Edge Of The Earth (Titlesong "The New Wilderness")
Dutch producer Don Diablo has always been an intriguing and eclectic artist, and his latest project with the film, “The New Wilderness,” follows suit. It was this gorgeous vocal progressive house that intrigued us to dig a little deeper into his artistry. We had a chance to fire over a few quick questions recently. Check out what he had to say regarding Dutch astronauts, Sean Connery, and of course “The Bodygaurd,” by Whitney Houston.
TMN: Thanks for sitting down with us today. We appreciate you taking some time out of your schedule. Let’s kick things off by talking about Edge of the World, which is the title song off of the new wildlife film “The New Wilderness.” Talk to us about the inspiration that came for writing this song for this particular project.
DD: I met the director of the film almost a year ago on a radio show where we were both guests at the time. He invited me to come and visit the area they had been filming in for a few years whilst working on this amazing wildlife film. At the time, I just experienced a big loss in my personal life, so this seemed like a good escape from the harsh reality and all the flying around. I got really inspired by going around the area and talking to the crew. They asked me if I was interested in making some music for the film and I accepted this offer straight away. I worked on the score and I had already written part of a song that was inspired by the loss of my father at the time. I didn’t really know what to do with the song until I experienced the beauty of nature again and witnessed the circle of life and death first hand in the area that they were filming in. Everything suddenly seemed to make sense again and that’s basically how “Edge Of The Earth” was born.
TMN: You started making music at the young age of 14, correct? Talk to us about what your musical upbringing was like. Were you classically trained?
DD: I started off with piano lessons when I was a kid, but my father raised me with more avant-garde orientated music like Frank Zappa, The Residents and he even named me after his favorite artist Don van Vliet a.k.a. Captain Beefheart. These artists showed me that there are no rules when it comes to making music and that you should just follow your heart.
TMN: You’ve collaborated with some very well known artists. Are there any in there that stand out above the others? Who is number one on your list for artists that you would like to work with in the future?
DD: My favorite was probably Alex Clare. He is not only an amazing vocalist, but also a standup guy. We worked on music in my house and his religious background also spawned a few interesting and inspiring conversations. Working with Dragonette is also high on my favorites list as they are also amazing on many different levels. The same goes for Noonie Bao, the artist I worked with on my tracks “Starlight” and “M1Stinger.” Peter Gabriel, Aloe Blacc, and David Bowie are definitely in my top 10 of dream collaborations for the future. I am always looking for a unique voice.
TMN: Out of all the festivals, clubs, releases, collaborations, etc…do you have any moments that have made you step back and say, “Holy shit, I can’t believe that just happened!”
DD: Working on the soundtrack for this wildlife film was pretty special. At the premiere, I was sitting in between our only Dutch astronaut and members of the Royal Family. A gigantic live orchestra was playing the music and the event even made it into the 8 o’clock news. Kind of had a little “WOW” moment that evening!
TMN: Ok, let’s fire off a few random questions, just to give our readers some insight into you as a person. When I’m on tour, I can’t live without…
DD: My laptop, vitamin pills, mentos…and of course a banana in the morning to kickstart my motor.
TMN: My favorite post set meal is…
DD: My mom’s Indonesian cuisine
TMN: The best actor who played James Bond was…
DD: Sean Connery
TMN: The most embarrassing thing in my musical collection is…
DD: I honestly will never be ashamed of listening to any music. There is no such thing as “cool music”… What one person might find to be super cool could be super cheesy for someone else and the other way around. Having said that, the fact that I bought the soundtrack of “The Bodyguard” by Whitney Houston when I was a kid did get my friends and family worried at the time.
