MIDNIGHT DANGER - 'The Man behind the mask' | An Interview
Few are the Synthwave Artists that have a character arc, fewer still are the Artists that offer a feast for the senses, simply put there's no one like 'Midnight Danger'.
The dark theatrics and opaque intoxication that thrive in each of his releases are not lost on to someone who has followed his career with great interest since 'Darkness Approaches' released in 2016.
His performances to date have been somewhat legendary, and with the varied stages he's played dressed like his own visual hell-scape the crowd know as the lights go down and the opening note abides they are in for something they daren't forget!
With the recent release of his eagerly awaited new album 'Chapter 2: Endless Nightmare' I was super excited that Midnight Danger agreed to chat about all things from his personal netherworld. Take a look....
So, tell us a little more about how ‘Midnight Danger’ came to be?
I started Midnight Danger in 2015 after I moved to Sweden. Back then I was already into
Synthwave for a couple of years but didn’t have any plans of making Midnight Danger a big
project in my life. I was just so in love with the nostalgia Synthwave gives me and wanted to
learn and try to produce one song. That was my goal at the time, finishing one song and
hopefully seeing it in one of those classic mashup videos people create with footage from
80's movies.
The first single turned out great and got a very good response. I sent it to the
New RetroWave channel just to see what would happen and I was very surprised when I got
an almost immediate answer and the song was posted on the channel the following week. I
became more excited with Midnight Danger, produced a second single which got an even
better feedback and after that I was invited to join a few album compilations, a couple of
video game soundtracks and then little by little MD was becoming more important in my life.
It was when I played my first live gig, supporting Dance with the Dead in Stockholm (2017)
that it became clear that MD was not only a serious project but also the main project in my life.
What is your creative process like? Which comes first lyric or melody?
Well, Midnight Danger is 100% instrumental except for some remixes and covers. It’s on the
plans to have some guest singers on an E.P or so and then I’ll obviously have to come up
with lyrics etc. So my creative process usually starts with melodies, but sometimes I start
with the beat and a standard bass line. Something simple just to get the tempo and then I
start with everything else, maybe the pads, maybe the arpeggiator. Most importantly my
creative process starts with the mood I’m in, and that can come from movies I’m watching,
songs I’m listening to, or seeing live gigs, going out for a walk or something. Problem is
when I’m out of home and come up with a cool idea lol
Of your entire discography which track are you most proud of to date?
It’s very hard to answer that, specially because when I release an album I see it as a whole
thing, I can’t choose one. I could say that my first track Evil Night could be the one, because
it was the very first song I produced and I started with practically zero knowledge. But then it
sounds like I’m not as proud of anything that came after it lol
For other reasons I’m equally proud of “The Eyes of Darkness” from the new album, which
was a very hard song to produce due to the amount of elements going on simultaneously.
It’s one of the most explosive songs of Midnight Danger.
But really, I believe I’m very proud of everything I released so far, I make sure to release
only tracks I’m 100% happy with.
If you could change anything about the music industry what would it be? Why?
I believe that many (if not most) people in the industry are still failing to understand that there
are more and more artists building a career as independent artists or at least they take care
of some parts of their career independently - like bookings, or press for example. And sadly
it is still very usual that many people in the business, from agents, to promoters, to media
and so on, simply ignore the artists when they are reached by the artists themselves. I’ve
been going through this since my first bands, from over a decade ago. In my opinion this is a
big flaw in the industry today. I understand this could have been used as a filter for quality in
the past, but things evolved. Today there’s enough accessible tools for artists to release their
works themselves and manage their own careers, so today you find the same quality and
professionalism in independent artists. I feel lucky to have been working with a good label
and a good booking agent with Midnight Danger, but I would still change that aspect of the
industry if I could.
Who were your musical inspirations growing up?
