Dantiez Saunderson, 22, is the son of Belleville techno legend Kevin and illustrious singer-songwriter Ann – both parents aligned to iconic clubland acts Inner City and The Reese Project. Earlier this week Dantiez released a new EP, ‘Place Called Home’, on Defected alongside Spanish DJ-producer KPD (and singer LaRae Starr) and further cements a reputation for punchy house ‘n’ tech whilst fully confirming that Saunderson DNA is spliced with some seriously bumpin’ BPM.
Dantiez is actually something of a late bloomer where dance music is concerned. He only started DJing in 2012 (influenced as much by his father and peers as by relative Detroit newcomers Seth Troxler and Claude VonStroke) and made his studio debut a year later, track ‘Undergo’ released via (current Defected Singles Manager) Wez Saunders’ former label First Step. Since then he has confidently landed EPs on Detone (‘& Friends EP’, 2013) and KMS (‘Can’t Stop Us’, 2013, and, with John Norman, ‘Stuck In My Mind’, 2014), remixes of Inner City and David Guetta (the latter alongside his father) and seriously upped his ante as DJ.
In the company of his father, Detroit’s youngest Saunderson phenomenon talks to us about family legacies and striking bold new paths beyond them.
Dantiez, what’s life like for you right now?
Busy. I’m just back from a show in downtown Chicago and have been producing a few new tracks in the studio. I’ve got a remix due soon on [Carl Cox’s] Intec Digital and something due for Noir Music. I’m enjoying myself.
Talk us through ‘Place Called Home’....
It was about pulling together different pieces of the puzzle. ‘The Harp’ was the first track. It’s not too deep; it has a relaxed, soulful feel and those warm vocals. I’d held onto it for about a year-and-a-half but now felt like the right time to properly introduce it. A few months after recording ‘The Harp’ I was working with LaRae [Starr] on ‘Place Called Home’ but we felt it still needed something. KPD was on the KMS label and someone whose music I respected, so I sent the track to him to get his input. He came back two or three weeks later having done his whole beat thing. He helped deepen things out and add some drive. The final edit was great.
Considering your family background some would say you’ve come to music relatively late....
I guess it was a little late. Growing up, my dad was away a lot touring and I was really into sports. Therefore techno wasn’t a thing for me; I was really into basketball and baseball instead. But after high school, dance music started becoming this really popular form of music...the whole EDM thing and everything else. It captured my generation’s imagination. Personally, it opened my eyes to a lot of new thinking, and to the space my dad had been in for so long. I started going to clubs more and more. I adapted to a new way of life.
Were those first DJ sets and studio sessions easy? Did the music just come to you?
Some of my musical training was subliminal. As I grew up, there was something of a natural funkiness...a sense of rhythm and that underground dance flow. But it’s still been a lot of work. I’ve been doing a lot of my own research...a lot of online tutorials and studio sessions to help me find and produce my own sound.
And your father, how has he fitted in?
I’ve learned so much just from watching him work – there are so many things I pay attention to when he’s producing or DJing. At the same time, when I’m working on tracks he’ll give me all these pointers...on my kick drums for example, on my bass-lines and melodies
Is he a hard task master?
He’s a big inspiration – he’s given me the space to develop my own identity. I make my own decisions but it’s great to know he’s around to give useful feedback if I need it. For me he’s a final approval. If he tells me something is “bangin’” then I know he really likes it. If something is only ‘cool’ then I’ll go back to the drawing board! He’s like a sparring partner – he’ll knock you down sometimes but he still loves you!
Kevin, what have you learnt from the rise of Dantiez as an artist in his own right?
I’ve learnt that getting time in the studio is a lot more difficult – that boy is always in the studio these days! If you’d asked me about this musical father-son dynamic a few years ago I’d never have thought it could be a possibility for the future. What have I picked up from Dantiez? His moves in the studio are quick. I’m not used to that, so being around him helps keep me modern. I’m more hardware, too, and I use Logic. Dantiez likes Ableton and uses plugins, so I pick up on all of that. Hearing his music and the music that he likes...there’s a lot of new things for me to discover right there.
So Dantiez, what’s next?
My plan is purely to keep the fire burning. The bookings are going good and I’ll be using this year to get stuck into an artist album, which I hope to release in 2016. On top of that there are other releases and remixes coming and I’m still working for my dad at KMS. There’s lots going on there, including an event in Miami later this month.
And you Kevin?
I’ve just remixed Laura Welsh [new single ‘Ghost’]. And I’m working on my own new album. I haven’t really released a dance album since the 1990s, so there’s a chance to show new people my inspirations from then and now. I think it’ll be deeper and darker; I’ve already recorded two or three tracks. Then there are the collaborations with Dantiez [‘Place Called Home’ includes a dub ‘edit’ by Kevin] and Damarii [his eldest son, 25] and my plans to tour ORIGINS. We had an ORIGINS stage at Movement in 2014 and will be doing it again this May [the line-up already includes Carl Craig, Matthew Dear, MK and Seth Troxler] as well as looking at other dates across the States and Europe including, possibly, London. It’s a celebration of techno’s originators and next wave creators....
What’s your take on the electronic dance scene in 2015?
It’s healthy. It’s harder to make money from releases so you have to tour more but, look, the kids are getting into electronic sounds through EDM and then exploring further, which is great. A lot of people are coming together today which is the vision we originally had back in the day.
Your family is a powerful symbol of that evolution....
It’s an amazing feeling seeing what my boys are doing. It caught me off guard to be honest but to see anyone really feeling the music and making their passions become a reality is fantastic. My sons live it and love it and I couldn’t be happier. They have their styles but I can still hear myself in them which is amazing. It’s the Saunderson DNA man...bangin’!
Back to you Dantiez – happy with your progress so far?
Yeah. Looking back, I probably would have made some different decisions but we’re all learning as artists and, yes, the progress overall has been good so far. When people ask what my style is I tell them that it’s ‘dancefloor’ - you can move to it and dance to it. People seem to agree and that’s a really special thing.
Words: Ben Lovett
Dantiez Saunderson & KPD feat. LaRae Starr’s new EP ‘Place Called Home’ is out now on Defected Records – buy from Beaport / Traxsource / DStore
