When it comes to producing sound and experimenting with different music styles; Dasu has become a prominent figure in the Philippine music scene. Her unique EDM compositions and creative lyrics using the Vocaloid voicebanks have been on demand. We got the chance to sit down with this brilliant composer to learn more about her industry and what it’s like being a musician.
Let’s take a glimpse at the journey of DASU!
So, before we begin, can you introduce yourself?
I’m Dasu, a Filipino Vocaloid Music Producer, Illustrator, Animator & Lyricist. I’m known for my works such as ‘Nakakapagpabagabag’ and ’86’ which are featured in various rhythm games such as Pump It Up Prime and Chrono Circle Japan. I’m also a virtual streamer/Vtuber with an EN-PH Vtuber group called Yashin Live!
Wow! That’s amazing. How did your journey start? What was it like at the beginning?
My journey with music started when I was in high school. A transferee in our school who became my then-best friend for life introduced me to Vocaloid, and I was hooked ever since! I do have a background in music since I was a child, such as joining local singing competitions and playing the piano.
My early experience with music production was kind of out of the blue since I only wanted to experiment with creating short songs using Digital Synthesizers (Vocaloid) alongside piano instrumentals. It became my pastime to compose music whenever I would come home from school, and I gradually honed the skill unknowingly throughout the years.
My works are very much influenced by real-life experiences, inside jokes with friends, and weird storylines born from daydreaming. I like to write music using heavy metaphors, and I translate them into original characters for individual pieces that eventually create an entire song series.
What a journey it has been for you! As you continued to grow in your craft, did you have any inspirations or people you looked up to?
I was inspired by various EDM/Dubstep and progressive rock music producers which was the first genre I started learning from. Some Japanese Vocaloid producers I look up to are Deco*27 and Yuyoyuppe.
I think we can agree that Deco*27 and Yuyo defined everyone’s Vocaloid era back then haha! That being said, what kind of music genre did you eventually get into and how did you discover it?
My main music genre is Dubstep/Drum and Bass! I discovered it because of my high school music influences; since I was also creating live-action films from high school to college. We did have to compose original electronic soundtracks for our films. Skrillex’s music was also one of the reasons I was interested in making dubstep. Then, when I found out you can individually engineer basslines and noises, I just set off and did nothing but manually craft my own sounds.
Another genre I really like creating but do not post often is piano/orchestral. It is one of the earliest genres I experimented with, which I now try to mix with EDM and Orchestral EDM/Dubstep.
That’s very interesting! If that’s how you found your genre, how does someone start producing music then? What would be the first step?
Honestly, whenever there’s a melody that comes to mind, I just whip out my phone recorder and record my own voice haha! So I won’t forget it until I’m home and can finally start composing it piece by piece. Also, try to pick out a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) that you can be comfortable with! I’ve tried out different ones but only one DAW stuck to me.
I also think scribbling down poetry helped me a lot, since I like to write poems. It was one of the first steps (or sketches, rather) that I did. I just let my brain go wild with ideas before realizing “Ah yeah, I can make this into something.”
The creative process is really a unique process! That being said, do you have any advice or tips you can give to aspiring musicians who’d like to pursue the same path as you?
Not to be cheesy, but starting is always the hardest step. Producing is second, you might even abhor and hate the journey of crafting your projects. However, the moment it’s finished and you get to see the fruits of your labor or passion, it’s all worth it in the end.
Write about anything. Forget about the expectations of other people and don’t even worry about any kind of comments that may spring up after it. If you’re doing it because you love it, that’s the only tip you’ll ever need to have the will to keep going.
Also, sleep a lot. Dreams can take a big part in your creative planning, sometimes!
Where can you find Dasu?
There you have it, folks! We hope that DASU was able to shed some light on the behind scene workings of music production. We have that it answered some questions you may have about the industry. If you’d like to check out DASU’s works and activities, you can keep in touch with her through her socials below!
Support Dasu on Gank: https://ganknow.com/DASUCAKIES
Dasu’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/dasucakies
Vtuber Dasu’s Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/dasucakies
Dasu’s Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/dasucakies
