The Best Tonik
We sat down to talk to Daniel Tonik about his Daybreak Records Label, his passion for helping up and coming Aussie Talent and working with Family
Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions for Music Festivals Australia
Well what a massive couple of weeks it has been for you Daniel, with stats like these,
#3 iTunes Dance Chart
#14 iTunes Overall
#18 ARIA Club Chart
#5 in Hong Kong iTunes Dance
#200 in UK’s iTunes Dance
Added to ‘Gym & Best Running’ Playlist
you must be very proud of your song ‘Desire’ with Shiralee Coleman?
Thank you for having me! It has been such a whirlwind of excitement over the last few weeks. Seeing the public response to “Desire” has been really empowering and motivating.
Extremely proud with what Shiralee & I have been able to achieve in such a short period.
Being added to the ‘Gym & Best Running’ Playlist is also another new and exciting platform to be included on (with over 124k followers) are you surprised by the reach this song is having? And so quickly?
Having released a number of tracks and being supported by major playlists is awesome, I wouldn’t say I’m too surprised as building relationships with playlist curators over the last couple of years tends to bring these opportunities. It’s great that the curators will back my music by default whenever something new comes out.
Your VIP remix of ‘Desire’ came out August 6th, is it easier or harder to make a remix of your own song?
It really is case by case. After the premiere in Hunter Valley back in June, I woke up the next morning with so much inspiration and motivation. Got cracking on giving “Desire” my own underground touch, I didn’t really know where I was going… I just let the flow take me on a journey. 24 hours later, we had a finished product and were able to give it a test run at King Street in Newcastle.
Daniel not only are you a successful artist in your own right, but you also own your own studio ‘Daybreak Records’. Do you find it difficult swapping the producer hat for the artist hat?
I see it all as one big title rather than a separate project, between events management, producing, DJ’ing & music business; It’s one big culmination of these avenues and really projects my passion for the Music Industry as a whole. I think being so passionate about this industry, it has really pushed me to create as many opportunities for myself in all corners of this world.
Which do you prefer? as I imagine both would have their good and bad points?
I love it all, it’s like asking a parent who their favourite child is hahaha. With everything comes its pro’s & cons, when I’m having a bad day with one project - I’ll switch it up and work on something else. There’s always something to be done!
Daybreak Records has been a successful platform for you to release your own music with full control of its destiny, does this add an extra layer of pressure or expectation?
Daybreak Records is still in its early stages; I had a plan to launch a label after I had created a solid platform for myself within the industry, a more later-in-life type project. But with all the spare time presented since Covid hit, I decided to fast track the process. At first, the pressure was huge in terms of “who am I going to release” etc., but now not so much. It’s ready & set up to go for the future, at least all the nitty gritty is complete and I don’t have to worry about going through the lengthy processes of legitimizing the business.
Daniel and DJ FUEL
You and DJ Fuel from Pumping Records have worked together a few times now, is it a relationship that will continue moving forward? It must also be nice to have someone who relates to and understands the pressure of the artist/producer role?
DJ Fuel brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to my career, he is like my industry dad you could say (don’t tell him I said this, he hates when I age him hahaha). We’ve become a family, which includes everyone under Pumping Records/Management. It’s really fulfilling to have a solid crew in your corner and backing your every move, we all motivate each other to be the best version of ourselves in all aspects of our lives.
2020 was a year full of uncertainty and change and for some the year came as a blessing for some a curse. Given that you released three original songs, how do you rate your 2020?
2020 was one of my best years in terms of Artist growth, in total I believe it was 12 releases which included a 7 track album under my real name, so 18 individual tracks across three aliases. I used the time efficiently to really make as much noise as possible while the majority of people decided to slow down.
The last time we spoke you mentioned ‘The Area Collective’ can you tell us a little more about this close to your heart project?
The Area Collective is my events imprint, focusing on underground talent from Sydney’s West. There is so much hidden talent out my way and a lot of artists are completely slept on, so my idea was to use my platform & reach to help these artists and give them more opportunities. 3 major raves have been thrown so far with the last event being the biggest: it was an ‘Elrow’ themed rave in the farmlands of the area, I still struggle to find words to describe how amazing the event was.
There has been a sneak peek on your social media of “emotif”, an expression of art, music, and nature. Can you let us in on the secret yet?
