Q&A: Daniel Banko
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Q&A: Daniel Banko

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What brands are you behind and what year did they launch? Darkbeat (2003), The Breakfast Club (2012), No Nonsense (2010), Trust Us (2010) and Against The Grain.

How’d you get into it? Well, it really is kind of a combination of a few things, like having been in the scene for a few years already – just starting out as a regular clubber with a bunch of friends and having an awesome time, to then have the door opened up into the world of promoting – which was pretty much the same thing as I was doing at the time anyway, however it came with all the perks (things like free entry to shows, cheap entry for friends, free drinks, which is always a awesome bonus). Now with all that going on, my love for the clubbing experience and always having a massive love for music, all lead me into wanting to become an entertainer. The idea of being able to express myself through the music and preforming as a DJ in front of a packed club really excited me, so I set out learning the basics of DJing – and things just grew from there.  Now having the passion for preforming, plus the knowledge of promoting inside of me, my first big test (unknown to me at the time) was just around the corner. Yep, it was time for my 21st Birthday and time to throw my first real party.

Now, you kind of get that feeling this is for you, after having booked a club, DJs, and all the extras in order to throw yourself a party for your 21st birthday which then managed to exceed all expectations, packing the club out and getting just under 400 people all coming in just for you and with everyone having the best time. It really does give you that amazing feeling on the inside. Plus seeing as it was my birthday and everyone there were my close friends coming to party and help celebrate such a special occasion and milestone in my life. In the process of ending up with one of the most memorable birthdays ever, I actually ended up with over 300 birthday cards and presents, and not only that, but by being able to charge $5 entry as well to cover the costs incurred for running the night it meant walking away a tidy little pocket full of cash as well, which didn’t hurt one bit back then.

I think it was probably about a week or so after this party, still riding that feeling of how awesome the night turned out, and having all my friends feeling the same way, the thought of being able to do it all again started, and having that excitement building up, the wheels were quickly set in motion and the planning process underway, which all lead to the birth of the Darkbeat brand just a few months later.

Who are your resident DJs and/or favourite touring talents? My local favourites are Phil K, Rollin Connection, Dave Pham, Sean Quinn, Gavin Keitel, Kasey Taylor, Simon Murphy, J-Slyde, Mish’Chief, Lister Cooray, Jon Beta, Walter Juan, Drew K, Nick Thayer, Citizen.com, Flip3k, Deviant, – the list goes on and on. We are very lucky to have such great local talent here in Melbourne and I’m sorry for the guys that I have missed in this list. My touring favourites, just to name a very small few, are Anthony Pappa, Guy J, Danny Howells, James Zabiela, Steve Lawler, Joris Voorn, Nic Fanciulli, Hybrid, Meat Katie, Stanton Warriors, Krafty Kuts, Hernan Cattaneo, Lee Burridge and Henry Saiz.

Who’s your crowd and what makes your parties great? We are very lucky to have such loyal and dedicated followers that have supported us year in and year out and I believe it has always been one of our strengths as a crew to be able to make these parties so great. Generally speaking the crowds have become a little more diverse over the years as the trends constantly change, although you will find that everyone that comes along, always know they’re in for a great night with an awesome vibe and they’re always going to get to listen to the best and most upfront underground dance music the world has to offer, whether it be house to techno, progressive to breaks or anything in between. What makes our parties great? That’s a secret, however, I can tell you that if you have the right combination of these few key elements you can usually come up with at least something a little special. The careful selection of music, in the appropriate venue with a crowd that is up for it and willing to have their boundaries pushed is always a great start. Sometimes more intimate clubs are often more appropriate for certain parties such as our The Breakfast Club brand shows have been running this year, the atmosphere that can be created is unbeatable. On the flip side, doing big club shows like Darkbeat with Nick Warren & Luke Fair to the Darkbeat 9th Birthday featuring Circoloco with Stacey Pullen, M.A.N.D.Y., Clive Henry and Tanya Vulcano, to the James Zabiela and Friends shows at Billboard the venue, playing to a 1,000 people, with an electric vibe and an in house production rig that rivals most concert rigs, the feeling you get walking into that room in full swing is indescribable. However I think the most important part of making our nights really great regardless of size of the show really comes down to the sheer amount of heart and love in which we put into each and every show. 

What’s been the most epic party you’ve thrown and why? Most epic? There have been far too many to just choose one. Darkbeat featuring Hernan Cattaneo which launched of his sequential Vol 2. CD was one of our first major day/night shows and with Hernan doing a six-hour set that evening to a full house was just insane. To this day, I believe it has been Hernan’s best set preformed in Melbourne to date.

Darkbeat 6th Birthday with Nick Warren, Satoshi Tomiie, Audiojack, Spencer Parker and Dubfunk was an 18 hour long day/night affair with a sell out crowd was definitely one of the highlights over the years.

Darkbeat featuring Danny Howells Day Party on Melbourne Cup Day: I don’t even know where to start with this one. What an awesome day it was. The crowd stuck to the dance floor from start to finish with all hands in the air, while Danny played an epic seven-hour Set.

Trust Us NYD (day and night) featured 13 internationals, running for 18 hours over two massive venues. Add a couple of thousand people to the mix and you have the makings of one of the best new years parties seen in a club in recent time here in Melbourne.

Other very special mentions have to go to our Stanton Warriors show in ‘09, our Gareth Emery Show in 2011, our Krafty Kuts show in 2010, our No Nonsense launch party with Steve Lawler, James Lavelle, and Henry Saiz, our No Nonsense 1st Birthday with Sven Vath, Lee Burridge Balance Launch Party, Joris Voorn Balance Launch Party, Guy J at The Breakfast Club, and our first show with Anthony Pappa at F4. All these shows have a very special place in our heart.

What’s the worst/craziest thing that’s happened at one of your parties? That’s a tough one, there have been some pretty intense moments over the years, to pinpoint just one would be tough, but here’s a few examples. Having to kindly explain to Satoshi Tommie mid-set that he had to cut the volume down by well over half, for roughly around half an hour due to venue licensing laws has to be up there. Though once he turned it back up, the place exploded and the vibe in the venue was second to none.

Having Hernan Cattaneo just making it to Melbourne by the skin of his teeth when the Volcano was letting off ash all through Europe was another nail biter. While most other DJs cancelled their tours to Australia that weekend, both parties involved did all that they could to get Hernan to Australia. Again after all the hassles and nail biting, when he took the stage it was such a great feeling knowing that we got him here and he ended up playing a blinder of a show.

Nearly having Derrick Carters cancel on NYD night due to an electrical storm was another close call. After having his flight delayed for hours, re routed to Canberra then back to Melbourne, we finally got him here and got him on stage, albeit a bit late, but the vibe when he came on was unbelievable. With all the near misses and high stress moments, when things finally fall into place and an artist takes the stage, all that stress is gone and just adds to the already incredible atmosphere.

Shameless self-promotion opportunity – what, when, where for your next party?  Darkbeat presents: Hybrid ‘Classics’ Album Launch with Hybrid Sound System at New Guernica on Friday August 10, The Breakfast Club with Jody Wisternoff at New Guernica on Friday August 24, J00F Editions with John ’00’ Fleming at Brown Alley on Friday September 7,The Breakfast Club with Tiefschwarz at New Guernica on Friday September 7 and Darkbeat and Chameleon present Kenny Larkin at New Guernica on Friday September 14.

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