“I use a Decapitator on almost everything. It brings any soft-synth to life.”
A champion of the DIY scene in Baltimore and a shining beacon in viral YouTube history, Dan Deacon has continued to make a name for himself with his quirky performances, integration of interactive lighting and visuals, and relentless dedication to staying weird.
“Since getting Soundtoys, every channel on every track has Soundtoys on it.”
Deacon has premiered compositions at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, and collaborated with artists and institutions including Kronos Quartet, Sō Percussion, The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the LA Philharmonic, and Justin Peck with the New York City Ballet. Deacon recently composed the music for NYC Ballet’s Mystic Familiar, choreographed by Justin Peck. He also performed alongside artists such as Sting and Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino for the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s virtual concert Space Songs, and is known for his other national performances including Jimmy Kimmel Live! and NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts. Deacon has also toured internationally with popular recording artists including Arcade Fire, Miley Cyrus, Future Islands, and The Flaming Lips.
Deacon’s original film scores include Twixt, Rat Film, Time Trial, Well Groomed, And We Go Green, Strawberry Mansion, All Light Everywhere, Ascension, Hustle, Great Photo Lovely Life, King of Clones, The Thinking Game, Rez Ball, and Venom: The Last Dance, Vitalk: An Ethereum Story, and Andre Is An Idiot.
In his score for Rat Film, an experimental documentary that metaphorically explores racial oppression in Baltimore, Maryland, Dan used actual rats and theramins to generate the score for the film.
“I used Soundtoys pretty heavily in the score for Rat Film. Decapitator and Radiator brought a subtle warmth to the soft synths I was using that brought many of the more haunting lines in the distance to life.”
Deacon’s most recent studio album is Mystic Familiar, featuring the lead single “Sat by a Tree,” the video for which stars comedian Aparna Nancherla. His albums Spiderman of the Rings and Bromst were both named Best New Music by Pitchfork, and his album Gliss Riffer received 4-star reviews from outlets such as AllMusic and The Guardian. The animated video for Deacon’s breakout song “When I Was Done Dying” made in conjunction with Adult Swim, has recorded over ten million views.
