Cutting his teeth as a resident of Dublin’s Hangar, Jordan Rafferty aka DART is hitting on all cylinders on his way to becoming your next favorite left-field house DJ. While his latest EP Dawn was an undeniable exercise in tying together the party-loving end of dance music with the emotional one, his new remix of Skream’s Sad Days takes a psychedelic breakbeat track and offers a reinterpretation worthy of the best lofi techno house parties. There’s something really fun and original in the way his arrogant bassline pumps over the frenetic drums, unapologetically lording over the rest of the mix, inciting the listener to shake that butt. As the world is opening back up and he’s getting ready for a deluge of tour dates, we had a chat with DART to talk about his work under the lockdown and beyond.

Your remix of Sad Days is an inventive reinterpretation of the original. First of all, I’m curious to ask you what’s the role of a remix in your opinion?

I wanted to switch it up completely from the original. My DJ sets can be quite pumping and with that in mind, I decided to make this a peak time/emotional remix.

How did you get started for the Sad Days remix? What sparked your inspiration?

To be honest I actually made it very quick - probably an hour or two. It’s all a blur now that I think back on it. When I get into a headspace like that I try to take advantage of it! I do remember writing the bassline and building it around that. You can probably notice how it drives the track.

Have you received feedback from Skream? Were you nervous to have his reaction?

I have, and he loves it! He was happy how I switched it up from the original. I was chuffed to receive the thumbs up from him. This is actually my first ever official remix and I couldn’t be happier with it. 

You also released the excellent Dawn EP recently. Can you tell us a little bit about the record? How do you feel about it now that it’s out?

Dawn is actually one of my favorite pieces of music I’ve ever written. I wrote it during the lockdown and was experimenting with techniques. It was a breath of fresh air writing music with nothing in mind. Sometimes I can get caught up trying to make club-ready music all the time, so having all that time with no club show opened my ears a little more.

I’m curious to know what are some of your favorite studio tools at the moment? And how do they influence you?

I use the Korg Monopoly on almost all my tracks. All of the Rob Papen plugins usually make an appearance too. They’ve got so many amazing bass presets. I recently got to write on a modded SH-101 for a few days in London and I’ve fallen in love with it ever since lol.

Which artists have you been listening to lately? Are there any tracks that inspire you at the moment?

Overmono have been killing it recently. Every track they put out is 10/10. I’ve also been loving everything Maruwa has been doing, she’s a big talent! As for tracks that inspire me - I like to listen to all genres of music in my spare time, I don’t want to box myself in. There’s inspiration in all types of music.

What can we look forward to from DART in the near future?

Lots & lots of shows, some big mixes, and maybe even a little collab with another Irish artist ;)

‘Sad Day’ - DART Remix is out now via IFEEL.

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PHOTO CREDIT: Faolán Carey