Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Daniel Nguyen. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Daniel, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
Growing up, I was thrust into martial arts. I trained in Hapkido, and as a kid you were taught discipline and the mind set to give it your all at every session, no matter how tired you were. It took at least 2-3 months to rank up higher in the belt system. Being the bigger kid, I was forced to train with the adults, which in turn, made me work even harder to keep up with them. I always did my best to better than the next person. I trained for 10 years up until high school. Not only did my instructors pushed me, but my parents were very supportive and they would always give me the motivation to keep going to my classes to keep growing higher in the ranks. By the time I left, I was finally a one-striped black belt, and I was teaching the kids class.
I took that discipline and I applied it to when I joined the football team in high school. I honestly thought about quitting after the first year cause I’ve never played football and didn’t realize how ruthless the coaches could be. Then I realized it was just their way of pushing you to go further past your limits. Once I’ve noticed that, I continued on and then started on the varsity team the following year. Being from a majority Asian-American school, our football team was rarely looked at by colleges. Luckily for me, I was able to attend a college football camp and was scouted to play at Graceland University in Iowa. Although I only lasted a year (due to major home sickness and just being burnt from football) I kind of realized that I probably wasn’t going to go anywhere by playing football so I made the decision to move back home and attend school near home.
So yeah, I would say my work ethic would come from the two sports that I’ve joined and grew to love! If my body was deteriorating by the minute, I’d love to play football recreationally more!
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Hey, my name is Daniel! I’m an electronic music producer/DJ, and I produce melodic dubstep! I am an Icon Collective (music production school based in Burbank, CA) alumni, which I owe my life to because they’ve made me the producer that I am today! So shoutouts to them!
I enjoy making music that everyone can relate to, while also seeing a little piece of me of what I went through. Each song I have will always be a little story of my experiences that relates to either love, heartbreak, or my hardships in life.
Honestly, creating the music itself can be very exciting, especially when I’m on an inspiration run. I can crush ideas out with 3-4 hours. What’s even more exciting is seeing the reactions I get from my fans and new listeners! However, nothing brings me more joy than playing a show and showcasing my music, while showcasing the music that I enjoy listening to. I just love seeing everyone in the crowd going absolutely nuts and having the time of their lives. It’s still so surreal to me that I’m able to do that because not too long ago, I was the same person in the crowd! So whenever I get the chance to, I head into the crowd and enjoy the rest of the show!
I just want to give a quick shoutout to my guy AJ! Whenever I’m playing at Time Nightclub out in Newport Beach, CA, he’s always there front and center by himself, and just living his life to the fullest! I always make it my mission to go say hi to him before I go on, and it’s always been awesome.
That’s what my brand is all about. Being a family, a “wolf” pack! Whenever someone recognizes me at a show, I will always make sure to say hi and not brush them away. I feel like that’s what PLUR is about, and that’s something I grew with when I first understood rave culture, and I keep that mindset with me.
As of now, in terms of new music, I currently have a few songs lined up from June to about September of new original music that I’ve been gatekeeping for too long. People can expect melodic bass, trance, progressive house/trance, and a little bit of bass house. These will all be self-released for the first time in my career, and I’m a little nervous but super excited at the same time! Also, I have a collaborative EP in the works with my buddy Avery, also known as, Lockbox. So be on the lookout for that!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Looking back, I would say that patience, practice, and discipline were the major skills that had impacted me to be the producer I am today. Now, I’m not perfect, and to this day, I still have to remind myself of these skills. I have to remind myself that no major producer is made overnight. I have to remind myself to always be willing to learn new things. I have to remind myself that this is becoming an actual career, and I need to be more disciplined with not only my work, but with life in general.
An advice for aspiring music producers, I would have to say practice, practice, practice. Try to remake your favorite producer’s music. To understand song arrangement, mixing, sound design, etc. I did this so many times as I was learning, and it has really helped me learn all those things. Also, be able to criticism from your peers and be open minded to them.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
The number one challenge I am currently facing right now is definitely writer’s block. It’s been on and off for almost the past year now. It’s been really rough trying to create something that I can truly be happy and excited about. I’ve been producing melodic dubstep for a while now, and it has gotten a little stale for me. So I’m trying to find new ways to make it more innovative and different, which is why I feel like it’s creating this blockage in my brain.
To combat that, I’ve been researching new genres out of my comfort zone to learn how to produce, and to kind of just experiment with.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lostwolvesmusic
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lostwolvesmusic?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/lostwolvesmusic
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@lostwolvesmusic?feature=shared
- SoundCloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/sXSEYgjx6FgACTdA7
- Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5bcHS2ka2clJ3PGdvUGuxD?si=3FcXB87rQVy5-XEbClRr0A
Image Credits
Matt, Alvin, and Miraflor
