only electri nose in the whole thing. And I was able to pick it out on the babysitter and I was like, hell. Like the whole song is like just built around those three notes. And I think I started poking around with a program called reason around that time, like program and drums. I also went to college as well to do it like, so eventually I went to pulse. I mentored for a year for like, I was soulful can stand for that whole Aaron's desperately, but I was very much concentrating on like, you know what we were doing, like it with the bond. Like there was a kind of just a thing to do and yeah, well, to be able to keep the buying gong because that's how I wanted to do it.

Speaker 5 11:08

What's so spoken, played music and yeah.

Speaker 4 11:18

What is your perfect idea of happiness

Speaker 5 11:22

And

Speaker 3 11:23

My perfect idea of happiness. I dunno. Um, like I don't know. Pretty happy right now. Like, you know what I mean? Um, yeah. Yeah. I'm really happy. Like, like, um, while I'm doing as a job and I'm very lucky have a lowly family shelter long soar from Lisa, they're just taken by me and then, and the two kids, melody Pixi are happy, outsource. They're all happy. I'm happy to, you know,

Speaker 4 11:58

[inaudible] the most admire.

Speaker 3 11:59

I know. I would say, I'd say like, my mom is a pretty, you know, inspirational character and raising the three boys by herself in the eighties and nineties. You know what I mean? Seeing all my that's pretty. Yeah. She's pretty inspirational character. Definitely. Yeah. You know, she's very selfless. Like he always puts everyone else first. So I guess I'm definitely not as good as her as that, but she's yeah.

Speaker 4 12:25

What is the quality that you most admire in a person?

Speaker 3 12:28

I like it when people just, don't just like kind of chase what they want to do, dreams. Like, do you know what I mean? Just chase that dude that do chase, like, and just, you know, cause there's so much pressure on you from the forking society and other people like to just, you know, toe the line, you know, and just do this. And, and so people that don't really give off on the old dream too fast, you know what I mean? Don't they give it a good goal. Like, you know, what

Speaker 4 12:59

Is your greatest regress?

Speaker 3 13:01

Sick boy, nothing poking out coppers. I genuinely that nor a genuine, he died. I'm not saying that because your hair bothers me a lot. Like, what were we at? Like

Speaker 4 13:20

We had songs we were going for ages. Why don't we do? And we had like EPS and things floating around

Speaker 3 13:26

DPS. I'm trying to say, the time. Like you want to record song, especially now like record four and five songs and pulled them out one at a time, but do an album for the love of God.

Speaker 4 13:40

That much really gets

Speaker 3 13:41

It in the noise. The Pierce out me. I just think like, what the? I know we were busy and we got lucky to get abroad and play and like absolutely deadly times. Well, I just don't understand why we didn't deal. We had like about 11 tunes cards and about 20 studio, it was over, never sounded like a record. That was it. That was the problem.

Speaker 4 14:04

We did have a team. When we went over to the States, we put all the songs together.

Speaker 3 14:08

That's right. Yeah. A half day. I actually have that. Yeah. But as running[inaudible]

Speaker 4 14:18

Yeah, that is annoying. What needs to be just the ghost thing?

Speaker 3 14:23

That's it? That was the comeback wasn't there. That the opposite way. No gigs did an album.

Speaker 4 14:30

That was a really good way to do it. It was cool.

Speaker 3 14:33

And they haven't done an album in seven years. Non-urban

Speaker 4 14:38

If you had, could choose, where would you like to live?

Speaker 3 14:42

Where would I like to live? Right. So I want to try to get a GAF. So I just want to live in dorm. I love I North on the North side. It's open. Yeah. And yeah, I've done so much. Like I just like the people, what do you mean? Just the crack? Like just it's an old, like, there's just this self-deprecating

Speaker 2 15:06

[inaudible] sense of humor. Isn't there.

