Carving Chaos: Dansa on his new LuckyMe record

What happens when you strong-arm strange sounds into danceable sequences designed to get your booty shaking? That's just one of the questions Flustra – the latest EP from electronic artist Dansa – faces head on. Formerly Daniel Howe, in his day job programming for Sneaky Pete’s, the 28-year-old DJ and producer emerges on a busy Cowgate before taking shelter from a barrage of Fringe flyers inside Stramash. You’d be forgiven for thinking the East Anglian might be Scottish, half-spilling an afternoon pint as the stirrings of a ceilidh hum behind him. After unsuccessfully attempting to drag us onto the dancefloor, the band begins to soundtrack a short conversation around his work as Edinburgh’s latest LuckyMe signee, Palidrone boss, and self-styled 'Cowgate Rat'.

The Skinny: Do you ever escape the Cowgate?
Dansa: I’ve literally never been to George Street for a night out. I've only been to The Mash House – where I also worked – Sneaky Pete’s, and Bongo Club in Edinburgh. I moved here from a place called Thetford in Norfolk to go to the art college in 2016, brought my decks with me to Kincaid’s Court, skipped Freshers to see Marcel Dettmann, and just became a bit of a Cowgate Rat.

What did you study?
Sculpture... I got a bit disillusioned with it all by the end because it wasn’t a world I cared about going into. I think with making art the goal is to affect people in some sort of way – you're always trying to chase that – but when I started putting parties on, I got it so much stronger. It was like this instant feedback of people buzzing compared to making work for six months that people could nod to at a gallery exhibition.

How did you get into production?
I always had Ableton when I was working on sound installations during my degree, but I didn't really see it as a club thing. I started a bit later than I should have, considering I've been DJing for over ten years. It never occurred to me to take it seriously before COVID, whereas now I'd say that this artistic pursuit of bringing something new to the table lies in producing more than playing gigs.

Dansa. Credit: Celine Antal. 

What are you bringing to the table on the EP?
I don’t know if it’s particularly new, but I'm always looking for that sort of ‘what the fuck’ thing in a track. But, it's not home listening, so I don’t want it to be deconstructed to the point where it’s inaccessible to DJs – I try to stretch sound design as far as I can, while still rooting it in a club context. The drum structure is designed to make people move on a dancefloor, but in a way that feels slightly alien. I don’t know where my music sits in terms of scenes. I don’t really feel like a UK bass producer or anything else, and LuckyMe adds that ambiguity a bit... I don’t think I could put those tunes out on any other label right now.

When did the link-up with LuckyMe come about?
I met Martin from LuckyMe while working near each other in Summerhall. After I released my first EP on Palidrone, he asked if I wanted to do the Lunice remix, which was a weird full-circle moment because I used to tan him, Hud Mo, and Cashmere Cat on the bus to school.

Did it ever feel intimidating?
I still feel like I don’t really know how to make tunes in a way that would be considered proficient, so the idea of putting them out on an esteemed label was a bit scary because it can feel like there are so many people better than you. But slowly over time, I got over that. It’s still true, I just don’t care about it anymore. I feel like it’s time wasted if people don’t hear it eventually. It’s nice to do it for yourself, but if you spend a lot of time on something, putting it out there releases you from it so that other people can enjoy it in a way that you can’t.

How has your job at the club over the years informed your workflow?
I have a lot of time to see who’s hot and which sounds are coming through working at Sneaky's – I try not to let it have a direct effect on me and what music I’m making, but working a forty-hour week means I have about an hour a day in the mornings where I can make tunes, so I have to work quickly without overthinking. It’s a nice restriction because you might finish feeling like you don’t want to, and it keeps you coming back. I think also, like, obviously I’m English, but I’ve lived in Scotland nearly nine years now, and what feels unique about here is that it's a real positive and supportive environment for anyone doing stuff. So yeah, I do claim it. When I go on holiday, I say I’m from Scotland because I feel like I am.

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Flustra is out now via LuckyMe 

Catch Dansa at Palidrone x Volens Chorus: Slikback, Sneaky Pete's, Edinburgh, 19 Sep