5 Minutes With… Sascha Darroch-Davies
Co-founder and director of specialist sonic branding agency DLMDD Sascha Darroch-Davies has been up to his ears in music ever since he was five years old. Starting with violin and soon after moving onto drums, which became his life-long passion and therapeutic outlet, Sascha is one of those people that live through music.
“Music means everything to me,” he says. Blessed to call it work, he insists to still call it a hobby and it’s something that accompanies him everywhere he goes. “Even if I hadn’t been a privileged youth with lots of opportunity to learn instruments, play in bands and orchestras or sing in choirs, I’m convinced I’d still be as passionate about it.”
Although these days Sascha hasn’t played the drums as much as he’d like to, they were the instrument that defined who he was during his twenties - they were his “ultimate priority” and “the only thing [he] cared about truly.” However, a somewhat painful realisation that he “might end up aged 45 and still playing the toilet circuit or in mindless function bands,” made him consider other options. A decision he still believes to be good.
What followed was a degree in music and several more years of recording, touring Europe, a record deal with Wall Of Sound with alternative rock band The Girls, a number-nine UK single and a whole plethora of crazy experiences.
In 2008 Sascha officially started his producing/music supervision portion of his career by joining 2110 Music, soon to be poached by Adelphoi Music, where he worked his way up to co-MD. Hitting “a ceiling” in his career, along with co-producers and colleagues Max and Greg, Sascha decided it was time to redefine and demystify sonic branding through a new project - DLMDD.
LBB’s Zoe Antonov sat down for a chat with Sascha to find out more about the twists and turns of his career and his most impactful projects.
LBB> How did your degree in music change your view on the subject - tell me more about the experience you had at university?
Sascha> Studying music at university opened my mind to a world of musical possibility. Until then, I’d pretty much played only rock and metal. A wealth of variety was presented; a colliery band, a 13-piece Blues Brothers tribute act, jazz ensembles, a comedy act, playing for a Eurovision contender, dance and electronic bands.
My house at uni contained a recording studio, we became a de facto musical hub, recording everyday, playing on or producing fellow students’ projects. In the final year, pretty much every student on the recording module recorded their submissions at our house.
LBB> And how did that ultimately lead to your years of recording and touring? Was this like a dream come true for you or was something missing?
Sascha> It was a continuation, a natural progression. Join bands, do sessions, say ‘yes’ to everything, try to get paid, become successful at being a musician. Ironically, the really interesting opportunities didn’t present themselves until I’d decided to focus on only two bands and get a regular job. Lots of lovely and crazy and disgusting stories from these days.
A night out with Shane McGowan, in an invitation to camp with Joe Strummer at Glastonbury, being dragged off stage and thrown out of the venue mid performance, playing a gig in a giraffe suit, many, many costumes, eye liner, broken bones, broken drums, broken souls, very little sleep, too much drink, and some unprintable stuff about singers.
LBB> What were the lessons you learned through recording and touring that you then brought into your production career?
Sascha> Good communication is everything. Be honest. Be kind. Look after your people. Give people the freedom to do what they do best. Be open to learning more. Don’t be afraid to say no. Don’t be afraid to say you don’t understand. A&R people at record companies are not to be trusted. Don’t take anything too seriously.
LBB> What attracted you to film and commercial production? How did you take the move from being on stage to being on set?
Sascha> I started working with music video directors, essentially a job focussed around music. This required a new type of professionalism from me. Often having to bite my tongue around self-important and or sycophantic career climbers. There were obviously lots of exceptions, but I do believe it’s different now, there’s definitely less flouncing about and pandering to the demands of dickheads.
LBB> You then moved on to music supervising and producing. What did you find in the field that you felt passionately about and how have you seen it change in the past years?
Sascha> Well, I love music. The more I gravitated to commercial production, the less interesting the work became on a personal level. Hence a sharp refocus and a move to music supervision. I love film too, but the function of supporting narrative with music and sound is far more my bag, it was a no-brainer to shift focus.
LBB> Tell me about what went into founding DLMDD and what was the vision you, Greg and Max had when you started it. How has it and its pillars changed since its conception?
Sascha> We’d hit a ceiling in our roles and we wanted to do things our own way. We wanted to bring a more creative and appealing approach to sonic branding and music supervision, de-mystify it, make it classy and premium. I believe we’ve achieved that, partly evident in the number of new companies following suit. So, five years in, we’re no longer the challenger - we’re now focussed on staying ahead of the pack, and challenging thinking on the topic with interesting, creative activations, presenting an interesting and diverse range of collaborative talent.
LBB> What does sonic branding mean to you today and what are some good examples of sonic branding from your career you can give us?
Sascha> I’m really proud of the sonic logo we created for Cadbury’s for its simplicity, warmth and timelessness. Re-imagining Direct Line’s ‘Bugle’, one of advertising’s most iconic and memorable sonic devices, was immensely fun and hugely rewarding.
Combining innovation and luxury with Singapore Airlines, working consistently with Amazon for over five years has been hugely enjoyable, from re-recording the Beatles to creating infinite doorbell sounds and pretty much everything in-between. Some of the most collaborative projects I’ve worked on.
LBB> What do you think are the current trends in sonic branding and are there some trends that you wish weren't accelerating with such pace?
Sascha> We’ve definitely seen a growth in the value of sound and this being embraced by marketers and brands. We’ve also seen a growing trend in ‘sticking a donk on it’, essentially what this means is a random sonic device placed at the end of an ad, sometimes for only a single campaign. You’re better off not doing it at all than doing that.
LBB> What are some of the most interesting projects you have been on?
Sascha> Teaching and recording a wonderful bunch of French Amazon factory staff to sing a song in English, in a factory, in multiple one-hour-long sessions and using the results on a commercial.
Recording singers/dancers live on set for a chicken advert. No overdubs were allowed! This was also one of my most challenging projects, as the priority on the day was for picture and dance performance to look good. No mics could be visible, and on top of that the set was in a gym hall so acoustics were terrible. The whole crew and cast was feeling slowed down and generally inconvenienced by my teams’ presence. Thankfully the director stuck to their guns and insisted that authenticity of performance was paramount and we were an essential part of that.
LBB> Do you still play music in your free time? What do you like to listen to these days?
Sascha> I’m not playing enough drums and I miss that terribly. Like I said, it’s therapy. But I’ve recently started jamming with some other like-minded dads and hope to be performing in a venue near you soon. DJ-ing at DLMDD parties and a few others.
I’m listening to everything, everyday is a discovery day. Particular favourites and recommendations right now: Brittany Howard, Enola Gay, The Smile, Nia Archives, BLK Odyssy, Panic Shack, The Last Dinner Party, Gilles Petersen on 6 Music on Saturdays, Jamz Supernova on 6 Music on Saturdays, Sherelle on 6 Music on Saturdays.
