Nirox Romão, or as he is better known, Diron Animal, was born and raised in Cazenga, Angola. There he quickly learned to make the most out of everything that surrounded him. Imagination is an essential tool in learning how to make sandals out of old tires or creating toys out of cans.
He has had a colourful musical background, and has been part of a wide variety of projects including an Angolan traditional group, a hip hop project, and a capoeira group. As a member of Throes + The Shine, he released three albums and toured extensively, taking the sound of kuduro to Europe.
Now based in Portugal, he has since made use of the creative talents he gained back home, and his ingenuity shines through in the sounds he crafts. His solo offering, Alone is an album that combines his many influences, from afro beat to afro house, from hip hop to funk, from kuduro to coupé décalé. His current moniker, Diron Animal reflects the purpose of the album: to put all of its listeners in a frenzied dancing state by summoning the animal inside that can only be brought out by the frenetic sounds of dance music.
The first single from the album, ‘Don’t Stop’ is a mix of kuduro, hip hop, rock, and electronica, and showcases the eclectic artist’s ability to bring together a mix of genres to create a zealous blend of high-energy sound.
Diron Animal will be taking to the stage at Eurosonic 2018, wowing the audience with what is sure to be a vibrant live performance.
We chatted to him about his solo release Alone, and gained some insight into “the way of The Animal”….
To those not familiar with you, how would you describe your sound?
Alone, fourth album by Diron Animal, but first solo album (that is, alone), is an album with a lot of music that infects people in every way.
What are the 5 albums that have influenced you the most?
The 5 albums that most influenced the Diron Animal in the construction and production of the album Alone, are:
Africa Negra (Band) – Carambola
Michael Jackson – Thriller
Fela Kuti – Gentleman
Daft Punk – Random Access Memories
Papa Wemba – Emotion (Real World Gold)
Major Lazer – Pon de Floor
What techniques do you experiment with to form your sound?
Diron Animal is an imaginary artist, creating songs with all the resources at his fingertips.
One of the techniques that was used in the production of the album, was the creation of samples and sound capture with objects from the kitchen and even from the bathroom, to turn them into songs for the album, from percussion to even melody. For example there is a track where some guitar details were recorded with the mouth and turned into MIDI. In the end the use of a plugins (VST’s) set the sound of Diron Animal.
Are there any key pieces of equipment that you can’t live without?
I love percussion, and I love to play percussion, so I could not live without the drums, the congas and the bongos eh eh eh
What are some of your key influences in your music? Whether it be the sound created by others, imagery, films or any kind of art form.
I like to see people happy, especially when they are happy having fun, watching a concert. I love watching people have fun with at my concerts, so my great influence with music is really the people themselves. The fact that I know I can make people happy with my sound, influences me to produce music. Also, my childhood, has great influence on my songs creations.
Jean Michel Jarre said “Music is the human treatment of sounds.” How do you interpret this?
My interpretation of Michel Jarre’s statement is that we can assume any noise (sound) as being music, since there are several forms of music and music making. Eh eh eh, this is my opinion in relation to this, because I have heard several forms or types of music, such as the acceleration of a car often repeated and determined time or no time. However, any sound can be turned into potentially consumable music by a creative person.
What has been a memorable highlight in your career so far?
I have had many moments that I remember and that I was completely happy, but I will mention just one. I once saw a paraplegic man (with no use of his legs) completely happy and amused to the sound of my music at a concert. I’m glad to see people happy.
If you could work with, or perform alongside any artist of your choice, who would it be?
Nowadays I like working with many artists so this is a very difficult question, but I would choose the Daft Punk. I think it would be a funny, very funny and interesting co-production.
If you weren’t a musician what would you be?
If I were not a musician, I would be a filmmaker or a stylist because I make my videos and my clothes.
What can we expect from you in the near future? Any upcoming projects or gigs in the pipeline that you would like to tell us about?
My album Alone has just been released via Soundway Records (October this year) so in the next few while, until the end of 2018 I will promote this record as much as possible as much as possible.
Stay tuned to my Facebook page where I will soon announce my concerts for every city in Europe. A few more singles will be extracted from the album, so stay tuned.
Anyway, I will try to bring to my followers and people who like me and my work, the best music possible and good news!
Watch Diron Animal’s ‘Don’t Stop’ from his latest album Alone.
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