Off the back of releasing his impressive EP Six Paths, Dave made a co-host appearance on New Gen Radio with Caroline SM and Hacko to kick off season 3. The bright South Londoner provided a very detailed and insightful overview on several different topics. Here are 10 things we learnt from tuning in:
1 Six Paths was inspired by a Japanese TV series
Dave likes to paint a picture with his words. Being as descriptive as possible is a very important element of his music, whether it be through making references to animes, movies, football or any other sport – you can be rest assured Dave will throw in a metaphor or two, to enable us as listeners to visualise his story. He specifically discusses The Sage of 6 Paths, as being an example of him incorporating visual creativity into his music. The anime helped provide the main theme for the EP. Dave explains that the EP is centered on direction and namely a lack of it for him growing up, hence the name Six Paths. In Dave’s opinion, to make a project have greater longevity, it has to have something that defines it. It is clear to him that in this era, even a good album’s durability isn’t as strong as it used to be. Despite this, he still wants his EP to be remembered and to stand the test of time.
2.“JKYL+HYD” is his true sound.
Dave mentions that his brother told him his track “JKYL+HYD” is the South London rapper’s best work. With this in mind, he made a conscious effort to use as many live instruments as possible on the EP to reproduce the quality of it. The track had the hard-bass drums with a live vocal sample and his Fire In The Booth had a live guitar sample as well. This EP, however, was about moving away from using samples. Dave wanted to focus on bringing live music to the project with pianos and guitars. The aim was to make it as live as possible (no pun intended) but also still ensure it was modern as possible too.
3. He taught himself how to play Piano
The multi-talented artist calmly reveals that after his mum bought him a piano, he took it upon himself to learn how to play it. Anyone who has ever played the piano before will know how much perseverance and commitment it must have taken to do this! Dave does mention that he used to get some inspiration from watching a guy on YouTube play, but it is one thing watching a pianist’s actions and another thing replicating them. He explains that he used to learn the hardest versions of the tracks that the pianist would play and this was all when he was only 15/16 years of age.
4. He got forced into learning to write in-studio
Dave admits that he was never originally a fan of writing music in the studio, as he much preferred having his own space and time to piece together the meticulous lyrics and flows that he produces. However, while he was making his EP, there was pressure on him to do late night studio sessions with his engineer and as a result, he felt greater responsibility not to leave the studio until he had finishing laying down all of his bars. This pressure made him step up to the plate and Dave sums it up with a brilliant quote, “When you can’t not do something… you DO IT”. In other words… pressure makes diamonds.
5. He wants to smash America
Dave is not shy in admitting that he wants to do a big show America in the future. He has already done so well to hit a couple of his previous targets at this stage in his career (one being to sell out a show before he is 23,) but as he is still well away from reaching this age, he is now having to raise the bar even higher for himself.
6. His mum wants him to go to uni
Dave confesses that his mum would love him to go to uni – and he was bang on doing it too about a year ago. However, in what has been an amazing 12 months for him, the goal posts have now moved and the rapper simply doesn’t have the free time to balance his uni books and a microphone simultaneously. As he puts it, “There’s no point in going to uni unless you can apply it to your life right now.” This is a fair enough statement because even though Dave is clearly a very smart guy, there really is no point doing a course just for the sake of it. Besides, how do you explain to your lecturer that you can’t attended certain classes because you have a sold out show to attend?
7. Your squad is crucial
Dave talks about how he believes most members of his team will end up finding jobs in music. As he elaborates – the crew that you carry with you on your music journey, have all the same insight that you have gained, while enjoying the same experiences too. Not only this, it is actually a lot more fun sharing the good times with your boys rather than on your ones. For this reason, having a tight squad around him is very important. Dave looks back on the “fun” he used to enjoy at house parties with his crew and compares it to the fun he now experiences doing music videos with his team.
8. Every artist has a different “path”
This is arguably one of the most insightful parts of the interview. As Caroline and Hacko discuss the shift in popularity of signing record deals to remaining independent, Dave gives a mature verdict on the issue that belies his teenage years; “Some people don’t have the funds to support themselves independently. There are people who have families to feed.” He explains in detail that there is nothing wrong with signing a record deal if you’re the type of artist that needs it. Every musician is different and therefore different people need different platforms. What works for one person, might not work for another.
9. He was inspired by Youngs Tef
Showing his honesty once again, Dave isn’t scared to admit that Youngs Teflon’s track “Your Lies” gave him the inspiration for his tune “JKYL+HYD”. This says everything about Dave. In an era where a lot of people may feel a certain way about bigging up other artists or giving too much credit, Dave is calm about paying homage to a fellow talented South London artist who he respects – and barely bats an eyelid in explaining how he approached Tefs before making the track.
10. Dave’s got banter.
If anyone hasn’t seen the pic by now, you’re probably Twitter hibernating. Over the last fortnight, Dave punk’d his good pal AJ Tracey by adding a hilarious caption on a picture of the two of them together.
Overall, we discovered a lot from Dave’s appearance on this week’s New Gen episode. But one key thing we learnt from his recent actions is, to never get caught slipping!