Bill Dalton [Interview]

With past releases via Innerselves and Harabe, Cyprus based producer Bill Dalton adds Polyptych Limited to his resume with 'Manetowa'.

Progressive Astronaut caught up with Bill to learn more about the release of ‘Manetowa’, his background, studio process, inspirations, future plans, and more. Enjoy.

Hi Bill, thanks for joining us today. What is your current mood and what was the last piece of music you listened to?

Hi PA, thanks for having me on your interview. I’m happy and grateful. Guy Gerber – Pyramid of the moon was last music that I listened to.

How has your spring been so far and what are your plans for this coming week and the summer months ahead?

Spring was full of action and stressful for me. Beside organizations and production I graduated from University. So when all together came at same time I was really exhausted.

My plans for coming week are full of production, spending time with my loved ones. And my plans for summer is also same as my next week!:)

Tell us about growing up in Cyprus, how did that affect your journey into electronic music, and who from your home country inspired you when you first discovered your love for electronic music?

Actually I didn’t grew up in Cyprus my whole life. I also lived in Istanbul and Toronto in some parts of my life. Every part has affected this path. My journey with electronic music has begun in my very early ages. I was living in Istanbul when I was kid. We were always coming Cyprus for holidays and family visits. My uncle was passionate in Trance music. He was taking me to road trips and made me listen electronic music that time. In Istanbul when I was 11 I bought him a CD/Album  Tiesto-Elements of life. It was released that days. Before I go to Cyprus to give his present, I put that CD on my computer, put my headphones and played it. I laid down on floor and listened whole album. Never gave that CD to him and I listened nothing except that album for long time.

What are some of your best memories from first going to clubs? Were there specific nights or sets that really made you feel you wanted to pursue electronic music?

When I was 14, I went my first electronic music events/clubs, in Cyprus with my uncle who made me start DJ’ing. The specific one was one of them. Ferry Corsten was on stage. That moment I felt that I need to begin journey as an artist.

If you were a tour-guide for nightlife in Cyprus, what would be the clubs you’d take the people to see and what local DJs do they need to hear?

Cyprus has improved itself for the last 2 years in electronic music scene. There are so many international dj events, organizations, local events almost every week.

I would suggest them as Club: Ammos Beach Bar, sllip club, Mason Bar and La Nouba Club when its electronic music day.

As organization / event: Ecorche, Techno Habits, Eternity, Flex, Santa Nosha

And talented local dj’s they need to check out:Alex Tomb, Atesh K, Huser, Curci, Osman Merter

If you are not DJing or socializing at clubs, where do we find you? And doing what?

Mostly I’m in my studio and that’s the place where you can find me almost every time if I’m not on stage or socializing.

When you were first getting started in production did you have someone help you or are you completely self-taught? And what would you recommend new producers do to help with the learning curve of production?

At first I tried to produce myself. Did some tracks but realized that I need to improve my skills.  So I went to Istanbul and had some courses. After that I watched lots of tutorials and masterclasses online. And my recommend for new producers is going to be cliché but always work hard, watch lots of tutorials, improve yourself every day. Learning never ends in this journey.

You have a new EP ‘Manetowa’ out now via Polyptych Limited, tell us about the tracks and how they showcase your current sound.

Manetowa EP includes two tracks. Tracks are called ‘Manetowa’ and ‘Discussed Path’ Tracks are little different then my current sound, but loved the vibe. Both tracks are moody, and created from dark elements.

This is your first release on Polyptych Limited, what is it about the label which made it a good home for your music?

Polypthych family is very warm since day 1. The team showed very hard work on EP, they know what to do and I’m sure they are same to all releases.

Last month you contributed a track to the ‘Centrum II’ collection via Innerselves, tell us about that one and how it ended up as part of the release.

Innerselves is like home label to me. My dear friends Coxenberg amd Umut is running the label. 4 Tracks was released on VA. 4 of them was really nice. Aeria and rest of the Album got great reactions.

What task do you enjoy the most when producing and what would you prefer someone else to do?

I love all steps of production. Every step has different enjoyable moments and stuck moments. Just listen yourself and follow the path you feel right.

How does the decision-making process work during a gig with regards to wanting to play certain tracks, the next transition and where you want the set to go? How far do you tend to plan ahead? Or do you at all?

Before my gigs, I check the venue and my set time. Try to feel atmosphere of night. After that I create my playlists. And yes I definitely choose certain tracks to shape my sets. I start to my gig with my playlists. I always check the crowd if my playlist works or not. If it works I play it till it doesn’t. When it starts to not work, I check my other playlists. My sets always starts from one point to another point.

Can you tell me a bit how your work as a Dj Has influenced your view of music, your way of listening to tracks and perhaps also, your work as a producer?

When you work as a DJ you start to listen lots of music from different genre. This effects your track choosing. You start to analyse tracks if it’s suitable to you or not. When you start production and start to learn it, you try to separate the elements in track and start to think how it made.

If you could set up an event with a line-up of five artists of your choice, who would you book and what set times would you ascribe to the artists?

• Guy Gerber – 17:00/19:00
• Dixon – 19:00/22:00
• Maceo Plex – 22:00/00:00
• Adriatique – 00:00/03:00
• Tale Of US – 03:00/06:00

Apart from music, what makes you happiest?

Feeling nature, sports and enjoyable moments with loved ones makes me happy beside music.

'Manetowa' is available now via Polyptych Limited: https://bit.ly/3seodJz