Danny Lloyd (IT)

An eclectic sensibility is the key of a twenty-year musical career during which Denio Barani, a.k.a. Danny Lloyd experienced many genres whilst continuing to create music and shape his own artistic personality. His passion for the “muse of muses” started very young when his mother bought him vinyls, and as a little child, he found a great interest in funk, jazz, rock and many other genres. This passion for music as a teenager drew him towards meeting other musicians. The young Denio started to play and experiment with instruments (especially piano, guitar and bass), leading him on to approach the art of composition, something he shows when playing with structures and developing productions. His music, never boring or repetitive, is a powerful trip laden with emotions and feelings, where he tells a story of sounds with a personal style. Danny mashes the musical material in a new and personal way collecting past and present, tradition and innovation. In 1995 he released his first vinyl called “The Dreamer Project” (Zac Music), a three track ep full of ambient, deep and experimental house influence. Under the influence of artists like Brian Eno, Danny Lloyd creates an important element of his music -a solid and deep atmosphere which is the foundation of each piece. Danny has played for Italian clubs and festivals, and has traveled to Tunisia often, which gave him the opportunity to gain prestige in the electronic music scene. From 2002 to 2004, he was part of a duo project called Twelve leading to the production of “ADDV”, “Ukit”, “Dream Man” (Confusion) which are experimental and eclectic tracks touching elements of funk and jungle music whilst passing through sprinkles of jazz and ambient. Around this time, Danny Lloyd's name became his official pseudonym, leading him on to experiment a “minimal phase” in his music career. In 2006, he released the “Music Parfums” ep with the Italian label Presslab Limites, a four-track work composed by three original mixes plus a remix by Andrea Cassino and Alex Laben. The ep shows Danny's skill to move through genres with confidence and displays his careful search in choosing and editing sounds, always trying to lean towards an analog sound. He released his tracks with labels such as Bellarine Recordings, Proton Music, Particles, Kumquat, Drops and Aquasound. In 2008, he gave another demonstration of how he conceives a remix project (“Running after Time”, Hunya Munya Records): a new track, being the original when it set off, but far from it at the arrival. Focused on techno, Danny joined Andrea Cassino in producing music. In 2010 they released “Qlow” ep with KumQuat, three original tracks that range over tech and minimal sonorities. However, it was in 2009 (“Beyond the Dome”, original mix by Alex Rize, Proton Music) when he finally understood that he wanted to make sounds with a more progressive edge. “Green Endless” ep (Lowbit, 2011) is a work by Danny and Andrea that marks their consecration to progressive house music. His productions became more and more melodic without losing the energy, thanks to the “big groovy wall” he set up. The intensity is created through the addition and subtraction of sturdy sound layers. The time spent in the studio with the experience of a great career are the reasons for several technical tracks released on important labels such as Underground City, Balkan Connection, Soundteller, Kunai Records, Entangled, Suffused Music and Particles. In 2014, the duo Lloyd-Cassino decided to make it official that this musical partnership should go by the name of Nocturna. The debut was related with the name of Sudbeat Music for the first time, which released the ep called “Big Bang”: resulting in two original mixes and two remixes, one by the owner label Hernan Cattaneo and the Italian DJ producer Graziano Raffa. Always betting on quality, they remixed “Look Good Tonight” (original mix by Dousk, Balkan Connection, 2015), featured in the “Compiled and Mixed” series for Proton Music where Danny Lloyd’s name appeared for another track, “We Are Here”, this being his latest production belonging to ep “Espejismo” (2015) released on Particles. During these twenty years, Danny Lloyd has gained the support from many artists that used to play his music. Some examples are: Hernan Cattaneo, Paul Oakenfold, Robert Babicz, Guy J, Francesco Farfa, Guy Mantzur, Dousk, Darin Epsilon, Sonic Union, Chicola, Rich Curtis, Antrim, Martin Garcia and many more. Danny participated in many radio shows “Elements” (Proton Radio), “6th Auditorium” (Frisky Radio), “Farfa Sound” (Pioneer Radio) Lloyd's music has been compared with the manta's movements, an animal whose shape swimming is similar to a flight. Sinuous and soft but also strong and overwhelming as is Danny Lloyd's music, this image goes along with him during his entire career ideally describing the way he conceives music. The result is music that slides gently and strongly at the same time, “the manta’s flight”.