Interview by Maya-Rose Torrão
Polish wave music producer Da Vosk Docta has just recently dropped his brand new album ‘303K’ along with a stunning new music video for the track ‘Le Jus’ (see bottom of article) via SOHO Palace and it’s a synth-wave delight filled with dark melodies and deep bass hits. Born in 1991, Da Vosk Docta has always been an innovator and an experimenter, rejecting the monotony of the classic sampled electronic track and instead pushing himself to create hypnotising wave tracks that are both dark and hopeful in their ambience.
Da Vosk Docta has created a number of songs that have made a big impact among listeners, accrued millions of plays and attracted crowds of fans to clubs and festivals. In 2017 he released his debut full-length album, titled ‘Even If You Didn’t Expect It’, on which Da Vosk Docta reinvents himself, bringing forward new sounds and a new side of his music. Initially, Da Vosk Docta relied heavily on a blend of trap bits and heavy, witch-house synthesizers but, over time, he began to bring more light into his projects, playing with melody and mood. No matter the sound he’s experimenting with, Da Vosk Docta will always provide a poignant track that evokes a visceral emotion from the listener.
Listen to one of the tracks from Da Vosk Docta’s new album below, titled ‘Vogue’. A powerful track with an infectious synth melody, sexy samples and a tenacious bassline.
We caught up with Da Vosk Docta and spoke in depth about his new album, weird fans and the bittersweetness of life.
Hello! How are you? What have been doing today?
Hi! Thanks, I’m very good. I’ve been working all day on music-related stuff.
Describe your music to us, in your own words.
Sexy and emotional. Sometimes cheerful, but always built on some kind of dramaturgy. Also it often has something from movie soundtracks.
I’m very interested in the name that you perform under, ‘Da Vosk Docta’. Can you explain it in detail to us? Have you always been known as the Da Vosk Docta?
It is a play on words… In the Wave Twisters movie there was a character named ‘Da Disc Docta’. I replaced ‘Disc’ with ‘Vosk’. ‘Vosk’ means wax in Polish. There was a time when I used to sample only vinyls, back in 2008, I guess. Now I think it’s a very stupid nickname (And outdated!), but at least it’s distinctive and easy to remember.
What is the electronic music scene like in Poland? Do you feel connected to the scene there?
My friends from United Kingdom said it’s one of the biggest wave and electronic related scenes in Europe. We have a bunch of nice collectives like my label SOHO Palace. Currently the scene is still growing, but I think there is a limit for growth in a country with 40 million people for alternative music. But the most listened to electronic music right now is calm electronic music with Polish vocals like hmm… indie electronic bands. I feel my position in the Polish scene is strong but I also have a lot fans from other countries so I feel more like a worldwide artist, oriented toward the whole planet.
Which country would you most like to go perform in? Why?
I’m very curious so I don’t lie when I say – everyone. But of course, exactly like other young musicians who are dreaming big – United States, Great Britain, France, and a whole Asia tour.
Any wild/obsessed/strange fan stories you can share with us?
So many, but I don’t feel it’s a material for a interview hahah. I met so many weirdos saying strange and unexpected things to me. People are really sick and have stupid ideas, especially in the club, with alcohol and drugs in their system. But mostly people are surprised or disappointed that I’m sober. Musicians can’t be straight edge huh?
You’ve just released an exciting new album, ‘303K’, tell us a bit more about the experience of putting together the completed product?
I’ve been partly working on this album during the longest summer in Poland and you can hear that on the album. The sound is definitely warm, maybe more fitted for summer. I felt the need to do something different, something based more on a concept, with a story amongst the music. But like I said, all my music is built on dramaturgy and emotions. It was very exhausting and right now I feel emotionally drained after releasing this CD. This album is definitely noteworthy, a year in my life that I have captured in music. And that was a year when I completely realized that my time on earth is limited and I’m not immortal. I also had to deal with some mental breakdowns and mood swings. So the album is bittersweet. Just like me.
Your first album, ‘Even If You Didn’t Expect It’, had a great response – has your approach to music and making music changed a lot from your first album to your second album?
I don’t know. Maybe I feel more mature and I think my second album is more mature too.
On that note, your sound has also made a great shift, from even before the release of your first album. What has helped you find ‘your sound’?
Definitely not listening to other people’s opinions. Maybe I’m conceited but I really don’t care about suggestions about my music. When I realized that black covers and hard trap shit were trendy in Poland I turned 180 degrees and I started looking for new ways to develop something unique. That makes me a horrible person to cooperate with on artistic fields, but hey. At the end on my life I want to say, “that was 100% my way and my choices“. And maybe this is the reason why there is no collabs on my second album haha.
Your brand new music video has also just come out, for the dark and brooding track ‘Le Jus’, taken from ‘303K’. Tell us more about the experience of making a music video for the track. Were those images always on your mind for ‘Le Jus’?
First off I want to say thanks to Xani and Jędrzej Zator and the whole cast for working on this decent piece of art. It was such a great experience! I went to my first casting and I had the opportunity to watch pro’s on a movie set. And yes, that beach with the lonely guy was the first image I’d seen during listening to the finished track. So film duo Xani and Jędrzej did such great work. I’m also a great movie freak who is deeply into old movies. For example, my single ‘Ostatni Dzień Lata’ was inspired by a movie with the same title. Or ‘Innocent Sorcerers’ was inspired by Niewinni Czarodzieje. Great polish movies to check out. Cinema always inspires me and I want to write soundtracks for films and games.
Favourite new music releases of 2018?
Sinjin Hawke / Zora Jones – ‘Vicious Circles’. S-Type – ‘OS-T’.
If you could collaborate with any artist, living or not, who would it be and why?
ASAP Rocky, Kanye West – because they are brave and proud trendsetters. And a bunch of decent producers like Arca, Sophie and many many more.
If you weren’t a musician, what would you be?
No one. Warehouse employee or maybe, with a little bit of luck, an unhappy team leader in a corporation. Or an emigrant in Great Britain like 1 million of my compatriots. But music gave me a lot of opportunities. Right now I’m building my portfolio as a sound designer and mixing/mastering engineer.
2018 has been an exciting one for the Da Vosk Docta. Break down the news for us: what can we expect from you next year, in 2019?
Third album, one EP, more emotions in music. Thanks for interviewing me!
A huge thank you to Da Vosk Docta from The Playground!
Watch the mesmerising new video for ‘Le Jus’, from Da Vosk Docta’s new album, below.
Da Vosk Docta Upcoming Tour Dates:
5 October: Wroclaw, Poland
12 October: Krakow, Poland
Follow Da Vosk Docta:
Website // Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // Soundcloud // Spotify