Speaker 3 15:07

Oh, a hundred percent. Yeah. Yeah. So yeah. I dunno. Like I have traveled, I haven't traveled as much as assuming my friends, Germany and definitely

Speaker 6 15:29

[inaudible]. What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Speaker 3 15:33

Greatest achievement is keeping this place alive for the last eight years. Wow. Yeah. Well, eight years since we moved into this room. Yeah. And, uh,

Speaker 2 15:45

I remember when we knew when it was like, it was a completely different, all of a sudden it was like a there's over there, his basement wasn't there. What was there originally?

Speaker 3 15:55

Oh, I don't think. And, and had been in this part of the building for a long time, because it was so dumb to put the rest of the building open till 2007 was like, it's a last use. Anyway. It's been many things. What was it? Kings in rack ARDS is how it was basically store and files and all that sort of basement would have been Nazi. It was for that, you know, cause it was damp and, but like I came, I think two, I came after recording owns bands, dinner party. And I had, I think I had like 500 quid or something and I was just like,[inaudible] Lakeway in and our work, like I was like paint people's gaffs working at munchies working. Stuart's our gigs everything for three years. Like, yeah. Like it was just in and out or, and I was just like, this. I had that bit of cash. And I went looking on daft and I seen the chocolate factory, like to, to do a studio or whatever. And I seen the chocolate factory and they had the big windows. I was like, Oh my God, look a studio windows. That'd be amazing. And I got here. I was like wearing a suit and all the landlord's steel slides. And he was like, dude, it look like for NoDa, you look like Harry Potter. He said, right. Cause he looked about tan and you're in this role conceal. Right. And it came down the stairs and what's what was the original direct lines. Now it's obviously a little bit extended since COVID and had been taken like 20 minutes earlier. And I was like, look, I'm looking to set up a recording studio. It was like, boom. Also in a band. So I'll take this for con room hair. But if that comes off, I want it and the room next door. And he was like, okay, all right, grant. And this was basically this, the room I took as a rehearsal room was a pile of bricks in a hallway. Like he hadn't built the wall to separate it from the hall. So I think I brought you as our own to see it. And he's nearly killed me.

Speaker 4 17:50

It was, it was like a completely different look in the room. Like it was, it was mud and it was like a pike in there. Like

Speaker 3 17:58

There was our source to show it in here. Yeah. And you know, the, the engines down to the hallways today is a bit of a dome, but yeah, that was it. And then eventually, eventually the room became available. And I dunno if it felt like the biggest struggle anyway, like, you know what I mean? Because it was like, literally I think maybe I'm paranoid, but I think sometimes when people come in, I don't know, they like to see it as big huge room and think like, Oh, he's a little[inaudible] unless you started it. So I need earliest and today's he wanted and get into music reduction around. I literally started this on the doll with 500 quids with a young baby at home. And I had no money after I paid him. I paid him now 500 quid. And I had not, no, after that, I had not, there was no door on the street. There's no door into the rooms. There was no electricity, the welders one light switch. He was in the hall for the whole basement. So yeah, I'm very proud of that. I'm I'm a bit rambling here, but

Speaker 4 19:04

Talk away, let me turn this into a proper successful business like that, you know, loads of good stuff has come out of it over the years. And it's like tonight, even amazing achievements, like what it was originally, what it is now, it was like out all of your own crafts. Like

Speaker 3 19:21

Yeah, no, I'm very, very proud. Very proud of, I kiss the ground of it when I come here. So yeah, no, I really love it because I've done every, every job conceivable I've worked in fork in like millions of poems, hotels, couple of different supermarkets earn it's print and factory shout out to Liam still probably one of the worst jobs I've ever had. And I do appreciate it for me. And I've had the bar. It was like, it was just a big machine. So I'm going to paint the picture for all the listeners here. Massive warehouse, massive clock on the other side as well. So you could literally see the seconds taken and like the machine's spot with this one board. And I lifted it literally like from my left to my right, like it didn't really have to stand up if I didn't want that eight hours a day. And he was as a column, you were in Spain, you were in Spain. I was in Spain, living in law. I did my time with Brian room, prison, lift and barns.