We just launched “émotif” a couple of weeks ago. Pretty much with the whole lockdown thing in Sydney, I’ve spent a lot of time in the outdoors exploring places and coming across some amazing scenic locations. The idea is to record DJ sets in these locations and give the viewers an audio-visual experience!
DTLA is another project that must be pretty special to you, what’s it like to work with Lucas?
DTLA is another fun little project with my brother Lucas. We started off not too serious, just playing sets for our friends at house parties. It was all just a bit of a joke until we get the call up to play at Ivy Mainstage for Ministry of Sound, from there it just took a life of it’s own and has just completely soared. It’s really good to work with my brother; I’ve seen so many duos’ struggle to go the distance due to disagreements and their own personal avenues. With Lucas, he’s my brother so having that solid relationship before we formed the duo has really helped, if we disagree or argue about things, we get over it because that’s what brothers do.
DTLA on the main stage for Ministry Of Sound
‘Got a Feeling’ has now hit 100k on Spotify, which is a huge milestone. Given the song’s success can we expect a full album in the future?
‘Got a Feeling’ with Luke Antony was such a fun project! The response has been awesome, we gotta give it to our crew of friends who really gas up all our music and spread it like wildfire.
At this stage, we are just travelling single by single right now.
What has been your favourite event to perform at or the person you have performed with? What’s been the highlight in your career so far personally? And why?
There’s just been so many amazing highlights, it’s really hard to pick one. But if I had to choose one, my first show overseas in Mykonos. One of the most amazing experiences, I was headlining MYK Boat Club - we were sailing around the Greek Islands, and I had all my friends there just partying to my tunes while the sun was setting… an unforgettable experience. Hoping to be back soon!
Where was your first gig? Was it a success or flop?
My first overage club gig was at “WHAAT Club” in Kings Cross (which no longer exists). I opened the side room at like midnight from memory, back when clubs would have headliners at 3am. I DJ’d to no one, which was expected but the fact I was able to get my first club set a week after I turned 18 was a success to me.
In your journey as a producer/musician have you changed? Is life much different for you from when you started out?
Most definitely, it took me years to find my flow & groove. I started DJ’ing back in ’09, didn’t start producing until 2012… but it was maybe 2017/18 that really shifted the course of my career. I knew that I wanted to be a full-time player in the music industry, my music style had shifted and I was creating my best music and the projects would just flow.
In 2021, I now have full control of this life and the opportunities ahead, I really don’t see myself in any other industry.
Who in your crew or team deserves a shout out but never gets one? And what do they do that keeps your world turning?
Well as I was saying earlier, I’ve been using my platform to shine a light on the local legends from “The Area Collective” so it would be rude not to give them a shoutout!
Jimmy Franzone who has come out of retirement and has been absolutely killing it in the “House Music” scene, as well as Tenner who has teamed up with him on many projects - a real dynamic Western Sydney House duo. @jimmyfranzone @dj10r
LewdAntix - Luke & Lewis’ duo is one of the most solid from the area, a huge cult following, and they’ve been taking the deep/dub-tech world by storm. They’ve supported huge artists like Darius Syrossian & Josh Butler. @lewdantixmusic
KATRINA, new to the scene but has already been crowned the Techno Queen of the West. She was on a huge roll before lockdown - having only debuted in June, she went on to play for some of Sydney’s most iconic underground rave brands. @signorinakatrina2.0
ANTO:NIO (Katrina’s older brother), an absolute machine behind the decks. His set at the last AC Rave was incredible. He’s got a real deep and dirty tech style, the mans a freak is all I can say and I’m really looking forward to partying with him again. @havasuss
And last but not least, Florio - this guy has been by my side since day one of “The Area Collective”, one of the most versatile DJ’s I know and someone who I can rely on to say how it is when I ask for feedback on any ideas. @dj_florio
You should totally find them on Insta and give them a follow :D
What's next for you? What can we expect in the next twelve months from Daniel Tonik?
More music by minimum! I have been working on some huge projects and we’re hoping they take the “Daniel Tonik” brand to new heights here and overseas.
More AC Raves (if we are allowed to) & pretty much just doing what I’ve been doing by allowing the universe to run its course of good vibes!!
August 2021
Interview by Michelle Symes