Sábanas is one of the many music projects of Daniel. Based in Barcelona, he started his own label Jeanne d’Arc Records with a friend. He kindly accepted a small chat to get to know each other better.
Vince Dolphin:
I first discovered you on Soundcloud
with your Daniel Daniel project. Is your name really Daniel?
Sábanas: Yes haha
Vince Dolphin:
You released a first cassette on the Jeanne d’Arc Records Barcelona label. How did it come to be?
Sábanas:
I started Jeanne d’Arc Records with a friend this year
and so we naturally thought about my personal project
Daniel Daniel for the first release.
Vince Dolphin:
You Currently live in Barcelona but you have told me
that you lived in Lyon (fr) for a little while before? What brought you to Barcelona?
Sábanas:
I wanted to go back to Spain.
I had some friends who were up to sharing a flat in Barcelona and I really wanted to be by the sea
Vince Dolphin: It is a wonderful perk And the city itself is charming. Some people says that the surroundings one lives in can have a rather large impact, how do you think Barcelona influences your work?
Sábanas:
I think it's mostly the people around me that influence me,
and to a lesser extent the city as well but it's mostly the people.
Vince Dolphin:
Is there a specific vibe there?
Sábanas: Barcelona is a city with a lot of movement, politicaly and culturaly speaking.
Sometimes I think it’s a little too noisy, but i can deal with it haha.
There is more life in the street than in Lyon for example, I mean, the good weather helps a lot.
Vince Dolphin:
Beside Daniel Daniel you have another project. A more "ambient" one in which you do not sing, called Sábanas. How would you describe this project?
Sábanas:
In fact "Sábanas" means bed sheets in Spanish.
I pictured myself making quiet music, ambient, in a place full of bed sheets ... a laid back thing
Vince Dolphin:
It's very sweet actually. You started Sábanas after Daniel Daniel is that right?
Sábanas:
Yes, I wanted to make other sounds under another name
Vince Dolphin:
On Daniel Daniel's SC, in the one of the first tracks,
I heard a feminine voice. It has not always been a solo project then?
Sábanas:
Actually I did a duet project with my girlfriend where she was singing. We were called BLAU.After that, i started doing things alone. I just changed the name on SC
Vince Dolphin: Haha ok. Sábanas is a pretty mysterious project. You illustrate each track with an emoji of nature,
can you explain that a little bit?
Does the song with a 🌲express the forest for example ?
Sábanas:
I didn’t want to put titles,
I thought about an emoji about nature, animals ..
and yes 🌲express the forest in a mountain A short hike in the forest
Vince Dolphin: The pine trees
Sábanas:
They are my friends
Vince Dolphin: It's beautiful. I can easily picture it when i close my eyes.
For you, what is the most important thing you would like to convey through your music?
Sábanas:
Hmm I do not know
Love toward things? I don’t know haha
Vince Dolphin: If you had to choose one emotion, one feeling,
would it be love then?
Sábanas: Yes, and peacefullness.
Vince Dolphin:
Peacefullness and the love of nature?
Sábanas:
That's definitely the case with the last tracks.
Maybe it's because I live in a city
but I miss nature and I make these tracks.
Vince Dolphin:
Did you grow up close to nature?
Sábanas:
I grew up in a rather small city near the sea.
Vince Dolphin: I’ve a small technical question, what type of set up do you use to compose your titles? What is your configuration?
Sábanas: I use a yamaha reface dx and effects on ableton
Vince Dolphin: Ok it's pretty simple, just a few instruments
Is it a conscious statement?
Sábanas:
It's voluntary, I wanted to put a kind of limit with this project, otherwise with all the plugins on Ableton
i can never decide haha
Vince Dolphin:
It's crazy to think that with all these possibilities, we still need limits to create. In fact, it is probably those limits that create a style.
For you ,is there a difference between what you do on stage and in the studio ?
Or maybe, you feel you're on stage just as in your room?
Sábanas:
No, I prefer to be in my room, I can control myself.
Even with the sound, in fact I do not like doing concerts,
I can’t be quiet, but in my room i can.
I would like to do concerts at home :)
Vince Dolphin:
It's a good idea. Just like you were a restaurant :
you call and make a reservation and then you come to see the artist playing at home.
When you compose, what part do you prefer to start with ?
Drums, bass, melody, vocals, sound effects?
Or do you proceed randomly ?
Sábanas:
I do not start with anything predetermined, sometimes I start with the batteries sometime melodies, it depends on the moment
Vince Dolphin:
Do you have other artistic activities besides music?
Sábanas:
mmm not really, publishing with Jeanne d’Arc Records
Vince Dolphin:
Music publishing, like a label?
Sábanas:
yes. It's an artistic activity, right? haha
Vince Dolphin:
Yes you have to be creative to find money ahah.
Are you a pro musician? How did you get into music?
Sábanas:
I did some piano and guitar lessons when I was little, the basics
Vince Dolphin:
Correct me if I'm wrong but, you do not use a guitar in your tracks. Is that on purpose ?
Sábanas:
With Daniel Daniel, I used more, but the synth sounds are too good, I love it
Vince Dolphin:
I admit that I have a special attraction for tracks without guitar,
For example CSS does not use guitar and I find it pretty cool, I don’t know why.
Sábanas: Because synthetic music is very beautiful :)
Vince Dolphin: Totally agree.
Apart from the project "blue invitation" that I proposed.
Do you have anything going on?
Sábanas:
I started some projects with people: one with a Daniel Daniel style (synthpop) and another a little more reggaeton but still pop
Vince Dolphin: Bands, not solo ?
Sábanas:
yes, one internet and the other in real life
Vince Dolphin:
Many artists do not like using a computer, especially on stage, what do you think?
Sábanas:
yes, I understand them, in the end a computer is not a real instrument, it's just virtual.
I would like to do concerts without a computer, but I wouldn’t know how to do without it haha
Vince Dolphin:
It's true, it's a bit ugly to see a guy in front of his computer like he‘s’ in a coworking place aha.
Yet at the same time, I also like it because it remains hyper synthetic and futuristic on stage.
Sábanas:
Without the computer you also give yourself some limits
that's interesting too.
Vince Dolphin:
Finally, can you tell me what you're listening to right now?
Sábanas:
There, right now, during this interview, I listen to a live of john maus on KEXP
Vince Dolphin:
What do you think about filmed lives in general?
Sábanas:
I adoreeeeee!
one of the best inventions in the world
aha