"Acclaimed to be the youngest and most versatile musician, producer, singer and songwriter extraordinaire"
Mike DaSilva was born and raised in Ontario Canada. At the age of 14 he began touring as lead guitarist in Canada with different local rock bands, once all his music started coming together he began writing down one or two rough ideas and would later put them together and format them into a song. After high school he moved to Toronto to be more around the music scene, he purchased production equipment with the intent of solely recording bands and set up a studio in his parent’s basement. His production skills began evolving and he began making his own beats and recording his own songs. This side of music came easy to Mike; being in a band helped him understand how instruments were arranged. Very confident that he was capable of bringing something exciting and different to music he began producing for up-incoming artists from rappers to singers. He was always very opened minded to all genres of music and would research on various artists and styles. He first got into hip-hop through its underground scene where he listening to artists like MFDOOM and Lil Brother. Inspired by hip-hop he began listening to Jay-Z, T.I. and 50 Cent. He thought that there was alot to be said about the production and how it was put together and enjoyed the intricacy of it. This would move him to go back and listening to old Dr Dre productions for inspiration to see how it all started. Pop music was never part of his intentions, "If I look back a couple of years from now there was no way I would be singing the songs I sing now, but I think right now is a very exciting time for pop music. It sounds crazy cause music is kind of in a tough spot right now, but I think pop music and hip hop are the new exciting wave of music."
Please Contact:
Future Society Management
P Day: [email protected]
myspace.com/pdaydollars
Mike DaSilva “See The Lightâ€
WHERE ARE YOU FROM AND HOW DID YOU GET INTO MUSIC?
I was born in St. Catharines, Ontario. I moved to Toronto when I finished high
school to be more around the music scene. I got into music at a young age. I
started playing drums when I was about 10. I played in some local bands for the next few years and started teaching myself guitar, piano, bass, and a little
violin. I just loved learning new instruments, it was like an addiction, haha.
Learning all those instruments made it really easy for me to start making beats
and producing my own songs. I think I’ve always liked the idea of being a one
man band.
FROM WHAT IVE HEARD YOU HAVE A MIX OF R&B, POP, ROCK, AND TRANCE. BUT HOW WOULD
YOU DESCRIBE YOUR SOUND?
My sound is a collaboration of all the music I love listening to. I come from
such a diverse musical background, I can’t leave out any of the styles that have
made me the artist I am today. The lines between hip-hop/pop/r&b/etc have been so blurred. Personally, I love it. My music kinda shapes itself. I know I’ve
made a good song when even I can sit back and enjoy it.
WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR INFLUENCES?
I take inspiration from all types of music. When it comes to production, I like
Dr. Dre, Timbaland, Hi Tek, Neptunes. My favorite singer is Jeff Buckley. He’s
why I started singing in the first place. My other all time favourite
artists/bands include Ben Folds, Michael Jackson, Jay-Z, Kanye, Metallica,
Darkest Hour, DJ Shadow…the list goes on and on.
I UNDERSTAND ALSO YOU STARTED TOURING AT A YOUNG AGE WHAT WERE SOME THINGS YOU
LEARNED FROM THAT?
Touring in a band is not easy. There are thousands of bands that all want to
make it and they all work hard to get there. You really have to love your music
and believe in it to keep going. I do love being on the road because it’s
always something new. I would wake up in the van and be like “Where the hell am I?†I learned how hard you really have to grind to get to the top. You have to sacrifice everything in your life for the sake of your music.
YOU MOVED FROM ONTARIO TO TORONTO TO EXPAND YOUR MUSIC, BUT LET ME ASK YOU, HOW
WOULD YOU SAY THE MARKET IS DIFFERENT FROM CANA DA AND THE US?
The music scene is just so different in Canada. There is a whole lot of rock
and alternative music. It’s hard to believe how separate things are between
Canada and the U.S. Some of the biggest bands in Canada are virtually unknown in the States. Canada has a smaller population too, so platinum is only 100,000 copies as opposed to 1,000,000 in the U.S. There are a lot of very talented artists in Canada, but a lot of them don’t necessarily want worldwide recognition.
WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON THE STRUGGLING MUSIC BUSINESS?
It makes me sad to even think about it, haha. But really, it’s a gift and a
curse. The internet has taken the power away from the major labels and put it
right in the hands of the artist. There is much more creativity now than a few
years ago when everyone had to go through the major label machine. I’m just
excited to see what happens in the future. It’s not like people are going to
stop listening to music..people NEED music. They will just be getting it in
different ways.
HAVE YOU BEEN OFFERED A RECORD DEAL YET?
I have some things in the works. Nothing concrete yet, but there’s a lot of
interest. Not sure I can say much more than that…
WHAT ARE SOME NOTABLE TRACKS YOU HAVE DONE OR BEEN FEATURED ON THAT ARE PERSONAL
FAVORITES OF YOURS?
I love working wi th Tito Lopez. We have some tracks together that are insane.
He always surprises and impresses me. I’ve got tracks with Oun P from New York, Fatigue from Florida, E.M.B. from Atlanta, and a bunch more people all around the world…it’s amazing what you can do with the internet.
HOW DID THE TRACK “GET STUPID†W/ TITO LOPEZ COME ABOUT?
We’ve been collaborating for a minute. I had that beat and hook on my
soundclick page and Tito heard it and wanted to use it. I knew he was the right
artist for that track. There’s plenty more where that came from too.
WHO ARE SOME ARTISTS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO WORK WITH?
I’m working with a lot of artists from the South, mainly Atlanta. The music
scene there is so exciting. I would love to work with T.I., Ludacris, Jeezy. I
also love working with pop artists. I’d love to get in the studio with Rihanna,
Cassie, even the Pussycat Dolls.
WHAT PROJECTS DO YOU GOT OUT AND WHAT DO YOU GOT COMING NEXT?
I’m working on my album. It’ll be a classic. Other than that, I’ve got tracks
coming out on a lot of projects in the next little while.
HOW CAN PEOPLE CONNECT WITH YOU TO DO SOME MUSIC AND WHAT IS YOUR MYSPACE?
My myspace is www.myspace.com/mikedasilvamusic. People can also hit up my
manager, P Day at [email protected].
=0 A
THANKS FOR THE TIME MIKE WITH THE COFFEE SHOP, ANY SHOUT OUTS BEFORE WE ROLL?
My pleasure. Yeah shout out to P Day, KG, Karla, Tia, Mom, Tito, Fattman.
Remember the name, Mike DaSilva!=
August 26, 2008