Michael Jackson was the first! I’ve always been blown away by his music and his
performances since I can remember. I was highly influenced by my dad’s taste in music, so I
can add Queen, Richard Marx, Bryan Adams, Phil Collins on the list. When I got into heavier
music my biggest inspirations were Iron Maiden and Angra, until I got into 80's hard rock
glam and falling in love with Mötley Crüe, Alice Cooper, Skid Row, Europe and Poison. I still
love all of these artists.
What is the one guilty pleasure you cannot live without?
90's boy bands lol
There’s been a lot of buzz surrounding the release of Chapter 2 Endless Nightmare
which is fantastic. How long did it take you to pull that album together?
It took practically a whole year to produce the album. There were some breaks during this
time because of touring and other things, but from the moment I started producing the new
songs until the moment I sent the final files to the label, it was an entire year. A couple of
songs on the album are songs that I started to produce even before Malignant Force, but
never found the right sounds to finish them before.
You have an incredible, almost Vince Neil like presence on stage dare I say it, was
the characterisation deliberate in sense to make you stand out as or did your look
evolve as you got to know who the personality of Midnight Danger was to become?
Thank you so much, I’m flattered. My looks is part of who I am for many years actually. As I
was getting more into 80's glam metal and hard rock, the looks started to become part of me.
The question I had when I played my first show as Midnight Danger was if I should keep the
looks with MD or not. I took it easy in the beginning but I quickly realized that the fans were
enjoying the glam elements and I realized this was indeed making Midnight Danger stand
out. So I didn’t see any reason not to go for the full package with the big hair, makeup,
fishnet, bracelets, gloves etc.
What has been your most cherished memory of your career to date?
It’s so hard to tell, specially because I’ve had very special moments with different bands over
the years. Thinking about Midnight Danger only, it’s possibly when I played the first show
after the release of Malignant Force. It was me, Lebrock and Dance with the Dead
performing at a sold out The Underworld in London. It was an awesome feeling traveling to
play abroad, sharing the stage with 2 artists I admire, after getting a fantastic feedback from
the album release - beyond all expectations. I entered that stage and kicked ass performing
to one of the coolest audiences ever. It was amazing!
What do you enjoy most about being a musician?
I guess the ability to communicate with so many people through my art. To provide people
the soundtrack for their moments and emotions. And obviously to meet with the fans when
I’m on tour and realizing how far something I started in my home studio went.
If you could open a show for anyone on the Synth scene right now who would it be?
Why?
It would be Perturbator! Because in my opinion he has the most fantastic live show on the
scene and one of the craziest audiences I’ve ever seen. It would be an honour.
Perturbator
How do you like to relax when not working on music?
Watching movies, having a few drinks and eating junk snacks lol
If you could collaborate with anyone on the scene right now who would it be? Why?
Dance with the Dead! My favorite artists on the scene and the reason I’m into Synthwave!
What’s your favourite film?
Oh there are so many! But if I have to choose, I guess I’m between The Exorcist and
Terminator 2. Still can’t pick one ha ha
Tell us a little more about your current projects and what we can expect from
Midnight Danger in 2021?
Hopefully a lot of live shows and touring! At least twice as much as I would normally do, to
make it up for 2020 :) Right now I’m working on the live show - building the light show and
other things. I’m also producing a couple of tracks for a compilation and a collab.
What’s your favourite sound?
A screaming audience in a packed venue, doesn’t matter if it’s me playing or not! Can’t wait
to hear it again, every day that passes without it, I miss it more and more.
Any message for your fans?
Thank you so much for the support over the years, I’m always amazed with how far the
music I produce on my home studio goes. Because of you Midnight Danger has become the
main thing in my life and I can’t wait to be able to go on tour and see you at the gigs!
Please consider supporting Midnight Danger via the following links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MidnightDanger
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DangerMidnight
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midnightdanger/
Bandcamp (new album link): https://newretrowave.bandcamp.com/album/chapter-2-endless-nightmare
Merch: midnightdanger.bandcamp.com
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/08oYIzltKqFzeg7pQg6hh4?si=tJam_KYUQ4OR4aXcPgdKrw
