Dark & Stormy

I was born and raised in the Boston area and I've been a self trained musician since I was 10.
In 2006 I first began experimenting with various genres and methods of producing electronic music. I had only heard bits and pieces of this type of musicon late night radio mixes but it sparked my interest. I had been writing music for years for various bands I was in, including one that even did some touring.It was during this time I was finishing my BFA with a focus in Photography.
In 2009 I started the project Dark & Stormy. I produced my first few songs with a mini-korg, an 808, and a 4 track at my practice space but then started using Ableton and it opened a whole world of possibilities. My first live set was on new years eve packed with hundreds of local kids and from that point on I knew that this was the beginning of a journey. Within a few months I was playing out regularly at underground parties and local bars, and production took up the entirety of my free time. I was hooked. Music has always been this cathartic sort of effort for me, especially playing guitar. But it took on its own form when I was producing and djing. I would produce with a lot more light heartedness which I really enjoy. I feel like years of punk bands had given me adifferent sort of attitude toward production but I still do strive for perfection.I feel like this attitude towards things is a lot different from my peers. Where some other producer may go sit in their studio and tell themselves " ok it's time to make music", I'm more likely to pull a midi controller out of my backpack and write a song on a bus back from a gig in NYC.
My production technique has definitely evolved and my sound has developed quite a bit over the past year; I feel like I am really finally arriving at a sound I can call my own. One of my goals is to have someone who knows my work be able to hear a song for the first time no matter what sub genre classification it may be and with little doubt say " THAT is Dark & Stormy". I blend a lot of different elements of electronic music and I try not to give myself limits. While I call what I produce Tech House, I don't feel too tied down to the description.What I think makes my work stand out is that you can't quite fit it neatly into one specific genre and I prefer it that way, as long as people are dancing and enjoying it. Thankfully now people seem to be enjoying it more than ever.