Interview With Dan Bull, Creator of Dear Lily and Dear Mandy

After the success of ‘Dear Lily’ and now sitting on the cusp of greatness with his sequel ‘Dear Mandy’, FreakBits caught up with Dan Bull for a quick chat, to find out a little more about this upcoming artist.

This is a follow-up to articles recently published on TorrentFreak which can be found here and here.

FreakBits: What is your musical background and when did you start creating your own music?

Dan Bull: I’ve always been a big music fan ever since I used to sing the Ghostbusters theme tune as a toddler. I got my first music software (Magix Music Maker) when I was about 12 and I used to make dance music inspired by The Chemical Brothers and Fatboy Slim.

As a teenager I formed a band with my friends and we made peculiar songs with titles like “Funky Miss Marple” and ” “. After a while I started making various solo tracks, which evolved into my current fusion of rap, electronica and indie pop.

FreakBits: You aren’t operating on a huge budget so how do you record your material?

Dan Bull: I do it all on my PC using a basic setup of a mic, external soundcard, MIDI keyboard and Cubase. I play guitars and keyboards, and I can play drums too but my home setup doesn’t allow it. My studio speakers blew up and I couldn’t afford another set so I mix everything on a portable hi-fi. I taught myself to mix by studying my favourite artists and trying to match their quality.

FreakBits: Who are your influences?

Dan Bull: I try and learn from everything I listen to, but I would say my main inspirations are Radiohead, Outkast, Lee Scratch Perry, Pink Floyd, The Smiths, Ghetto / Ghetts, Eminem, and currently Brother Ali. He’s recently released his new album “Us” – from what I’ve heard so far it’s beautiful and I recommend you check it out.

FreakBits: Are you making music full time or is it a growing hobby? Do you have another job too?

Dan Bull: Aside from music, I’ve worked a few random IT jobs and some freelance graphic design. I would love for music to be my career but that’s only reserved for a privileged few while the vast majority of us do it for the love. As long as there are people who enjoy listening to my music I’m happy.

FreakBits: What challenges and difficulties have you faced in trying to get off the ground and how have you overcome them without label support?

Dan Bull: I sent my album to a bunch of labels last year and I was ignored by every single one of them, so I decided to set up my own label and release it myself. It cost me roughly 25 times as much money to have a thousand CDs made than it did to get global online distribution for the MP3 version. The biggest challenge in doing everything off your own back is getting it heard – very difficult on my remaining budget of £0. Releasing music this way is rewarding though because every decision is yours and yours alone.

FreakBits: Do you perform live?

I don’t perform live at the moment because I see myself as a producer who happens to be a vocalist too – but live performing is something I want to get into. Live gigs are a whole different experience to listening at home – knowing that the music you hear is being created right in front of you by people you can see.

FreakBits: Where next for you? What are your hopes and dreams for the future of your music?

Dan Bull: I want to keep making new music, better music, and sharing it with people who enjoy it. Anything more is a most welcome bonus.

FreakBits: Thanks for your time Dan, and keep up the good work!

Dan’s MySpace page can be found here and his album ‘Safe’ is available from FreshNut but can also be downloaded digitally from iTunes, Amazon, Napster and all good file-sharing networks.