D Stone

Seamlessly blending his deep-rooted musical heritage with a fresh, modern twist, D Stone is a dynamic force in the House music scene. His early start in music, first with the guitar and then transitioning into electronic music production, speaks to his versatility and passion. This blend of traditional and electronic instruments has influenced his unique sound. His ability to quickly progress in production and performance showcases his innate talent and dedication.

The energy and creativity that he brings to his music make each of his tracks a vibrant journey through different genres, all unified by his signature sample-based House style.

What sets him apart is his broad musical palette and his knack for drawing inspiration from diverse genres. This eclectic approach not only keeps his music fresh and exciting but also demonstrates his deep understanding and appreciation of various musical forms. His live performances, both digital and vinyl, reflect a profound connection to his roots and a forward-thinking vision for his artistry. As he continues to gain recognition, D Stone is undoubtedly poised to make significant waves in the global House music community, captivating audiences with his innovative sound and electrifying energy.

In this interview, we delve into his inspiration, his musical endeavors, both in electronic music and trip-hop, and what’s to come on his ambitious new projects.

Daan’s musical journey began in a household filled with instruments, influenced by his guitar-playing father. Growing up around a home studio where various musicians recorded, he was immersed in diverse musical styles from a young age. Starting with piano lessons at eight, he eventually shifted his focus to the guitar at twelve, learning intricate chord progressions and rhythms from his father. He excelled in playing Latin, Flamenco, and Jazz guitar. Summers spent at a musicians’ campsite in Ibiza broadened his musical horizons significantly, allowing him to perform and jam with talented musicians from around the world, including one of Spain’s top flamenco guitarists and a former saxophonist for Prince.

At fifteen, Daan’s passion for electronic music was sparked during a night out at Ibiza’s Las Dalias nightclub. This experience, coupled with his brother’s influence as a House/Techno DJ, led him to dive deep into the genre. He began producing music at sixteen, using FL Studio and later switching to Logic Pro X.

By eighteen, he was creating a range of music from House to cinematic compositions and downtempo tracks. This period also marked the beginning of his live performances, gaining recognition from various organizations.

At twenty, he transitioned to Ableton Live, seamlessly integrating his extensive musical knowledge and skills. Incorporating acoustic instruments into his productions and focusing on live performances, D Stone ́s musical journey culminated in his acceptance into the Electronic Music Composition program at the conservatory, where he is now close to graduating, having gained a deeper understanding of his artistic identity and purpose.

D Stone is currently fully immersed in his House project, producing a diverse range of genres. His productions span from percussive rolling house and tech tracks to house tracks with strong disco influences, as well as G House, UK Garage, and Deep House.

“I strive to bring this balance of styles into my DJ sets as well. I love creating dynamic sets that seamlessly hop from genre to genre without the listener even noticing. I feel that I can’t convey the euphoria of a disco track, for example, without first laying the groundwork with some more rolling percussive tracks. To me, it feels like each track from different genres carries its own emotions, and that’s why I enjoy crafting a cohesive story with those feelings”.

“In addition to producing, I have also had the opportunity to perform at some incredible venues over the past year, with the highlight being Audio Obscura in the Loft. It had always been a dream of mine to play there, and now that dream has become a reality”.

His efforts have led to several successful releases on labels such as Cecille, Crystal Grooves, and Key Records. One standout track, “Total Unison,” has gained significant support from notable artists like Folamour, Seth Troxler, Anotr, and Joseph Capriati, Dennis Cruz, PAWSA, Elias Mazian, SG Lewis, Cinthie, Dam Swindle Exploring Trip-Hop and Broader Musical Goals. D Stone has also been exploring Trip-Hop, encompassing Downtempo, Broken Beat, and Neo Soul productions. While his primary focus has been on House/Club/Festival music,

“My goal is to broaden my artistic profile by releasing more listening-oriented music”

His House music draws heavily from Soul, Disco, and Jazz, genres he has been deeply immersed in since childhood. This influence extends to his trip-hop and downtempo music,

“These styles serve as continuous inspiration for all my creations. Similarly, the sampling approach in my trip hop/downtempo music mirrors this ethos. I delve into the same record crates to find samples that enrich both genres. Additionally, I play guitar and piano myself, noticing how well these instruments complement these musical styles”.

D Stone believes these music styles complement each other and can coexist under one unified name. As an artist, he navigates two paths: his autonomous side in Trip-Hop, where he experiments freely with Jazz, Soul, and Funk, and his serving side in House music, where he adapts to the audience. These dual aspects of his artistry provide ultimate aesthetic satisfaction, embodying connection, self-awareness, and shared beautiful moments.

“For me as an artist, these two aspects are inseparable and complement each other, resulting in ultimate aesthetic satisfaction”.+

D Stone’s studio in the Tuinen van Bret, a creative hub with various studios, is where he brings his music to life. Sharing this space with his friend and fellow DJ, Benjamin Berg, they have built it from scratch into a fully functioning production and recording studio.

This place is special to me because we built everything from scratch, allowing us to customize the space entirely to our needs. With the gear we now have, such as the MPC 1000, M1, MicroKorg, and various drum machines and grooveboxes, we’ve essentially created a live performance setup. I no longer need to rely on plugins in Ableton since we can source every element of a production from our hardware. This setup provides me with much more creative freedom compared to diving into Ableton each time to search for sounds.

Sampling plays a crucial role in D Stone’s production process, heavily influenced by J Dilla’s approach. He is constantly listening to individual elements within tracks, viewing them as building blocks for new productions.

I also find that the sound of a ‘70s record has so much character and color. When you incorporate small oneshots or short loops from those tracks into your production, it automatically gains that same character and warmth. With an endless amount of music released and countless ways to flip a sample into something new, sampling is a huge part of my production process. It often forms the foundation of all my productions.

The character and warmth of ‘70s records inspire him, and incorporating small samples from these tracks adds depth to his music. Sampling often forms the foundation of his productions.

D Stone’s biggest inspirations in terms of production and artistic concept are Nightmare on Wax and St Germain. Both artists blend House and Trip-Hop music with highly dynamic and organic sounds, which is something he strives to achieve in his own productions.

Currently, I’m involved in several projects. Alongside all the bookings this summer at venues like Thuishaven, Shelter, and festivals such as Strafwerk, Lofi, Bret, Radio Radio, The Loft - and debuts in Portugal, Germany, Italy, and Spain and Duikboot, there’s also an EP coming out in collaboration with Benjamin Berg on Luuk van Dijk’s label, Dark Side Of The Sun. Additionally, a single will be released in September on SG Lewis’s label, featuring a different style with more melodic influences. They also host label parties, and I’ll be DJing at one of their events in September at The Cause in London. I’m also working on an upcoming project that I’m really excited about, but I can’t share any details just yet.

Furthermore, my current focus is also on my album. Together with various session musicians and a singer, I’m currently working on developing a Trip-Hop / Neo Soul album. From this album, I’m also creating a live set to perform at events. I’m really looking forward to this and can’t wait to share it with the world.