Speaker 4 20:34

Like, like it was a kind of a lawyer when I was doing it was like

Speaker 3 20:38

The clock, but you could not look

Speaker 4 20:42

Okay. I'm looking at the clock and about like half an hour easy, like, and look over and it's only five minutes

Speaker 1 20:50

Go for it. If God exists, what would you like him to say to you when you arrive at the gig? What's the story down there. Get the Oaks big tray.

Speaker 3 21:20

And he's like, you've been telling him to priority.

Speaker 1 21:26

Uh,

Speaker 4 21:26

What do you most dislike about it?

Speaker 3 21:28

Your parents? Um, that's a weird question. My big

Speaker 1 21:33

Good.

Speaker 3 21:37

That just keeps growing the old art. He knows, you know? And[inaudible] like, no, you'll never look at me the same wearing a pair of Ray-Ban wafers or any glasses. You know, those fake glasses you got with the fake nose. Yeah. And I put on glasses. That's what it looks like to me.

Speaker 4 21:56

It's like a Michael Jackson has got their thing in your head. Like, yeah,

Speaker 3 22:00

I'm going to get the Michael Jackson bod. And I was going to say, that's a class now, which historical

Speaker 4 22:06

Do you most identify with? Or like, you know, who do you Moira?

Speaker 3 22:11

And like, Jesus, like, I like a lot like of producers, but like, you know, like sometimes it's like the people and their work are two very different things like Jeremy and like, so like, like they're like. I mean that I've done like work that I think is amazing. Like, like feels back there for a while. And I just love his work and he was just crazy. Constantly

Speaker 4 22:42

Dodgy Fokker, like shot

Speaker 3 22:43

Someone in the face, like locking up his kids and. Yeah.

Speaker 4 22:48

But John LAN

Speaker 3 22:50

Incurred the same thing, you know what I mean? So I was hired to separate the people from their work. Do you think that you can, like, I dunno,

Speaker 4 23:02

Can you enjoy it if you know that about them?

Speaker 3 23:05

Yeah. Well, they find more than I find it hard as Morrissey now. Like with the, all the bop Alex's[inaudible] and then like I was walking through town and I heard everyday he's like,[inaudible] stick this on. Now,

Speaker 4 23:28

What words or phrases do you overuse for folks? Like,[inaudible].

Speaker 3 23:38

Oh yeah. Ross sessions out on RT telling my man all of that was going to be on the tele and like everyone to watch it. And then it came on on every word out me, man. I was like. And four

Speaker 4 23:50

sake. everyone. I use that a lot as well. Yeah.

Speaker 3 23:55

Ah. It's just like, it's kind of like it's an L folk and classic isn't it.

Speaker 4 24:00

But some people, some people would kind of be like kind of sensitive to it. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. You don't realize that people kind of be like, Whoa. Yeah.

Speaker 3 24:08

Yeah. I've seen it. Yeah. There's been a couple of people in here lately. I think they were taken aback by me curves and all the time. I won't say who they say they didn't say it to me. I just knew by the look on their face that they were kind of like there was making them easier. Well, that's crazy and grown man.[inaudible] don't be a dope. They were actually kind of being parallel. Like I was definitely just being the usual. There's four Alex folks there.

Speaker 4 24:40

Okay. Yeah.

Speaker 3 24:44

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be change wanting about myself?

Speaker 4 24:52

Um,

Speaker 3 24:53

You could change one thing about myself. It would be to not worry as much, I guess, or your worry or like, yeah. Like I I'm pretty chilled most of the time, but yeah. Sometimes I go through phases basically where I'd be like worried at all and then, you know, grind for a while. You know, can't start like, I guess everyone's got got that though. You know? I think so. Yeah. Yeah. It's like, ah, I haven't been going great. And it's like

Speaker 4 25:28

Internally like, ah, exactly. Like, yeah.

