GMG Records.
Based on their common love and passion for music, Dan Josiah, DC De Angelo and Kolja Dominiakhave recently created their own label. From London to Berlin, they are introducing their own artistry. Artists before anything, they produce and write their own music. DC is an incredible lyricist/rapper and producer with a great sense of creativity. Dan is an amazing writer and producer with a great understanding of the music industry. Kolja is a brilliant producer with a great music identity.
The idea of having their own label is giving them the freedom to fully be who they really are as artists.
Introduce yourselves and tell us where you’re from.
Dan - 23, artist, producer and co-founder of the label. Originally from South East London, but currently residing in South West.
De Angelo - My name is “DC De Angelo” also co-founder of GMG Records; I am a Recording Artist/Record Producer. I am in fact originally from North London but moved over to South East London at a very young age.
Kolja - My Name is Kolja Dominiak, 26 years young, currently based in Berlin.
Could you tell us about your label, GMG Records?
Kolja - Diggity Dan just introduced me to DC via Whatsapp and it turned out quick that we make music for the same reasons, so that label idea came naturally.
Dan - It all happened a month or so ago, the idea for a label really came after I met with De after some years of leaving college and being inspired by his growth, we just clicked musically, he had the idea to make a label. I wasn’t sure at the time, but shortly after that I went to Berlin to work with Kolja who I’ve known and worked with for years. He was mentioning how he wanted to put some instrumental music out with no strings attached on a independent vibe, I then had the idea to make a group chat and introduce De Angelo to Kolja, we were constantly voice noting each other beats and songs, we were all inspired by each other and the label manifested from that.
Could you tell us a bit about the artists’ part of your label?
Dan - For now, De Angelo and me are the only artists on the label, Kolja is the in house producer but me and De Angelo make our own beats too.
How long have you been making music? Do you remember your first musical memories?
De Angelo – I’ve been around the influence of music since the womb let’s say, as my Dad also had a serious passion for the art of music. It’s crazy how I used to watch him produce music and he even at one point passed me the microphone although this was in the 90’s. Haha who would’ve thought?
Dan - I started rapping at 7, Taste FM used to be in my house so I naturally gravitated towards music.
Kolja - Started in primary school’s music class, played the drums and started producing.
Tell us about your latest projects, “June 6th” and “Chakra.2”. What are the stories behind these records?
Dan - Yeah Chakras is a series of songs with different feelings, each title represents an essential element to life e.g. “CHAKRA. 2 (flames)” represents the fire in ones belly when exposed to violence and crime growing up. I’m also on a spiritual path I guess, that sounds corny lol but I’m into consciousness and heightened perception, it seeps through into the music.
Listen to “Chakra. 2″ (Ft. Ramzey St Calais) here
De Angelo – “June 6th” is simply an honest depiction of where I’ve come from as far as life from the day my birth “June 6th” and ultimately where I’d like to be in the future from a spiritual, physical and emotional stand point. In addition to that, it was quite unplanned, I think that’s how I managed to capture genuine emotion through every lyric and how I spoke ever word; I took the approach as if it were a documentary of emotion or maybe even me just putting on a tape recorder on my life.
Listen to “June 6th” by DC De Angelo here
Where do you get your inspiration from? What do you like to write about?
De Angelo - I am honestly inspired by life in general and everything apart of life and I honestly like to write about positivity, good energy and humility, although I do feel there’s absolutely no limit to what one could write about. I like to look at my self as a student of life and life as the source of my influence.
Kolja - I get my inspiration from inside and from what I do during the process of making music.. It is what it is.
What’s your point of view of today’s music industry?
De Angelo - I am honestly happy with the progression of music overall, there’s a lot of smart, and creative people involved in the music industry today paving a new path and direction for the future.
Dan - There’s good music out there, but I’m a bit of an oldy. I listen more to music from the late 60’s and the 70s, like your Stevies, Bill Withers, Lonnie Liston Smith, Rotary Connection etc. Also Jay Z and Kanye albums, old Em too, just classic shit.
If you had to change some things about it, what would you change?
De Angelo - Good question, I honestly wouldn’t change a thing, but if I absolutely had to it would be to allow more musicians to follow their hearts more and not what social convention dictates.
Dan - Yeah the quality and substance in the music has become less important to the general consumer, you can get away with murder coz tech is driving it really, but it will change I think. Technology is still a baby, and all baby’s have to grow up eventually, take that how you want.
Watch Dan Josiah’s first video “Shadow” here
What’s the biggest challenge for you right now?
Dan - I’m just excited and optimistic about life, I just focus on the things I can do right now and keep the vision strong, everything will manifest when the universe makes it possible. I don’t want to focus on the things I can’t do now, we just need to work hard and be patient.
Kolja - There’s no challenge for me, I love doing music so I will not quit any soon.
What’s the most important change you’ve seen in yourselves as artists?
De Angelo - Understanding that not everyone is going to see what you see, but if you just follow your heart/intuition everything will fall into place naturally. So just pretty much coming to terms with that and applying that to what I do everyday and I’ve seen the positive effect it’s had on me creatively, and emotionally.
Dan - I second that.
Do you have a favourite lyric from one of your songs?
De Angelo - I can’t actually pick a specific lyric, but I would say a favourite song of mine at the moment is a song called “Better Dayz”; it really inspired me on a personal level.
Dan - I’m inspired by own growth tbh, life is happening for you in your own head, in your own perception. I just try to make sense of what I feel inside me and find ways to express it, I don’t limit myself. I like every bar uno, it’s hard to choose, ask me in a few years maybe.
What keeps you going?
De Angelo - The positive energy around me, it honestly keeps me going on a day to day.
Dan - Food and water mostly lol, but getting better at my craft makes the grind worth it.
What is your motto?
De Angelo – Be Patient, and stay true to you.
Dan - I’m not really into mottos but I guess to be formless.
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