Dave Harrington is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, and DJ. Best known for his work with DARKSIDE and Nicolas Jaar, Harrington has carved out a space for himself at the intersection of improvisation and electronic music, where spontaneous and psychedelic music can feel equally at home in both techno and free jazz. He brings this freewheeling spirit to his DJ sets playing largely his own remixes and edits along with on the spot live programming and improvising with analog electronics, crafting sets that exist somewhere between DJ and Live. In April 2016 Dave released his debut LP as the Dave Harrington Group, ‘Become Alive’. The record, issued by Nicolas Jaar’s label Other People, is a psychedelic and experimental trip resulting from lengthly recording sessions with friends and Dave’s signature post-production. From the numerous musicians involved, a core group are touring and re-creating the album’s material live throughout the year.
FACTS:
1: Help on the Way → Slipknot
2: Drums → Space
3: China Cat Sunflower → I know you rider
QUESTIONS:
1. What is the biggest inspiration for your music?
Improvising.
2. How and when did you get into making music?
When I was in high school I studied jazz/bass/composition at the Harlem School of The Arts with Kelvyn Bell, Brad Jones, JD Parran, and Daniel Bernard Roumain and it all started to click.
3. What are 5 of your favourite albums of all time?
Miles Davis – Kind of Blue
Miles Davis – Bitches Brew
Miles Davis – Live/Evil
Miles Davis – Round About Midnight
Miles Davis – Birth of the Cool
4. What do you associate with Berlin?
Spending the summer of 2011 living there on and off while on tour, wandering around the city and hanging out with Nicolas Jaar, Will Epstein, Ian Sims.
5. What’s your favourite place in your town?
My “town” is NYC which is too big and has too many of my favorite places to name. But if I call my “town” a 5-block radius of my house, then I’d say my local bar, Dynaco. It’s my “Cheers” and the music is always good.
6. If there was no music in the world, what would you do instead?
Cook.
7. What was the last record/music you bought?
William Basinski – On Time Out Of Time”
8. Who would you most like to collaborate with?
I’ve been so lucky to collaborate with so many amazing musicians just by hanging around NYC for as long as I have, it almost feels greedy to ask for more! I love the collaborators I have – I want to do more with them! That being said, I’d love to make a record with Ikue Mori AND Sunn O))). That sounds like it would be pretty crazy.
9. What was your best gig (as performer or spectator)?
Too many gigs to pick — I play A LOT of gigs. BUT, a recent highlight was a benefit concert I played that was all improvised music and I was part of an insane band that included: Joe Russo, Billy Martin, Steven Bernstein, Stuart Bogie, Cyro Baptista, Oteil Burbridge, Peter Apfelbaum, Jonathan Goldberger, Robert Walter, Marc Ribot, Karl Berger, Fay Victor, Ingrid Serrano, and more!
THAT or the Darkside gig at FYF when I smashed our mirror.
10. How important is technology to your creative process?
Electronics are a fluid part of my musical expression, my pedals and processing devices are an extension of the guitar, which is my voice.
11. Do you have siblings and how do they feel about your career/art?
ONLY CHILD!
Catch Dave Harrington Group at Säälchen on Wednesday, 12th June 2019!
Photo © Spencer Zahn