Speaker 3 25:31

I think as well, like comparing yourself to, anyone's always the worst for containing, isn't it like time they're doing this or they're doing that. And I bring back to my, why am I not doing that? Yeah, exactly. Yeah, exactly. Like meat and for can people, when I was work in these jobs, like don't knock them, but like, you know what I mean? And then you meet some cons and he's like, you know, he's just like got a golf and he's got four. I dunno. You know, it's not that you'd want their life or you're kind of 10, you know, you know, he might be dealing some that you'd never want to tell, but you're kind of like, Oh, I haven't like, um, whatever age I should have done this point now, but it's just the worst kind of thing to do. Like, you know what I mean? Playing your own. Exactly. Concentrate your own. And like, if you're, do you know what I mean? Being like maybe being like happy and settled. Isn't great. I don't think for like P right in and all that kind of thing I find when you're into a bit

Speaker 4 26:29

Of a, like gives a bit of a drive. Yeah.

Speaker 3 26:32

When you were into a bit of a situation, like I haven't been doing more Triton in the last while. Like, cause I've just been so busy for him working on everyone. Else's still funny Daphne team. If you're a bit on edge, it definitely helps. Right. For me anyway. Okay. Yeah. But do you find when you're, when you're producing that you're like, you know, working as well? I mean it's great. Yeah. No, it is totally great. Yeah. We're like getting sounds and helping, depending on the project, obviously helping my arrangements and stuff. Yeah. And our staff, I love them. And like, you know, it's, it's a, it's an amazing thing to do. Yeah. And Stephanie creative it's my guess was my way of being able to stay in music while still staying survive. Even actually I was always obsessed with cereals from the minute we went into them. Like I was like, ah, you know, what a control room and all these buttons and Shen like from whenever I think I was 16 when I went in first, it wasn't with you. I don't think, I think he was actually 99, 99 or something. It was in the lecture cereals, but Martin whereas, and our laws in temple Barrett air. Um, okay. Yeah. And we did an overnight session. Like I think we brought like Phil fired Eliza and we brought bongs on Lake levels of Cannes and it was going well until the engineers started hitting the bungs and get unlocked. Like I still haven't have on a CD there. I think it says 99, our tails 2017. Yeah. I still have it. It's full can show you, but it's great to have at least, you know,

Speaker 2 28:07

It's definitely a team when you're a start in a bond or whatever you start tooting and you're going to go into the studio for the first time. And there's always seems to be overnighting. Cause I'd say cheap. Yeah.

Speaker 3 28:18

The overnight sessions were just cheap sessions and there were a lot of Alex if you asked me like,[inaudible] people say it to me, do you want to come in and do an overnight? And I'll go late. Depends because some people are just not yet. I was bought like, like that, this thing, like 10 o'clock at night, 10 o'clock in the morning. And like, and that's your own body is on that clock. Like everyone is.

Speaker 2 28:53

Yeah. Thanks moon for like, you know, coming in, having me come in. Cause actually the first one I've done outside the house and cooling it out, got the place.

Speaker 3 29:04

Did Mayacamas Jeremy Cole

Speaker 2 29:10

It's in here, we've put legal, put links off and stuff to give to handle. We were talking about there, know how to get on, but yeah. Thanks man. Cheers killed there. We have it. Episode four is finished. Thanks me for Dan for giving me his time. Really, really enjoyed catching up and it was good for reminiscing and it was great to see the studio. Uh, finally, uh, Donald looking fantastic. If you're not aware of it, please follow the links and Darklands is an amazing, and Dan is an amazing producer and you can just kind of go wrong and we'll be back next week with another episode. Um, and do, let me know, get in contact with me a lot. Love when people get a condom and let me know how the water tosser on the podcast, but until then take care of yourselves, look out for each other and keep safe. Okay. Take care. Thank you.

Speaker 1 30:20

[inaudible].